JP2007066637A - Composite operation type switch - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a structure in which a multi-directional operation type switch and a rotary encoder are combined and integrated, in which a rotation position is easily found, and in which a position after rotation is retained surely when the rotary encoder is rotation operated. <P>SOLUTION: A composite operation type switch is the multi-directional operation type switch integrally composed of: a center switch and a peripheral switch arranged on the circumference surrounding the center switch; and a rotary encoder 5 in which the encoder switch is arranged and installed on the circumference surrounding the center switch. A detent mechanism is installed having an elastic member to give a feeling of a click because one part 34a drops into and is engaged with the recessed part 27 if the rotary encoder 5 is rotated by a prescribed amount and corresponds to the recessed part 27 for detent. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a composite operation type switch, and in particular, is used in an input unit of a device such as an information terminal, for example, and includes a multi-direction composed of a central switch and a plurality of peripheral switches arranged on a circumference surrounding the central switch The present invention relates to a composite operation type switch in which an operation type switch and a rotary encoder are combined and integrated.

  Conventionally, there has been known a composite operation type switch formed by combining a multi-directional operation type switch composed of a central switch and a plurality of peripheral switches arranged on a circumference surrounding the central switch and a rotary switch element (for example, , See Patent Document 1).

The composite operation type switch described in Patent Document 1 includes four peripheral switches that operate according to the tilt direction when the tilt push-in operation member is tilted in any one of the four directions of up, down, left, and right, It has a structure provided with a central switch that operates when the tilting push-in operation member is pushed in either the upper or lower direction, and a rotation switch that outputs a signal corresponding to the rotation when the tilting push-in operation member is rotated. . The rotary switch uses a lever-type switching mechanism and is separated from the peripheral switch and the central switch.
JP 2001-243854 A.

  The rotary switch in the composite operation type switch described in Patent Document 1 is not integrated with the peripheral switch and the central switch. In other words, the peripheral switch and the central switch are manufactured separately and are assembled in an interlocking relationship with each other at the stage of assembly. Therefore, since the switch parts are divided into two parts, there is a problem that handling and assembling work is troublesome.

  In addition, there has been no conventional combined operation type switch in which a multidirectional operation type switch and a rotary encoder are combined and integrated. Therefore, in the market, there has been a demand for a switch in which a multidirectional operation type switch and a rotary encoder are combined and integrated. In the case of this structure, a key top for operating the central switch, an encoder jog that can be tilted and rotated to operate the peripheral switch and the encoder switch, and the like are required.

  Further, when the rotary encoder is rotated by the rotation of the encoder jog, it is necessary from the viewpoint of the reliability of the operation that the rotation position can be easily known and the position after the rotation operation can be maintained.

  Therefore, the multi-directional operation type switch and the rotary encoder are combined and integrated, and when the rotary encoder is rotated, the rotation position can be easily understood and the position after rotation must be securely held. A technical problem to be solved in order to obtain a structure capable of achieving the above problem arises, and the present invention aims to solve this problem.

  The present invention has been proposed in order to achieve the above object, and the invention according to claim 1 is a multi-directional operation comprising a central switch and a plurality of peripheral switches arranged on a circumference surrounding the central switch. A composite operation type switch in which a mold switch and a rotary encoder having an encoder switch arranged on a circumference surrounding the central switch are integrated, the base switch being disposed on the base, A flexible printed wiring board comprising a central switch element to be formed, a plurality of peripheral switch elements forming the peripheral switch provided around the outer periphery of the central switch element, and an encoder switch element forming the encoder switch And non-rotatable on the flexible printed circuit board corresponding to the central switch element, and move in the vertical direction A key top that presses down the central switch element by the vertical movement and switches the central switch, and a circumference that surrounds the key top so as to face the peripheral switch and the encoder switch. An encoder jog that is disposed so as to be tiltable and rotatable upward, and switches the peripheral switch on the tilting side when tilted, and rotates the rotary encoder and switches the encoder switch when rotated. A detent recess provided on the outer surface of the encoder, one end side is attached to the base side, and the other end side is always provided in spring contact with the outer surface provided with the recess of the rotary encoder. When the other end side corresponds to the recess when the fixed amount is rotated, the other end is in the recess. To provide a composite operation type switch with a detent mechanism formed by a resilient member for generating a click feeling depressed engagement with.

  According to this configuration, the multi-directional operation type switch and the rotary encoder are integrated, and the detent mechanism is provided, so that when the rotary encoder is rotated by a predetermined amount, a click feeling is operated at that position. It is transmitted to the person's finger etc., and it can be seen that it has been rotated a predetermined amount. Therefore, if the rotation of the rotary encoder is stopped at the position where the click feeling is obtained, the rotation of the rotary encoder can always be stopped at the same position and the position can be maintained.

  A second aspect of the present invention provides the composite operation type switch according to the first aspect, wherein the elastic member is formed by bending an elastic thin wire.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to make a small elastic member by bending an elongated wire.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a composite operation type according to the first aspect, wherein the elastic member is formed by bending an elastic strip-like plate material, and the planar portion thereof is brought into contact with the outer surface of the rotary encoder. Provide a switch.

  According to this configuration, an elastic member can be formed by bending an elongated strip-shaped plate material.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the elastic member includes a metallic sphere that rolls on the outer surface of the rotary encoder, and a leaf spring that presses the sphere against the outer surface of the rotary encoder. A composite operation type switch is provided.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to obtain a smooth feel with low torque during rotation by using a metallic sphere and a leaf spring.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the multi-directional operation type switch and the rotary encoder are integrated as a single switch component, handling and assembling work are simplified. In addition, since a part of the parts can be shared by each part, the number of parts can be reduced, the cost can be reduced, and the size can be reduced. Further, since the detent mechanism is provided, when the rotary encoder is rotated by a predetermined amount, a click feeling is transmitted to the operator's finger or the like at that position, and it can be seen that the predetermined amount has been rotated. Therefore, if the rotation of the rotary encoder is stopped at the position where the click feeling is obtained, the effect that the rotation of the rotary encoder can always be stopped at the same position and the position can be maintained can be expected.

  According to the second aspect of the invention, since the elongated elastic member can be bent to produce a downsized elastic member, in addition to the effect of the first aspect of the invention, the entire switch can be downsized. The effect can be expected.

  The invention according to claim 3 can bend an elongated strip-shaped plate material to make an elastic material. In addition to the effects of the invention according to claim 1, the torque during rotation is small, the click feeling is smooth, In addition, a structure having excellent durability can be obtained.

  Since the invention described in claim 4 uses a metallic sphere and a leaf spring, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 1, an effect that a smooth feeling with low torque during rotation can be obtained is expected. it can. Further, since the metallic sphere is pressed by the leaf spring, an effect that the load can be easily managed can be expected.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the key top is disposed in the inner fixing ring and securely held so as not to rotate. Therefore, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, the key top is further rotated. The effect that it can suppress reliably is acquired.

  In the invention according to claim 3, when the operator stops the rotation of the rotary encoder at the position where the click feeling is obtained, the operator can always stop and hold the rotary encoder at the same position. In addition to the effects of the invention described in 1 or 2, the operability can be further improved and the reliability of the switching position can be obtained.

  Hereinafter, the composite operation type switch of the present invention will be described with reference to preferred embodiments. Multi-directional operation type switch and rotary encoder are combined and integrated, and when the rotary encoder is rotated, the rotation position can be easily identified and the position after rotation can be held securely. In order to achieve the object, a multi-directional operation type switch comprising a central switch and a plurality of peripheral switches arranged on the circumference surrounding the central switch, and an encoder switch on the circumference surrounding the central switch A multi-operation type switch integrated with a rotary encoder comprising: a base; a central switch element disposed on the base and forming the central switch; and an outer periphery of the central switch element A plurality of peripheral switch elements forming the provided peripheral switch and an encoder switch forming the encoder switch A flexible printed wiring board formed by disposing an element, and a non-rotatable and movable in the vertical direction on the flexible printed wiring board corresponding to the central switch element, and further moving in the vertical direction The key switch that presses the central switch element to switch the central switch, and is disposed to be tiltable and rotatable on the circumference surrounding the keytop so as to face the peripheral switch and the encoder switch. An encoder jog for switching the peripheral switch on the tilt side and rotating the rotary encoder to switch the encoder switch when rotated, and a detent recess provided on the outer surface of the rotary encoder And one end side is attached to the base side and the other end side is the rotary engine. When the rotary encoder is rotated by a predetermined amount and the other end corresponds to the recess, the other end falls into the recess and engages. This is realized by including a detent mechanism including an elastic member for generating a click feeling.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a composite operation type switch according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an internal structure by cutting a part of the composite operation type switch. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the composite operation type switch as viewed from above, and FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the composite operation type switch as viewed from below.

  1 to 4, the composite operation type switch 1 includes a base 2, a flexible printed wiring board 3 disposed on the base 2 via an insulating sheet 40, a housing 4 fixed on the base 2, A rotary encoder 5 rotatably attached to the housing 4, an inner fixing ring 41 and a key top 6 disposed at the center of the rotary encoder 5, an encoder jog 7 coupled and coupled to the rotary encoder 5 so as to be integrally rotatable. It is comprised by.

  The base 2 is formed of a synthetic resin material in a substantially disc shape, and four positioning pins used when attaching the insulating sheet 40, the flexible printed wiring board 3, and the inner fixing ring 41 to the plate surface. 8, 8 ... are formed at intervals of 90 °.

  The insulating sheet 40 interposed between the base 2 and the flexible printed wiring board 3 has a disk shape, and four positioning holes 42, 42... Are formed corresponding to the positioning pins 8, 8. Has been.

  The flexible printed wiring board 3 includes a circular portion 9 mounted on the base 2 and a cable portion 10 led out from the circular portion 9. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a central fixed contact 11 as a switch element is formed at the center of the circular portion 9, and four switch elements are provided on the outer circumference surrounding the central fixed contact 11. The peripheral fixed contacts 13 are formed at intervals of 90 °. Further, an encoder fixed contact 12 as a switch element is formed on the outer circumference surrounding the peripheral fixed contacts 13, 13. In addition, positioning holes 16 are formed in the circular portion 9 so as to correspond to the positioning pins 8 of the base 2.

  The central fixed contact 11 and the four peripheral fixed contacts 13, 13... Each consist of a central circular electrode and an annular electrode formed concentrically, and the encoder fixed contact 12 is spaced apart and concentrically arranged. A plurality of electrodes. In addition, the detailed illustration of the lead wires led out from the central fixed contact 11, the four peripheral fixed contacts 13 and 13, and the encoder fixed contact 12 is omitted.

On the central fixed contact 11, a central movable contact 14 (hereinafter referred to as "dome-shaped central movable contact 14") as a dome-shaped switch element that constitutes a reverse contact that reverses the click is disposed oppositely, A switch is formed. On the peripheral fixed contacts 13, 13..., Peripheral movable contacts 15, 15... (Hereinafter referred to as “dome-shaped peripheral movable contacts 15, 15... ”) Are arranged opposite to each other to constitute four peripheral switches.

  The housing 4 is made of a synthetic resin material and, as shown in FIG. 4, is formed as a donut-shaped cap body having a recess 43 on the lower surface side and having an open center.

  The rotary encoder 5 includes an operation ring member 25 made of a synthetic resin material in an annular shape, a conductive ring plate 26 made of a conductive material, and the like.

  The operation ring member 25 is provided with a ring-shaped flange plate portion 25a and a plurality of detent concave portions 27, 27,... Provided on the inner periphery of the upper portion of the ring-shaped flange plate portion 25a. A gear-shaped portion 28 is integrally provided. The conductive ring plate 26 is fixedly attached to the lower surface of the operation ring member 25. An encoder sliding contact (not shown) is directly and electrically attached to the lower surface of the conductive ring plate 26. The encoder sliding contact constitutes an encoder switch together with the encoder fixed contact 12 on the flexible printed wiring board 3.

  The inner fixing ring 41 is made of a synthetic resin material, and is formed as a donut-shaped cap body having a recess 44 on the lower surface side and having an open center as shown in FIG. And the lower outer peripheral surface has the collar part 41a by which the four engagement recessed parts 45 and 45 ... are provided in the surrounding surface at 90 degree intervals. The engaging recesses 45, 45... Correspond to the positioning pins 8, 8... Of the base 2, and the positioning pins 8, 8. The inner fixing ring 41 is held against rotation.

  The key top 6 for pressing the dome-shaped central movable contact 14 is formed of a synthetic resin material in a short cylindrical shape, and has a flange portion 6a on the lower outer peripheral surface, as shown in FIGS. On the lower surface, there are formed an annular recess 47 for receiving one end of the coil spring 46, and a central pressing projection 18 projecting downward in a central portion surrounded by the recess 47.

  The encoder jog 7 is formed of a synthetic resin material as a substantially annular cap having an opening hole in the center. As shown in FIG. 4, on the lower surface side, four locking pieces 37, 37... Projecting downward from the position of the inner peripheral edge are formed at 90 ° intervals. These four locking pieces 37 are provided so as to face the peripheral switches, respectively. In addition, the encoder jog 7 and the rotary encoder 5 are integrated with each other by engaging with a locking portion (not shown) of the operation ring member 25 in the rotary encoder 5 at the tip of each locking piece 37, 37. A locking hole 37a is formed. The locking hole 37a has a margin so that it can move in the vertical direction with respect to the locking portion. The encoder jog 7 can be tilted by this margin, and the locking pieces 37, 37. The tip can press the dome-shaped peripheral movable contact 15 of the peripheral switch on the tilt direction side. Further, an annular portion 38 is formed on the outer periphery of the locking pieces 37, 37.

  Next, an example of the assembly procedure will be described. First, the insulating sheet 40 is disposed on the base 2. Subsequently, the flexible printed wiring board 3 is disposed on the insulating sheet 40, and the dome-shaped central movable contact 14 and the dome-shaped peripheral movable contacts 15, 15... Are disposed on the flexible printed wiring board 3. In this arrangement, the positioning pins 8, 8 pass through the positioning holes 42 of the insulating sheet 40 and the positioning holes 16, 16... Of the flexible printed wiring board 3 and protrude above the flexible printed wiring board 3.

  Next, the rotary encoder 5 is arranged on the flexible printed wiring board 3, and the housing 4 is covered with the rotary encoder 5, and the housing 4 is fixed to the base 2 by adhesion or caulking. Thereby, the flexible printed wiring board 3 and the rotary encoder 5 are held by the base 2 and the housing 4.

  In addition, when the rotary encoder 5 is attached, a detent spring 34 is attached between the gear-shaped portion 28 of the rotary encoder 5 and the housing 4. The detent spring 34 constitutes a detent mechanism together with the gear-shaped portion 28, and is made by bending an elastic rod-shaped wire. Further, the projecting tip portion 34a of the central portion is formed in a cross-section "<" shape, and the tip portion 34a is perpendicular to the outer peripheral surface of the gear-like portion 28 from the left and right as shown in FIG. And is attached to the inner surface of the recess 43 of the housing 4 in a state where it can be lowered into the detent recess 27 and engage with it. When the rotary encoder 5 is rotated, every time the rotary encoder 5 is rotated by a predetermined angle, the tip end portion 34a falls into the detent recess 27, and a click feeling is obtained for the operator.

  Next, the inner fixing ring 41 is arranged at the center on the flexible printed wiring board 3 with the positioning pins 8, 8. Next, the coil spring 46 is interposed in the recess 47 on the lower surface side of the key top 6, the key top 6 is disposed on the flexible printed wiring board 3 through the central hole of the inner fixing ring 41, and thereafter Install the encoder jog 7. The encoder jog 7 is attached by engaging the locking piece 37 with the rotary encoder 5. When the encoder jog 7 is attached, the key top 6 is retained by the hook portion 6a engaged with the inside of the encoder jog 7, receives the compression reaction force of the coil spring 46, and the upper portion of the key top 6 is the encoder. The jog 7 is held in a state of slightly protruding from the central hole. Thereby, the assembly is completed. In this state, the sliding contact of the rotary encoder 5 corresponds to the encoder fixed contact 12, and the locking pieces 37, 37... Of the encoder jog 7 are arranged in a state of being lightly abutted on the dome-shaped peripheral movable contact 15. Then, the central pressing protrusion 18 of the key top 6 is arranged in a state corresponding to the central movable contact 15. FIG. 2 shows a state after the assembly.

  Next, the operation will be described. In this composite operation type switch 1, when the encoder jog 7 is rotated, the rotary encoder 5 uses the inner fixing ring 41 that is held non-rotatable with respect to the base 2 as a support shaft, together with the encoder jog 7. It rotates outside the fixing ring 41, and the encoder switch is operated by this rotation operation. When the rotary encoder 5 is rotated, the encoder jog 7 and the key top 6 slide between each other, and the key top 6 disposed in the inner fixing ring 41 does not rotate.

  Subsequently, when the encoder jog 7 is tilted, the locking piece 37 on the tilting side presses and reverses the dome-shaped peripheral movable contact 15 corresponding to the locking piece 37 and switches the peripheral switch at this position. . When the pressing force is released, the dome-shaped peripheral movable contact 15 is returned to the initial position by the return force.

  Next, when the key top 6 is pressed, the central pressing protrusion 18 presses the dome-shaped central movable contact 14, and the dome-shaped central movable contact 14 is reversed to switch the central switch. When the pressing force is released, the coil spring 46 is returned to the initial position by the return force.

  Therefore, according to the composite operation type switch 1 having the structure of this embodiment, the multi-directional operation switch (peripheral switch and central switch) and the switch of the rotary encoder 5 are integrated to form a single switch component. Therefore, handling and assembly work are simplified. In addition, since a part of the parts can be shared by each part, the number of parts can be reduced as compared with the conventional switch, the cost can be reduced, and the size can be reduced.

  Further, between the rotary encoder 5 and the housing 4, that is, between the rotary encoder 5 and the base 2, a gear-shaped portion 28 having a plurality of detent recesses 27, 27. Since the detent mechanism including the spring 34 is provided, when the rotary encoder is rotated by a predetermined amount, a click feeling is transmitted to the operator's finger or the like at that position, and it is understood that the rotary encoder has been rotated by the predetermined amount. Thus, when the rotation of the rotary encoder 5 is stopped at the position where the click feeling is obtained, the rotation of the rotary encoder 5 can always be stopped at the same position and the position can be maintained. In addition, since the detent spring 34 as an elastic member is formed by bending a long and thin rod-like wire having elasticity, it is possible to reduce the size of the composite operation type switch 1 as well as the size of the elastic member.

  As the detent spring as an elastic member of the detent mechanism, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, a detent spring 48 formed by bending an elastic strip-like plate material is used. The front end portion 48a bent into a shape is brought into spring contact with the outer peripheral surface of the gear-shaped portion 28 having a plurality of detent recesses 27, 27... Formed on the peripheral surface, and both end portions 48b of the detent spring 48 are provided. 48c may be fixed to the housing 4.

  As described above, when the detent spring 48 formed of an elongated strip-like plate material is used, a structure with a small torque during rotation, a smooth click feeling, and excellent durability can be obtained.

  Next, a composite operation type switch according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b) and FIG. The configuration of the composite operation type switch 49 in the second embodiment is a modification of the structure of the detent mechanism in the configuration shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, and the other configurations are the same as those in FIGS. Therefore, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same members, and duplicate descriptions are omitted.

  The detent mechanism here is composed of a bowl-shaped portion 5 a of the rotary encoder 5, a metallic sphere 50 and a leaf spring 51 disposed on the housing 4 side. In the rotary encoder 5, circular holes 52 that are detent recesses are formed at equal intervals in a plurality of circumferential directions on the upper surface of the flange-shaped portion 5 a facing the inner surface of the upper surface portion 4 a of the housing 4 in the concave portion 43 of the housing 4. It is lined up.

  A spherical body holding hole 53 that has an inner diameter larger than the inner diameter of the detent circular hole 52 is provided in the upper surface portion 4 a of the housing 4 so as to penetrate vertically. Further, on the outer surface side of the housing 4, there are formed a notch portion 54 for positioning the leaf spring and a mounting hole 55 for fixing the leaf spring extending from the upper surface to be elongated downward.

  The plate spring 51 is formed by bending a plate material having elasticity into an inverted L-shaped cross section, and a part on one end (lower end) side is folded back into a substantially U shape, and a portion on the one end side is a plate spring fixing hole. 55 can be press-fitted and fixed.

  The metallic sphere 50 is formed so that the outer diameter is larger than the inner diameter of the detent circular hole 52 and smaller than the inner diameter of the sphere holding hole 53. Accordingly, when arranged on the detent circular hole 52, a part of the lower part of the sphere 50 falls into the detent circular hole 52, but the entire sphere 50 does not fall into the detent circular hole 52. In addition, when the sphere 50 receives a force from the left and right directions, the sphere 50 receives a force that lifts the sphere 50 upward from the rotary encoder 5 side, temporarily comes out of the detent circular hole 52, and is adjacent to the detent. It can move while rolling on the flange-shaped part 5a of the rotary encoder 5 between the circular hole 52 and the circular hole 52 for detent.

  In the detent mechanism, the sphere 50 is dropped into the sphere holding hole 53 from the upper side of the housing 4 with the rotary encoder 5 mounted in the recess 43 of the housing 4, and thereafter, the leaf spring 51 is folded back. One end of the leaf spring 51 is pressed into the mounting hole 55 and the other end of the leaf spring 51 is pressed from the upper side toward the lower hook-shaped part 5a against the sphere 50 partially protruding upward from the sphere holding hole 53. When the spring force of the leaf spring 51 is applied, the rotary encoder 5 and the housing 4 can be interposed. FIG. 6 shows a state in which the detent mechanism is interposed between the rotary encoder 5 and the housing 4 in this way.

  Therefore, in this composite operation type switch, when the rotary encoder 5 is rotated by the rotation operation of the encoder job 7, the sphere 50 falls into the detent circular hole 52 every time the detent circular hole 52 and the sphere 50 correspond. When a click feeling is given to the operator and rotation is stopped at that position, the rotary encoder 5 is held at that position. Thereby, the improvement of operability and the reliability of the switching position can be obtained. Further, since the metallic sphere 50 and the leaf spring 51 are used, it is possible to obtain a smooth feel with a low torque when the rotary encoder 5 is rotated, and to select a spring force to be applied to the rotary encoder 5. However, if the type of the leaf spring is changed, it can be easily dealt with, and the load can be easily managed.

  In the second embodiment, a coil spring can be used in place of the leaf spring 51 as means for pressing the sphere 50 against the rotary encoder 5. When coil springs are used, both durability and load management are improved.

  The present invention can be variously modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and the present invention naturally extends to the modified ones.

The perspective view which showed the external appearance of the composite operation type switch which concerns on one Example of this invention. The perspective view which fractured | ruptured some composite operation type switches same as the above, and showed the internal structure. The perspective view which decomposed | disassembled the composite operation type switch same as the above and was seen from upper direction. The perspective view which decomposed | disassembled the composite operation type switch same as the above and was seen from the downward direction. The perspective view which showed the modification of the detent mechanism of a composite operation type switch same as the above. FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway view of an internal structure of a composite operation type switch according to another embodiment of the present invention, wherein (a) is an overall perspective view, and (b) is an enlarged perspective view of a main part. The perspective view which decomposed | disassembled the composite operation type switch same as the above and was seen from upper direction.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Composite operation type switch 2 Base 3 Flexible printed wiring board 4 Housing 5 Rotary encoder 6 Key top 7 Encoder jog 11 Center fixed contact 12 Encoder fixed contact 13 Peripheral fixed contact 14 Dome-shaped center movable contact 15 Dome-shaped peripheral movable contact 18 Center Press projection 21 Peripheral switch pressing portion 25 Operation ring member 26 Conductive ring plate 27 Detent recess 28 Gear-shaped portion 34 Detent spring 34a Tip portion 38 Annular portion 46 Coil spring 48 Detent spring 49 Composite operation type switch 50 Sphere 51 Plate spring 52 Detent circular Hole

Claims (4)

A multidirectional operation type switch comprising a central switch and a plurality of peripheral switches arranged on a circumference surrounding the central switch; and a rotary encoder comprising an encoder switch arranged on the circumference surrounding the central switch. An integrated composite operation type switch,
Base and
A central switch element disposed on the base and forming the central switch; a plurality of peripheral switch elements forming the peripheral switch provided on an outer periphery of the central switch element; and an encoder switch element forming the encoder switch And a flexible printed wiring board comprising:
Corresponding to the central switch element, provided on the flexible printed circuit board so as not to rotate and to be movable in the vertical direction, and further pressing the central switch element by the vertical movement to switch the central switch. Key top to do,
Opposed to the peripheral switch and the encoder switch, it is arranged to be tilted and rotatable on the circumference surrounding the key top.When tilted, the peripheral switch on the tilted side is switched, and when rotated, the peripheral switch An encoder jog that rotates the rotary encoder to switch the encoder switch;
A detent recess provided on the outer surface of the rotary encoder, one end side is attached to the base side, and the other end side is always provided in spring contact with the outer surface provided with the recess of the rotary encoder. Is rotated by a predetermined amount, and when the other end side corresponds to the recess, the detent mechanism is formed by an elastic member for generating a click feeling by the other end falling into and engaging with the recess.
A combined operation type switch characterized by comprising:   2. The composite operation type switch according to claim 1, wherein the elastic member is formed by bending an elongated thin wire having elasticity.   2. The composite operation type switch according to claim 1, wherein the elastic member is formed by bending a long and narrow belt-like plate material having elasticity, and its planar portion is brought into contact with the outer surface of the rotary encoder. 2. The composite according to claim 1, wherein the elastic member is composed of a metallic sphere that rolls on the outer surface of the rotary encoder, and a leaf spring that presses the sphere against the outer surface of the rotary encoder. Operation type switch.

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