JP2006012637A - Light control device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a light control device which secures a click feeling without increasing the number of components and has an improved electrostatic resistance, and can prevent temperature rise of the operating knob. <P>SOLUTION: The light control device 1 comprises a rotation type variable resistor 14 which has an operating shaft 14a and is used for control setting of the illumination; a device body 2, having a protruded part 20 through which, the operating shaft 14a is rotation freely inserted, making an insertion hole 4b having an inner peripheral face drawn near to the operating shaft 14a and the peripheral part of the insertion hole 4b protrude toward surface side, having a housing part 20a on its rear side, housing the variable resistor 14; the operating knob 24 mounted on the top end side of the operating shaft 14a, arranged in free rotation on the surface side of the device body 2 by housing the protruded part 20 at the recessed part 24a formed on the rear side; and a projection for click 24d having a projection protrusively arranged on the outer circumference of the protruded part 20, protrusively arranged at the inside face of the recessed part 24a of the operating knob 24 so as to be able to climb over the above projection. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a light control device for lighting an illumination load at a desired light control level.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been provided a light control device that is constructed so as to be partially embedded in a work surface such as a wall surface and is operated so as to light an illumination load at a desired light control level.

  This type of dimmer is a dimming setter that sets the dimming level of an illumination load such as an incandescent lamp, and is fitted to a rotary variable resistor (hereinafter referred to as volume) and the operation shaft of this volume. And an operation knob inserted from behind into a circular hole formed in the approximate center of the front surface of the cover, and illuminates when the operation knob is protruded from the operation knob and operated to a predetermined position. A V-shaped concave portion is formed in the front portion of the pressing portion that presses the operation piece of the microswitch so as to turn off the load, and the portion that engages and disengages the concave portion at a portion corresponding to the predetermined position on the rear surface side of the cover The thing which provided the protrusion was provided (patent document 1, patent document 2).

  As the conventional light control device as described above, a light control device 101 as shown in FIGS. 6A to 6C is provided. The light control device 101 includes a box-shaped body 102 having an open front surface, a body 104 including a cover 103 that is attached to the front surface of the body 102 and includes a circular insertion hole 103a in a substantially central portion, and an operation shaft 105a. A rotary volume 105 having a micro switch 106, a circuit unit for dimming control, and a circuit board portion 107 housed in the body 104, and a cover 103 fitted to the front portion of the operation shaft 105a. The operation knob 108 is rotatably inserted through the insertion hole 103a.

  As described above, the container body 104 includes a rectangular parallelepiped box-shaped body 102 having an open front surface, and a cover 103 including a circular insertion hole 103a penetrating the front and back at a substantially central portion as shown in FIG. It consists of and. An engaging projection 103b as shown in FIG. 6C projects from the periphery of the insertion hole 103a on the back side of the cover 103.

  The circuit board unit 107 is a series circuit of a rotary volume 105 whose resistance value is adjusted by rotating the operation shaft 105a protruding forward, an external power source (not shown), and an illumination load (not shown). When the actuator 106a, which is an operation piece is inserted, is turned off only when the actuator 106a is pressed, and when the actuator 106a is not pressed, the microswitch 106 that keeps the power on and a volume 105 with a desired load A circuit unit for dimming control for lighting at a dimming level is provided, and is housed in the body 104 with the operation shaft 105a of the volume 105 facing forward.

The operation knob 108 is formed in a cylindrical box shape whose rear wall is opened over the entire surface, and a cylindrical portion 108a that fits the operation shaft 105a protrudes rearward from the center of the rear surface side of the front wall. ing. Further, a collar portion 108b is provided at the rear end portion of the operation knob 108, and a part of the collar portion 108b is laterally (leftward in FIG. 6B) as shown in FIG. 6B. The extension piece 108c is extended to form a pressing piece (not shown) for pressing the actuator 106a of the switch 106. As shown in FIG. 6C, a V-shaped recess 109 is formed on the front surface of the extended piece 108 c so that the engagement protrusion 103 b of the cover 103 can be engaged and disengaged. The operation knob 108 is fitted to the operation shaft 105a at the cylindrical portion 108a, and is inserted into the insertion hole 103a from the rear surface side of the cover 103, and is rotatably inserted through the insertion hole 103a. In addition, an elastic body 110 is interposed between the operation shaft 105a and the operation knob 108, and the operation knob 108 is urged toward the cover 103 by the elastic body 110 to operate the cover 103 and the operation knob 108 together. A gap is prevented from being formed between the knob 108.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-16684 (FIG. 12) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-87072 (FIG. 6)

  In the light control device 101 constituted by the above members, when the operation knob 108 is positioned at a predetermined angle, the actuator 106a of the switch 106 is pressed by the pressing piece of the operation knob 108, and the external power source and the illumination load are set. Is turned off and the illumination load is completely turned off. At this time, as shown in FIG. 6C, the engaging projection 103b provided on the cover 103 and the concave portion 109 provided on the operation knob 108 are provided. And a click feeling can be obtained when the light control device 101 is operated.

  Therefore, according to the dimming device 101 described above, it is not necessary to use a volume with a switch that is expensive and large and has a click feeling that is not so much produced by Japanese manufacturers. As shown in FIG. 6B, in order to press the actuator 106a of the switch 106 with the pressing piece of the operation knob 108, it is necessary to form the insertion hole 103a to a size that allows the operation knob 108 to be inserted. is there.

  Therefore, the creepage distance between the vicinity of the insertion hole 103a of the cover 103 and the circuit board portion 107 in the body 104, which is likely to generate static electricity when the operation knob 108 is operated, is shortened. The static electricity generated during the operation of 101 discharges to the circuit board portion 107 in the body 104 and destroys electronic components and circuits, and the heat generated in the circuit board portion 107 is transmitted to the operation knob 108. As a result, there is a problem that the operation knob 108 has heat.

  The above problem could be solved by reducing the insertion hole 103a and increasing the creepage distance. As described above, the insertion hole 103a allows the actuator 106a of the switch 106 to be connected to the operation knob 108. In order to press with the pressing piece, the size of the operation knob 108 has to be formed so that it can be inserted, so that the creepage distance could not be increased to the extent that the above problem can be solved.

  On the other hand, if the operation knob 108 is arranged on the front surface of the cover 103 and a member for pressing the actuator 106a of the switch 106 is newly provided, the insertion hole 103a can be made small. In this case, since the concave portion 109 and the engaging projection 103b cannot be engaged / disengaged, it is not possible to obtain a click feeling during operation, and it is necessary to increase the number of parts in order to obtain a click feeling.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and its purpose is to secure a click feeling without increasing the number of parts, to improve electrostatic resistance and to prevent an increase in the temperature of the operation knob. It is to provide a dimming device that can be used.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, in the invention of claim 1, a rotary variable resistor having an operation shaft to be rotated and used for dimming control setting, and between an external power source and a lighting load is provided. A switch for turning on / off the power supply, the operation shaft is rotatably inserted, an insertion hole having an inner peripheral surface close to the operation shaft, and a peripheral portion of the insertion hole projecting to the front side, A protrusion that has a storage portion formed therein, a housing that stores the variable resistor and the switch, and a recess that is attached to the distal end side of the operation shaft that is inserted through the insertion hole and formed in the back portion. An operation knob that is housed in the housing and is rotatably disposed on the surface side of the container body, and is attached to the operation shaft and stored in the storage section, and the operation knob is positioned at a predetermined angle. When driving the switch between the external power source and the lighting load. Drive means for turning off energization, and a protrusion is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the protrusion, and when the operation knob is rotated to the predetermined angle, the click protrusion that gets over the protrusion is The light control device is characterized in that it projects from the inner surface of the recess of the operation knob.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the protrusion is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the protruding portion formed by protruding the peripheral portion of the insertion hole through which the operating shaft of the cover is inserted, and the click protruding portion that gets over the protrusion is provided. Since the protrusion is provided on the inner surface of the recess formed to accommodate the protrusion in the operation knob, a click feeling can be ensured without increasing the number of parts. In addition, since the protrusion is housed in the recess formed in the operation knob, there is no need to enlarge the insertion hole in order to insert the operation knob. The creeping distance from the surface of the body to the inside can be increased by approaching it, so that static electricity generated when the operation knob is rotated is difficult to discharge into the body and is stored in, for example, the body. Since heat generated in the electronic component is difficult to be transmitted to the operation knob, the electrostatic resistance is improved and the temperature of the operation knob can be prevented from rising.

  In the present invention, a protrusion is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the protrusion, and a click protrusion that extends over the protrusion is provided on the inner surface of the recess that houses the protrusion, so that the number of parts does not increase. A click feeling can be secured, and in addition, since the protrusion is housed in the recess formed in the operation knob, the creepage distance from the surface of the body to the inside can be increased, which makes it resistant to static electricity. And the temperature rise of the operation knob can be prevented.

  Below, the illuminating device 1 of this invention is demonstrated using FIG. 1 thru | or 5. FIG. In FIG. 1, the front direction is the upper side of the light control device 1, the left direction is the right side of the light control device 1, the right direction is the left side of the light control device 1, the upper direction is the surface side of the light control device 1, and the lower side. The direction is the back side of the light control device 1.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the light control device 1 of the present invention has an operation shaft 14 a that is rotated, and a rotary volume 14 that is used for light control control settings, and an external power source (not shown). A circuit board portion 13 provided with a switch 15 for turning on / off an electric current between lighting loads (not shown), and an insertion hole having an inner peripheral surface close to the operation shaft 14a, through which the operation shaft 14a is rotatably inserted. 4b and a projecting portion 20 in which a peripheral portion of the insertion hole 4b protrudes to the front surface side and a storage portion 20a is formed on the back side, and stores the circuit board portion 13 to which the heat sinks 11 and 12 are attached. The device body 2 is attached to the distal end side of the operation shaft 14a inserted through the insertion hole 4b, and the protruding portion 20 is housed in the concave portion 24a formed in the back portion, and is rotatably disposed on the surface side of the device body 2. An operation knob 24 and a storage unit attached to the operation shaft 14a When the operation knob 24 is housed in 0a and the operation knob 24 is positioned at a predetermined angle, the switch 15 is driven to become a driving means for turning off the energization between the external power source and the illumination load. And a decorative plate 25 that is attached to the surface portion of the vessel body 2 with an opening 25a that is rotatably inserted.

  The vessel body 2 is composed of a body 3 having an open surface portion and a cover 4 attached to the surface side of the body 3. The body 3 is formed, for example, in a rectangular parallelepiped box shape whose surface is opened using, for example, a thermosetting synthetic resin, and its internal space is partitioned by a partition wall 5, and a terminal plate storage portion 6 ( 3) and the circuit board housing portion 7. As shown in FIG. 4A, a hole 6 a that runs in the front and back direction of the body 3 is formed at the lower portion of the terminal plate storage portion 6, and corresponds to the terminal plate storage portion 6 on the back surface portion of the body 3. A pair for inserting electric wires 8 and 8 (see FIG. 5B) from an external power source (not shown) and an illumination load (not shown) into the terminal board storage portion 6 of the body 3 Electric wire insertion holes 6b, 6b are formed. In addition, in the portion corresponding to the circuit board housing portion 7 on the back surface portion of the body 3, 19 horizontally long slits 7 a for releasing heat generated in the container 2 to the outside are formed, and the side surface portion of the body 3 is formed. As shown in FIG. 5 (a), three extending portions 3 a each having a screw hole (not shown) corresponding to the mounting screw 9 are extended on the surface side. The cover 4 can be attached to the body 3.

  In the terminal plate housing portion 6 of the body 3, so-called quick-connecting terminals constituted by a terminal plate (not shown) and a lock spring (not shown) are arranged corresponding to the electric wire insertion holes 6 b and 6 b, A release lever 10 (see FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b)) for detaching the electric wire from these quick connection terminals by pressing the locking spring is disposed in the hole 6a so as to be swingable. The circuit board housing part 7 of the body 3 houses a circuit board part 13 to which a first heat radiating plate 11 and a second heat radiating plate 12 are attached.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the first heat radiating plate 11 has a flat plate portion 11a and a flat plate-like piece portion 11b integrally formed in the vertical direction from the flat plate portion 11a and is bent from a metal plate. Is formed. Since the first heat radiating plate 11 is formed by bending the piece 11b from a single metal plate as described above, an opening 11c is formed in the substantially central portion of the flat plate portion 11a. The flat plate portion 11a is formed with a pair of insertion holes 11d through which attachment screws (not shown) for attaching the body 2 to a construction surface such as a wall surface are inserted, and through which the attachment screws 9 are inserted. The hole 11e is formed corresponding to the extending part 3a of the body 3.

  As shown in FIG. 5B, the second heat radiating plate 12 is formed by bending a metal plate into an L shape having a lateral side portion 12a and a longitudinal side portion 12b, and both side portions of the longitudinal side portion 12b. Are bent to the surface side where the lateral side portion 12a is located to form side piece portions 12c, 12c. Further, the vertical side portion 12 b is cut out at a portion that contacts the partition wall 5 so that the second heat radiating plate 12 can be stored in the terminal plate storage portion 7 of the body 3.

  The circuit board unit 13 has an operation shaft 14a to be rotated, and is a switch for turning on / off energization between the rotary volume 14 used for dimming control setting and the external power supply and the illumination load. 15 and a pair of terminal portions (not shown) electrically connected to the switching elements 16 and 16 (see FIG. 5B) and the terminal plate housed in the terminal plate housing portion 6 of the body 3. And a circuit for dimming control for lighting the illumination load at a desired dimming level according to the control setting by the volume 14. In addition, since the circuit configuration of the light control device 1 of the present invention can be the same as the circuit configuration of a general light control device, a part of the description is omitted here.

  The volume 14 is a rotary variable resistor that can adjust the resistance to an arbitrary value by rotating the operation shaft 14a. The volume 14 projects the operation shaft 14a to the surface side of the circuit board portion 13 to perform circuit operation. It is mounted on the substrate unit 13. The switch 15 is, for example, a micro switch provided with an actuator 15a, and is in an off state only when the actuator 15a is pressed, and maintains an on state when the actuator 15a is not pressed. The switch 15 is electrically connected between a terminal plate electrically connected to the external power source and a terminal plate electrically connected to the lighting load, and the actuator 15a is directed to the surface side of the circuit board unit 13, It is mounted on the circuit board unit 13. The switching elements 16 and 16 are, for example, MOSFETs, and have mounting holes (not shown) for mounting to the heat sink using mounting screws 18 as shown in FIG. The main body portion 16a for radiating heat and the terminal portion 16b for mounting on the circuit board portion 13 are configured to stand upright in the vertical direction with respect to the circuit board portion 13 using the terminal portion 16b. The circuit board part 13 is mounted side by side on the upper end side of the back surface part.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 4A, the drive unit 17 is attached to the operation shaft 14a of the volume 14 so as to rotate together with the operation shaft 14a. The drive unit 17 is formed of, for example, a synthetic resin, and has a substantially cylindrical tube portion 17a fitted to the operation shaft 14a. A disk-shaped flange portion 17b provided on one end side of the tube portion 17a, A restricting protrusion 17c that protrudes laterally from the flange portion 17b is integrally provided. In addition, when the operation unit 14 is operated to lower the dimming level of the illumination load and the operation shaft 14a is positioned at a predetermined angle, the actuator 17a of the switch 15 is pressed to the drive unit 17 to switch the switch 15 , And a pressing piece (not shown) for turning off energization between the external power source and the illumination load is integrally projected from the back surface of the flange portion 17b to the back side.

  According to the circuit board unit 13 configured as described above, when the operation shaft 14a is rotated to a predetermined angle in a direction to lower the dimming level of the illumination load, the actuator 15a of the switch 15 is pressed by the pressing piece of the driving unit 17. Thus, the switch 15 is turned off, and the illumination load can be completely turned off. That is, the illumination load can be turned on / off and dimmed by operating the operation shaft 14a. Therefore, it is not necessary to use a volume with a switch which is expensive and large and is not so much produced by Japanese manufacturers.

  The cover 4 is formed in a substantially flat plate shape in which a concave portion 4a for accommodating the flat plate portion 11a of the first heat radiating plate 11 is formed on the back using a synthetic resin having elasticity, for example. The operation shaft 14a of the volume 14 is rotatably inserted, has a circular insertion hole 4b having an inner peripheral surface close to the operation shaft 14a, and a peripheral portion centering on the insertion hole 4b is formed on the cover 4. It has a columnar protruding portion 20 that protrudes to the front surface side and has a storage portion 20a formed on the back side. A substantially T-shaped restricting rib having a lower limit restricting portion 21a and an upper limit restricting portion 21b that restricts the rotation of the operating shaft 14a by contacting the restricting projection 17c of the drive portion 17 to the bottom surface portion of the storage portion 20a. 21 is protrudingly provided. Further, as shown in FIG. 3B, protrusions 20 b and 20 c that are spaced apart in the vertical direction protrude from the left part of the outer peripheral surface of the protrusion 20.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 5C, a plate rib 22 and a pressing rib 23 are integrally projected on the back surface of the cover 4. The plate rib 22 has a flat plate shape, and protrudes from the upper end side of the back surface portion of the cover 4 to the back side with the longitudinal direction of the plate rib 22 extending in the left-right direction. The holding rib 23 protrudes at a position corresponding to the terminal plate housing portion 6 of the body 3 on the back surface of the cover 4, has a rectangular parallelepiped shape with the vertical direction as the longitudinal direction, and is used to hold the release lever 10. The release lever pressing portion 23a, circuit board pressing portions 23b and 23b for extending the left and right directions from both sides of the upper end of the release lever pressing portion 23a to hold the circuit board portion 13, and each circuit board pressing portion 23b. , 23b extending downward from the distal end of the wires 23 and 23b, and contacting the distal ends of the wires 8, 8, and the lower end side of the release lever pressing portion 23a. Is shielded from view from the outside and is integrally provided with a shielding plate 23d for securing the insulation distance of the terminal portion.

  Further, the cover 4 corresponds to three insertion holes 4c formed corresponding to the screw holes of the extending portion 3a of the body 3 and through which the mounting screws 9 are inserted, and the insertion holes 11d of the first heat radiating plate 11. A pair of mounting holes 4d through which mounting screws (not shown) for mounting the container body 2 on a construction surface such as a wall surface are inserted, and 4 formed to be spaced apart in the vertical direction on both ends in the left-right direction. Two locking holes 4e.

  The operation knob 24 is formed in a cylindrical shape having a concave portion 24a for accommodating the protruding portion 20 of the cover 4 on the back using, for example, a synthetic resin, and a flange portion 24b is formed on the opening edge of the concave portion 24a. . In addition, a cylindrical fitting that has an outer diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the insertion hole 4b of the cover 4 and is fitted to the tip of the operation shaft 14a of the volume 14 at the center of the bottom surface of the recess 24a. A portion 24c is projected, and a click projection 24d is projected. As shown in FIG. 4B, the click protrusion 24 d is formed in a columnar shape that has elasticity and becomes sharper toward the central axis direction of the operation knob 24. It is possible to get over the protrusion 20b provided on the head 20. Note that four hemispherical projections 24e are provided at 90 ° intervals on the rear surface side of the flange 24b, and the projections 24e can smoothly rotate on the surface of the cover 4. Yes. Further, as shown in FIG. 2A, a mark 26 serving as a guide for knowing the amount of rotation of the operation knob 24 is formed on the surface portion of the operation knob 24 along the radial direction.

  The decorative plate 25 uses a synthetic resin, for example, and has a flat opening having a circular opening 25a through which the operation knob 24 can be rotatably inserted in the center and a recess 25b in which the cover 4 can be stored. On the bottom surface of the recess 25b, locking projections 25c that are hooked and locked to the locking holes 4e are projected at positions corresponding to the four locking holes 4e formed in the cover 4.

  The light control apparatus 1 of this invention is comprised by the above, Each member is arrange | positioned as follows.

  As described above, in the terminal plate storage portion 6 of the body 3, so-called quick-connection terminals composed of a terminal plate (not shown) and a lock spring (not shown) correspond to the wire insertion holes 6 b and 6 b. The release lever 10 (see FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b)) for removing the electric wire from these quick connection terminals is disposed in the hole 6a so as to be swingable.

  The circuit board housing portion 7 of the body 3 houses the circuit board portion 13 to which the first heat radiating plate 11 and the second heat radiating plate 12 are attached. Here, the circuit board part 13 makes the back surface part of the circuit board part 13 and the vertical side part 12b of the second radiator plate 12 face each other, and the terminal part 16b of the switching element 16 is not parallel to the horizontal side part 12a. The switching elements 16 and 16 are arranged so as to be positioned on the lower surface portion of the lateral side portion 12a. Next, on the second heat radiating plate 12 on which the circuit board portion 13 is positioned, the first heat radiating plate 11 moves the flat plate portion 11a to the surface side of the circuit board portion 13 as shown in FIG. The operation shaft 14a of the volume 14 and the actuator 15a of the switch 15 are projected from the opening 12c, and the piece 11b is disposed on the lateral side 12a of the second heat radiating plate 12 so as to overlap from the upper surface side. Then, as shown in FIG. 5 (b), it is attached to the second heat radiating plate 12 using a mounting screw 19. The circuit board portion 13 is attached by fixing the switching elements 16, 16 to the first heat radiating plate 11 via the second heat radiating plate 12 using mounting screws 18, 18. As shown in FIG. 1, the circuit board portion 13 to which the heat sinks 11 and 12 are attached in this way has the vertical side portion 12 b of the second heat sink plate 12 on the back surface portion of the circuit board storage portion 7 and the side piece. The portion 12 c is placed along the side surface portion of the circuit board housing portion 7, and the first heat radiating plate 11 is positioned on the opened surface portion of the body 3 and is housed in the circuit board housing portion 7 of the body 3.

  The cover 4 is attached to the surface side of the body 3 in which the circuit board portion 13 is housed in the circuit board housing portion 7 as described above. At this time, the cover 4 accommodates the flat plate portion 11a of the first heat radiating plate 11 in the recess 4a, the drive portion 17 in the accommodation portion 20a, and the operation shaft 14a of the volume 14 in the insertion hole 4b. A mounting screw 9 inserted through the insertion hole 4c of the cover 4 and the insertion hole 11e of the first heat radiating plate 11 is inserted into the screw hole of the extension part 3a of the body 3 through the insertion. It is attached to the body 3 by screwing. Here, the plate rib 22 is interposed between the terminal portion 16b of the switching element 16 of the circuit board portion 13 and the piece portion 11b of the first heat radiation plate 11, and between the terminal portion 16b and the piece portion 11b. The creeping distance is increased to ensure insulation between the switching element 16 and the first heat radiating plate 11. Further, the holding rib 23 is located in the terminal board housing portion 6, holds the release lever 10 by the release lever holding portion 23 a, holds the circuit board portion 13 by the circuit board holding portion 23 b, and is fast-linked by the shielding plate 23 c. The terminal insulation distance is secured.

  An operation knob 24 and a decorative cover 25 are attached to the surface side of the cover 4 attached to the body 3. The operation knob 24 is fitted to the cover 4 by fitting the tip end portion of the operation shaft 14a to the fitting portion 24c and bringing the projection 24e provided on the back surface side of the flange portion 24b into contact with the surface of the cover 4. It is arranged so that it can rotate freely. At this time, as shown in FIG. 1, the fitting portion 24 c of the operation knob 24 and the operation shaft 14 a are fitted in the insertion hole 4 b of the cover 4, and the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole 4 b of the cover 4 is Since the fitting portion 24c is close to the outer peripheral surface, the creeping distance between the circuit board portion 13 in the container body 2 and the surface of the container body 2 can be increased, whereby the light control device 1 Static electricity that may be generated in the vicinity of the flange 24b of the operation knob 24 during the operation of the electric discharge is discharged to the circuit board portion 13 housed in the container 2, or the heat generated in the circuit board portion 13 is transmitted to the operation knob 24. Thus, the temperature of the operation knob 24 can be prevented from rising. The decorative plate 25 causes the operation knob 24 to protrude from the opening 25a to the front surface side, accommodates the cover 4 in the recess 25b, and engages the locking protrusions 25c in the four locking holes 4e formed in the cover 4. It is attached by hooking.

  In the light control device 1 configured as described above, the operating shaft 14a is positioned at a predetermined angle, the actuator 15a is pressed by the pressing piece of the drive unit 17 to drive the switch 15, and the external power source and the illumination load are separated. The state in which the energization of is off is the initial state. At this time, as shown in FIG. 2B, the click protrusion 24d provided on the operation knob 24 is positioned between the protrusions 20b and 20c protruding from the protrusion 20 of the cover 4, and both protrusions 20b. , 20c, and a mark 26 formed on the surface of the operation knob 24 faces downward. In addition, in the initial state, the restricting protrusion 17c of the driving portion 17 contacts the lower limit restricting portion 21a of the restricting rib 21 provided on the storage portion 20a so that the operation knob 24 cannot be rotated beyond the limit. Yes, this prevents the volume 14 from being damaged.

  Next, operation | movement of the light modulation apparatus 1 of this invention is demonstrated. Since the actuator 15a of the switch 15 is pressed by the pressing piece of the drive unit 17 in the initial state and the energization between the external power supply and the illumination load is turned off, The load is completely off. Then, when the operation knob 24 is rotated in the direction of increasing the dimming level of the illumination load (clockwise direction in FIG. 2B) in order to turn on the illumination load, the click projection 24d gets over the projection 20b. At the same time, the pressing of the actuator 15a of the switch 15 by the pressing piece of the driving unit 17 is released, and energization from the external power source to the illumination load is started. At this time, a click feeling due to the click protrusion 24d getting over the protrusion 20b can be obtained, so that it can be surely known that the illumination load has been turned on.

  Then, after the lighting load is turned on, if the operation knob 24 is further rotated in the direction to further increase the dimming level, the dimming level becomes maximum eventually. At this time, the restricting projection 17c of the driving portion 17 is in contact with the upper limit restricting portion 21b of the restricting rib 21 provided on the storage portion 20, and the operation knob 24 cannot be rotated beyond the limit. 14 is prevented from being damaged. In addition, it is possible to know that the dimming level of the illumination load is maximized by the contact of the restricting projection 17c with the upper limit restricting portion 21b.

  Thereafter, when the operation knob 24 is rotated in the direction of decreasing the dimming level in order to turn off the illumination load (counterclockwise direction in FIG. 2B), the click protrusion 24d eventually becomes the protrusion 20b. In contact, the dimming level of the illumination load is minimized. At this time, it is possible to obtain an operational feeling due to the click protrusion 24d coming into contact with the protrusion 20b, thereby knowing that the dimming level of the illumination load is minimized.

  Further, when the operation knob 24 is rotated in the direction of lowering the light control level so that the click protrusion 24d gets over the protrusion 20b, the pressing piece of the driving portion 17 presses the actuator 15a of the switch 15, The power supply to the lighting load is turned off, and the lighting load is completely turned off. At this time, it is possible to obtain a click feeling due to the click protrusion 24d getting over the protrusion 20b, so that it is possible to know that the illumination load has been turned off.

  According to the lighting device 1 of the present invention, the protrusion 20b is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the protruding portion 20 formed by protruding the peripheral portion of the insertion hole 4b through which the operation shaft 14a is inserted, and the click over the protrusion 20b is clicked. The projection 24d is provided on the inner surface of the recess 24a formed to accommodate the projection 20 in the operation knob 24, and a click feeling can be obtained by the click projection 24d getting over the projection 20b. Therefore, it is possible to ensure a click feeling without increasing the number of parts.

  In addition, since the protrusion 20 is housed in the recess 24a formed in the operation knob 24, there is no need to enlarge the insertion hole 4b in order to insert the operation knob 24, and therefore the insertion through the operation shaft 14a. The creeping distance from the surface of the container body 2 to the inside can be increased by bringing the inner peripheral surface of the hole 4b close to each other, whereby static electricity generated when the operation knob 24 is rotated is discharged to the inside of the container body 2. It becomes difficult and heat generated by the switching element 16 of the circuit board portion 13 accommodated in the container 2 is not easily transmitted to the operation knob 24, so that the electrostatic resistance is improved and the temperature of the operation knob 24 is improved. The rise can be prevented.

  Further, a protrusion 20b for obtaining a click feeling is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the protrusion 20 with a part of the cover 4 protruding to the surface side, and a storage part 20a is formed on the back of the protrusion 20 Since the drive unit 17 that is an internal component of the light control device 1 is housed, space can be used effectively. In addition, the internal component accommodated in such an accommodating part 20a is not restricted to the drive part 17, It is good also as selecting the internal component accommodated suitably according to a condition.

  By the way, in the conventional light control device 101 shown in FIG. 6B, a portion for obtaining a click feeling can be overcome in the direction in which the light control device is assembled (the direction in which each member is attached to the body). In this case, since the assembling errors are piled up, the click feeling is greatly affected. For example, a gap is generated between the operation knob 108 and the cover 103 due to an assembling error. For this reason, the recess 109 and the engaging protrusion 103b However, there is a risk that it becomes impossible to obtain a click feeling due to getting over. On the other hand, in the light control device 1 of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2, the click protrusion 24d gets over the protrusion 20b in a direction intersecting with the mounting direction of the light control device 1. Only the influence of the assembly error between the operation knob 24 and the cover 4 is affected, so that the influence of the incorporation error becomes very small, and a good click feeling can be surely obtained.

  On the other hand, the cover 4 is provided with the pressing rib 23 as described above, and the pressing rib 23 has a small lever and a simple shape, but the release lever pressing, the circuit board pressing, the wire stopper, and the terminal portion. Therefore, the manufacturing cost can be reduced by reducing the number of parts required to obtain these functions.

It is sectional drawing of the light modulation apparatus of this invention. (A) is a surface view of the light control apparatus same as the above, (b) is a perspective view of the principal part of the same figure (a). (A) is the disassembled perspective view seen from the front side upper direction of the light modulation apparatus of this invention, (b) is an enlarged view of the A section of the same figure (a). (A) is the disassembled perspective view seen from the back side lower side of the light modulation apparatus of this invention, (b) is an enlarged view of the B section of the same figure (a). (A) is the schematic explanatory drawing seen from the back side lower side of the light control apparatus of this invention, (b) is the perspective view seen from the downward direction of the light control apparatus same as the above, (c) is the perspective view of this invention. It is the perspective view seen from the back of the cover of a light modulation apparatus. (A) is a front view of a conventional light control device, (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line aa of the light control device in FIG. It is sectional drawing in the bb arrow line of b).

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Illuminating device 2 Body 4b Insertion hole 14 Volume 14a Operation shaft 20 Protrusion part 20a Storage part 20c Protrusion
24 operation knob 24a recess 24b collar 24c fitting part 24d protrusion 24e protrusion 24e protrusion

Claims (1)

  A rotary variable resistor having a rotating operation shaft and used for dimming control setting, a switch for turning on / off the power supply between the external power supply and the lighting load, and the operation shaft freely rotatable The variable resistor comprising: an insertion hole that is inserted and having an inner peripheral surface that is close to the operation shaft; and a projecting portion in which a peripheral portion of the insertion hole projects to the surface side and a storage portion is formed on the back side. And a housing for housing the switch, and attached to the distal end side of the operation shaft that has been inserted through the insertion hole. The protruding portion is housed in a recess formed in the back portion and is rotatable to the surface side of the body. An operation knob disposed on the operation shaft and housed in the storage portion. When the operation knob is positioned at a predetermined angle, the switch is driven to connect the external power source and the illumination load. Drive means for turning off the current between, and the protrusion A protrusion is provided on the outer peripheral surface, and when the operation knob is rotated to the predetermined angle, a click protrusion is provided on the inner side surface of the depression of the operation knob to overcome the protrusion. The light control device characterized by this.

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