JP2004095508A - See-saw switch - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a see-saw switch with improved assembling reliability, simplified structure, strengthened rigidity, reduced manufacturing cost, and improved operational reliability. <P>SOLUTION: The diameter of a swaying shaft 16a supporting an operation knob 12 of the see-saw switch 10 is made larger than that of a swaying shaft 16b. Sizes of engaging holes 20a, 20b to which the swaying shafts 16a, 16b engage are changed in compliance with sizes of the swaying shafts 16a, 16b. Namely, the size of one combination of the swaying axis 16a and the engaging hole 20a engaging with each other is made larger than the size of the combination of the swaying shaft 16b and the engaging hole 20b engaging with each other for preventing reversed mounting by the combination of the swaying shaft and the engaging hole. Rigidity is improved by enlarging the diameter of the swaying shaft 16a, and a punching die is made to be pulled out in one direction when molding by making the size of the engaging hole 20a different from that of the engaging hole 20b, and by the this, the cost of a metal mold is reduced, and the structural restriction of the see-saw switch is relieved. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a seesaw switch, and more particularly to an improvement of a seesaw switch that can easily perform improvement of assembly reliability, simplification of structure, enhancement of rigidity, reduction of manufacturing cost, improvement of operation reliability, and the like.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a switch device is used to operate an electronic device or to set an electronic device. The switch device includes, for example, a push switch for vertically pressing an operation surface to turn on / off an internal contact, a volume switch for selecting an operation amount and a position along a rotation direction by rotating an operation knob, and an operation. A slide switch that slides a knob to select an operation amount and position along a sliding direction, and a seesaw that selectively turns ON / OFF an internal contact corresponding to the position by pressing one end of a wide operation surface. There are switches and the like, and a switch of an appropriate form is selected and used depending on the application.
[0003]
In particular, the seesaw switch makes it easy to selectively select two or more operation states, and also makes it easy to visually and tactilely judge the operation state of the operation knob. It is effective and frequently used when visual judgment and groping judgment are required.
[0004]
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the external appearance of the seesaw switch 100 and the schematic structure of the inside thereof. FIG. 3A is a front view of the seesaw switch 100, and shows a state in which the operation knob 102 is exposed from an opening 104a formed in a decorative plate 104 of the device. 3B is a cross-sectional view along the line AA in FIG. 3A, and FIG. 3C is a cross-sectional view along the line BB in FIG. 3A. . In FIGS. 3B and 3C, structures of parts that are not relevant to the description are omitted for simplification of the drawings.
[0005]
The seesaw switch 100 is generally configured to swing in a first direction (for example, left side) or a second direction (for example, right side) across an AA line, and an operation knob 102 is provided for swinging in the first direction. Is pressed in the first direction to turn on an internal contact disposed on the left side inside the seesaw switch 100, and the right side of the operation knob 102 is pressed to swing in the second direction. And a second direction switching operation of turning on the internal contact disposed on the right side. Some other types of seesaw switches 100 have a neutral operation on the AA line in addition to the first and second switching operations. In either case, the state is selected by pressing one of the left and right sides with the AA line interposed therebetween, and is configured to swing left and right about the AA line as a central axis.
[0006]
In such a case, as shown in FIG. 3B, the seesaw switch 100 is configured such that swing shafts 106 a and 106 b formed in a portion corresponding to the line AA in the housing 106 are connected to the back side of the operation knob 102. Are engaged with the engagement holes 110a, 110b on the flanges 108a, 108b formed at the portion corresponding to the line AA of FIG. 1, so that the surface of the operation knob 102 swings in the pressed direction. .
[0007]
As shown in FIG. 3C, operation members 112a and 112b are formed to protrude from both left and right ends of the back surface of the operation knob 102 shown in FIG. 3A, and are housed in the housing 106 via the intermediate shaft 114. One of the internal contacts (push-on type contacts) 118a and 118b mounted on the mounted substrate 116 can be selectively turned on / off. The intermediate shaft 114 is supported by a guide 106c of the housing 106, and the intermediate shaft 114 slides in the operation direction (up and down direction in the figure) of the internal contacts 118a and 118b. Pushes down while moving the top surface of the intermediate shaft 114 in the swing direction by the swing of the operation knob 102, so that the swing (rotation) movement of the operation knob 102 changes to a linear movement of pressing the internal contacts 118a and 118b. It has become.
[0008]
As described above, the operation knob 102 supported by the swing shafts 106a and 106b can selectively turn ON / OFF the internal contact corresponding to the position by pressing one end of the operation surface on the wide front side. (For example, see Patent Document 1).
[0009]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 62-142129 (FIGS. 1 and 2).
[0010]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the conventional seesaw switch 100, since the swing shafts 106a and 106b supporting the operation knob 102 are all formed in the same shape (the same diameter in the case of a cylindrical pin), the operation knob 102 must be assembled upside down. Is also possible. That is, reverse assembly may occur. For this reason, a structure for preventing reverse assembly, for example, in order to determine the mounting posture (assembly direction) of the two, an uneven portion that mutually engages at a predetermined position corresponding to the operation knob 102 and the housing 106 is provided. Was. That is, a dedicated prevention structure is formed. As a result, there is a problem that a mold for molding the operation knob 102 and the housing 106 is complicated and the cost is increased, and that the degree of freedom in designing the operation knob 102 and the housing 106 is reduced.
[0011]
Further, it is preferable in terms of operability that the seesaw switch 100 can perform a reliable switching operation by a slight swing operation. In other words, it is desirable to increase the amount of depression of the internal contacts 118a and 118b while minimizing the amount of swing of the operation knob 102. Therefore, it is desirable to arrange the fulcrum position of the operation knob 102, that is, the positions of the swing shafts 106a and 106b as close to the surface of the operation knob 102 as possible. On the other hand, when the engagement holes 110a and 110b are formed in the flanges 108a and 108b of the operation knob 102, it is necessary to pull out the injection molding die outward at upper and lower positions. In other words, it is necessary to form, for example, a substantially U-shaped notch 102a outside the flanges 108a and 108b of the operation knob 102 for removing the punching die. As described above, when the positions of the swing shafts 106a and 106b, that is, the positions of the engagement holes 110a and 110b are brought as close to the surface of the operation knob 102 as possible, the notch 102a is brought close to a position near the surface of the operation knob 102. Need to be formed. However, in this case, a notch 102a that is originally unrelated to the function of the operation knob 102 can be seen from a gap between the operation knob 102 and the decorative board 104, and there is a possibility that the appearance quality may be deteriorated. In addition, in order to form the engagement holes 110a and 110b, it is necessary to pull out the injection molds in the direction away from each other, which complicates the mold and also raises the problem of cost increase. In order to make the size of the notch 102a small and inconspicuous, it is conceivable to make the shaft diameters of the swing shafts 106a and 106b thin, but this is not preferable because the rigidity is reduced.
[0012]
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and with an easy configuration, it is possible to reliably prevent reverse assembly without providing a dedicated structure, while securing sufficient rigidity of a seesaw switch, It is another object of the present invention to provide a seesaw switch capable of preventing a reduction in appearance quality and reducing manufacturing costs.
[0013]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention relates to a seesaw switch that performs a first direction switching operation or a second direction switching operation by swinging in a first direction or a second direction across a swing center. A housing having a pair of rocking shafts serving as the rocking center, a pair of engaging holes with which the rocking shafts are engaged, and an operation knob capable of freely rocking for switching operation; And one set of the swinging shaft and the engagement hole that engage with each other is larger than the other set.
[0014]
According to this configuration, since one set of the swinging shaft and the engagement hole that are engaged with each other is larger than the other set, the assembling posture of the operation knob with respect to the housing is only one posture (one direction). The reverse assembly prevention structure can be constituted by the swing mechanism originally required for the first embodiment. In addition, by increasing the size of one of the sets, the rigidity of the swing shaft on the large size side can be improved. Furthermore, since the sizes of the engagement holes formed in the operation knob are different, two engagement holes can be formed by the die cutting operation from one direction. The operating knob can be molded.
[0015]
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the above configuration, wherein, when the swing center extends in the vertical direction, the upper set of the swing shaft and the engagement hole that engage with each other is the lower set. It is characterized by being larger than a pair.
[0016]
According to this configuration, the rigidity of the upper side of the seesaw switch, which generally tends to increase the operation load, can be enhanced.
[0017]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention (hereinafter, referred to as embodiments) will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0018]
FIG. 1 shows an external view and a schematic cross-sectional structural view of a seesaw switch 10 of the present embodiment. The basic structure is the same as the conventional seesaw switch 100 shown in FIG.
[0019]
FIG. 1A is a front view of the seesaw switch 10 and shows a state in which an operation knob 12 is exposed from an opening 14a formed in a decorative plate 14 of the device. FIG. 1B is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1A, and FIG. 1C is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 1A. . In FIGS. 1B and 1C, structures of parts that are not relevant to the description are omitted for simplification of the drawings.
[0020]
Like the seesaw switch 100 shown in FIG. 3, the seesaw switch 10 is configured to swing in, for example, a first direction (for example, left side) or a second direction (for example, right side) across the AA line, When the left side of the operation knob 12 is pressed to swing in the first direction, a first direction switching operation for turning on an internal contact disposed on the inner left side of the seesaw switch 10, and the operation knob 12 for swinging in the second direction are performed. When the right side is pressed, the second direction switching operation of turning on the internal contact arranged on the right side inside the seesaw switch 10 can be performed. Some other types of seesaw switches 10 have a neutral operation on the AA line in addition to the first and second switching operations. In any case, the AA line is set as the swing center O, and the state is selected by pressing one of the left and right sides of the swing center O, and swings left and right with the AA line as the center axis. It is configured to
[0021]
In this case, as shown in FIG. 1B, the swing shafts 16 a and 16 b formed in a portion corresponding to the AA line in the housing 16 correspond to the AA line on the back side of the operation knob 12. By engaging with the engagement holes 20a, 20b on the flanges 18a, 18b formed at the portions to be operated, the surface of the operation knob 12 swings in the pressed direction.
[0022]
As shown in FIG. 1 (c), operation members 22a and 22b are protruded from left and right ends of the back surface of the operation knob 12 shown in FIG. 1 (a), and housed in the housing 16 via the intermediate shaft 24. One of the internal contacts (push-on type contacts) 28a and 28b mounted on the mounted substrate 26 can be selectively turned on / off. The intermediate shaft 24 is supported by a guide 26c of the housing 16, and the intermediate shaft 24 slides in the operation direction (up and down direction in the figure) of the internal contacts 28a and 28b. Pushes down while moving the top surface of the intermediate shaft 24 in the swinging direction by the swinging of the operation knob 12, whereby the swinging (rotating) movement of the operation knob 12 changes to a linear movement of pushing down the internal contacts 28a, 28b. It is like this.
[0023]
As described above, the operation knob 12 supported by the swinging shafts 16a and 16b is selectively turned ON / OFF by pressing one end of the operation surface on the wide front side so as to selectively turn on / off the internal contacts 28a and 28b corresponding to the position. can do.
[0024]
A characteristic feature of the present embodiment is that the size of the swing shaft 16a and the swing shaft 16b that support the operation knob 12 is different, and similarly, the engagement holes with which the swing shafts 16a and 16b engage. 20a and the engagement hole 20b are also different depending on the size of the swing shafts 16a and 16b. In other words, the size of one set constituted by the swinging shaft 16a and the engaging hole 20a which are engaged with each other is larger than the size of the other set constituted by the swinging shaft 16b and the engaging hole 20b. is there.
[0025]
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1B and 1C, the swing shaft 16a is formed by connecting a cylindrical pin to opposing side surfaces substantially orthogonal to the operation knob 12 along a predetermined amount of axis. It has a shape obtained by cutting off and chamfering the operation knob 12 on the end surface perpendicular to the axis. The cutting off of both side surfaces of the swing shaft 16a is for giving a play for releasing unnecessary force at the time of the swing operation of the operation knob 12, and the end surface is chamfered by cutting the operation knob 12. This is because the swing shafts 16a and 16b can be easily guided into the engagement holes 20a and 20b and can be inserted when assembled to the housing 16. Of course, the above-described cut-off and chamfering are optional, and the original function of the seesaw switch 10 is not affected even if the swing shafts 16a and 16b are used in a cylindrical shape. Further, the pin shape may be a square pin.
[0026]
In the present embodiment, the shaft diameter M of the swing shaft 16a (the upper side in FIGS. 1B and 2) is larger than the shaft diameter based on the strength (minimum strength) required for the conventional seesaw switch. As shown, if the lower swing shaft 16b has a shaft diameter N based on the strength (minimum strength) required for a conventional seesaw switch, the lower swing shaft 16b is formed to have a thickness increased by, for example, 50%. Similarly, the diameter of the engagement hole 20a with which the swing shaft 16a engages is, for example, 50% larger than the engagement hole 20b with which the swing shaft 16b engages.
[0027]
As described above, by making one set of the swinging shaft and the engagement hole to be engaged with each other larger than the other set, the operation knob 12 can be assembled to the housing 16 only in one posture, Reverse assembly at the time of assembly can be prevented. In other words, there is no need to provide a special structure (for example, a concave-convex shape) for preventing reverse assembly, which is conventionally formed on the operation knob and the housing, and the mold for forming the operation knob 12 and the housing 16 is simplified, and This can also contribute to a reduction in manufacturing costs. In addition, since a dedicated structure is not required, restrictions on the structure of the seesaw switch 10 are relaxed, and design flexibility is improved. It is preferable that the amount of increase of the swing shaft and the engagement hole with respect to the other is appropriately selected depending on the size of the operation knob 12 and the use of the seesaw switch 10, but the swing of the seesaw switch 10 having a general size is preferable. Since the shaft 16a is about 2 to 3 mm, it is preferable to have a difference of about 50% or more in order to make the reverse assembly preventing function work well.
[0028]
Further, by increasing the diameter of the swing shaft 16a, the rigidity of the seesaw switch 10 can be increased. In particular, as shown in FIG. 1B, the seesaw switch 10 in which the operation knob 12 is formed to protrude from the surface of the decorative board 14 is often pressed above the operation knob 12. In the present embodiment, since the upper swing shaft 16a on which a load is easily applied can be reinforced, it is possible to prevent reverse assembly and contribute to improvement in the reliability of the seesaw switch 10 in terms of strength.
[0029]
In this embodiment, since the diameters of the engagement holes 20a and 20b formed in the flanges 18a and 18b of the operation knob 12 are different (engagement hole 20a> engagement hole 20b), when the operation knob 12 is formed, The engagement holes 20a and 20b can be formed by a punching die that pulls out from one direction of the die. As a result, the structure of a mold for molding the operation knob 12 can be simplified, which can contribute to a reduction in manufacturing cost. Conventionally, when a pair of punching dies for opening engaging holes of the same diameter in the separating direction are conventionally formed, in order to pull out the punching die, as shown in FIG. It is necessary to form the notch 102a at a position corresponding to each engagement hole, and there is a problem that the notch 102a can be seen from the front surface side to impair the appearance. However, the diameter of the engagement holes 20a and 20b is reduced. Because of the difference, for example, it is possible to use a stepped die that is pulled out from one direction, and it is not necessary to provide a notch in the non-drawing direction. As a result, the problem of appearance deterioration due to the notch 102a is also reduced.
[0030]
As shown in FIG. 1B, when the surface shape of the operation knob 12 is curved and the distance from the swing center O is different between the engagement hole 20a and the engagement hole 20b, the surface of the operation knob 12 The positions of the upper and lower engaging holes 20a, 20b are determined based on the side farther from the upper side (in this case, the upper engaging hole 20a), and the die for forming the engaging holes 20a, 20b is removed from the engaging hole 20a side. By doing so, the notch necessary for the punching operation of the punching die can be formed at a position far from the surface of the operation knob 12, that is, at a position that is not visible even when looking in from the outside. On the other hand, since the notch is not required on the side of the engagement hole 20b as described above, it can be formed without considering the external appearance. That is, since it is not necessary to consider the appearance from the outside, it is not necessary to move the swing center O away from the surface side. As a result, the operability is not impaired without increasing the swing amount of the operation knob 12. In addition, a large stroke for pressing the internal contacts 28a (28b) can be obtained with a small amount of swing, and the internal contacts 28a and 28b can be pressed reliably even with a small switching operation, thereby improving the reliability of the seesaw switch. Can be improved.
[0031]
In the present embodiment, the structure of the seesaw switch can be appropriately changed as long as one set of the swing shaft and the engagement hole for swingably supporting the operation knob 12 is larger than the other set. The same effect as the embodiment can be obtained. Further, the same effect as that of the present embodiment can be obtained even if the set to be enlarged is replaced upside down as necessary.
[0032]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, since one set of the swinging shaft and the engagement hole that are engaged with each other is larger than the other set, the operation direction of the operation knob is only one posture, without providing a special structure. A reverse assembly prevention structure can be configured. In addition, by increasing the size of one of the sets, the rigidity can be improved. Further, since the sizes of the engagement holes formed in the operation knob are different, the two engagement holes can be formed by a die-cutting operation from one direction. The molding can be performed, and the cost of the molding die and the manufacturing cost can be reduced while maintaining the quality of the seesaw switch as a whole.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an internal structure of a seesaw switch according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view illustrating details of a swing shaft and an engagement portion of the seesaw switch according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an internal structure of a conventional seesaw switch.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 seesaw switch, 12 operation knob, 14 decorative plate, 16 housing, 16a, 16b swing shaft, 18a, 18b flange, 20a, 20b engagement hole, 22a, 22b operator, 24 intermediate shaft, 26 substrate, 26c guide, 28a, 28b Internal contacts.

Claims (2)

A seesaw switch that performs a first direction switching operation or a second direction switching operation by swinging in a first direction or a second direction with a swing center interposed therebetween,
A housing having a pair of swing shafts serving as the swing center,
An operating knob having a pair of engaging holes with which the swinging shaft engages, and which can swing freely for switching operation;
Including
A seesaw switch, wherein one set of a swing shaft and an engagement hole that engage with each other is larger than the other set. The switch according to claim 1,
A seesaw switch, wherein when the swing center extends in the vertical direction, an upper set of the swing shaft and the engaging hole that engage with each other is larger than a lower set.

Images