JP2008130530A - Push-button structure and remote controller using this - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a button structure having excellent operability, and a remote controller using this. <P>SOLUTION: A push button structure is arranged and installed on a wall face W, and applied to the remote controller A to remotely control electronic equipment. The remote controller is equipped with the main body housing 10 for incorporating a circuit board 40 at which an operation switch 41 is arranged and installed, and a push-button 20B mounted in a recess 30 formed on the main body housing upper surface and operating the operation switch by the pushing down operation. The push-button has a key top 21 formed laterally long in the direction along the wall face. When the pushing down operation is carried out, in the structure, the keytop is inclined so as to be supported in a cantilevered manner by a support convex part 31 of which the rear side of the back face of the keytop is formed in the recess. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a push button structure and a remote controller using the same, and more particularly to a push button structure disposed on a wall surface and applied to a remote controller for remotely operating an electronic device and a remote controller using the push button structure. is there.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a remote controller that is disposed on a wall surface and remotely operates an electronic device, for example, a toilet remote controller that is disposed on a toilet room wall and remotely operates a toilet body is known.
In such a toilet remote controller, various buttons for operating various devices of the toilet body are provided on the body housing of the remote controller, and in particular, a toilet seat opening drive button for opening (standing) driving the toilet seat In addition, the large and small flush drive buttons for activating the flush control system and flushing are designed for the operability of both the user in the standing position and the user in the sitting position. It is often provided on the upper surface (top surface). (For example, see FIG. 5 of Patent Document 1.)

Further, in order to improve the operability of the user in the push button provided on the upper surface of the remote controller disposed on the wall surface, it is necessary to enlarge the operation part of the push button, that is, the key top to be horizontally long. Has been made. Further, the pressing operation of the front side portion is often performed rather than the portion close to the wall surface side.
JP 2004-285767 A

  However, in the push button as described above, the operation rod protruding from the back surface of the push button by the pressing operation by the user is used to operate the operation switch such as a tact switch disposed on the circuit board in the main body housing. When the key top is enlarged horizontally as described above, the operation switch is pushed down by the operation rod so that the operation switch is operated. Depending on the part to be pressed, i.e. the movement of the operation rod is increased by the part to be pressed, the pressing of the operation switch is not performed well, or the pressing force by the pressing operation is not given to the operation switch constantly, The operation switch may be damaged, and such a problem is often caused by a pressing operation on a part on the front side of the part close to the wall surface side. , The upper surface of the remote controller disposed on a wall surface, was more pronounced in push button which is horizontally formed.

  The present invention has been proposed in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the object thereof is to make the pressing force to the operation switch constant by the push-down operation of the push button, the button structure having good operability, and the remote using the same To provide a controller.

  In order to achieve the above object, the push button structure according to claim 1 is a push button structure disposed on a wall surface and applied to a remote controller for remotely operating an electronic device, wherein the remote controller includes an operation button. A main body housing including a circuit board on which the switch is disposed, and a push button attached to a recess formed on the upper surface of the main body housing and operating the operation switch by a push-down operation. And a key top formed horizontally in the direction along the wall surface, and when the key top is pushed down, the back side of the key top is cantilevered by the supporting convex portion formed in the concave portion. It is characterized by having an inclined structure.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the key top of the push button according to the first aspect of the present invention has an operation rod for operating the operation switch by the push-down operation protruding substantially at the center of the back surface, and locking claws are formed on both sides thereof. In the recess of the remote controller, a hole for inserting the operating rod and a locking hole for inserting and locking the locking claw are formed.

  A remote controller according to a third aspect is a wall-mounted remote controller using the push button structure according to the first or second aspect.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the remote controller according to the third aspect is disposed on the wall of the toilet room and remotely controls the toilet body.

According to the push button structure of claim 1 or 2, when the key top of the push button which is attached to the upper surface of the main body housing of the remote controller disposed on the wall surface and is formed horizontally is pressed down. Since the rear side of the back surface is inclined so that it cantilever is supported by the support convex part, the operation switch is pressed down evenly regardless of which part of the front side of the push button is pressed. The operation switch can be prevented from being damaged.
In addition, regardless of which part of the push button is pressed forward, the operation switch is uniformly pressed, so that the operability is excellent.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the push button can be easily attached to or detached from the recess of the remote controller by the locking claw formed in the key top of the push button and the locking hole formed in the recess of the remote controller. be able to.

According to the wall-mounted remote controller according to claim 3, by using the button structure according to claim 1 or 2, the operation can be performed uniformly regardless of which part of the push button is pushed forward. The switch is pushed down and the operation switch can be prevented from being damaged.
In addition, regardless of which part of the push button is pressed forward, the operation switch is uniformly pressed, so that the operability is excellent.
Furthermore, the key top of the push button has an operating rod protruding at the center of the back surface thereof, and locking claws are formed on both sides thereof, and a concave portion of the remote controller has a hole portion through which the operating rod is inserted. In the case of forming a locking hole portion for inserting and locking the locking claw, the locking claw formed in the key top of the push button and the locking hole formed in the recess of the remote controller The push button can be easily attached to or removed from the concave portion of the remote controller.

  According to the remote controller disposed on the toilet room wall according to claim 4 and remotely operating the toilet body, in particular, the toilet seat opening drive button for opening (standing) the toilet seat and the flush control system are operated. , Large and small flushing drive buttons for flushing should be provided on the top surface of the remote controller's main body housing, considering the operability of both standing users and sitting users By using the button structure according to claim 1 or 2 for these buttons, the same effect as described above can be obtained.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
1 to 3 show a button structure and a toilet remote controller using the button structure according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 1 shows an example of a push button structure and a toilet remote controller using the button structure according to the embodiment. 2 is a partially exploded schematic perspective view, FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the embodiment, (a) is a schematic perspective view of the push button as viewed from the back side, and (b) is a partially enlarged perspective view of the recess. 3 shows a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the same embodiment, (a) is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line XX in FIG. 1, and (b) is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line YY in FIG. FIG. 3C is a diagram of the same part as FIG. 2B showing a state where the push button is pressed down.
Note that FIG. 3 shows a cross section in a state in which the push button is attached to the recess in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3A shows a schematic cross section in which the parts other than the push button are broken. .
In the following embodiments, the toilet remote controller is illustrated as a remote controller disposed on the wall surface and remotely operating the electronic device. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other remote controllers such as an interphone device and a fire receiver are also exemplified. The push button structure of the present invention can be applied to any remote controller that is disposed on a machine or other wall surface and remotely controls an electronic device.

In FIG. 1, as a remote controller using the button structure according to the present embodiment, a toilet remote controller A that is disposed on a toilet interior wall W (see FIG. 3) and remotely controls a toilet body (not shown) is illustrated. ing.
The toilet remote controller A includes, for example, a main body housing 10 formed of a hard resin material, and various push buttons 19a to 19h (front push buttons), 20A to 20C (to be described later) for remotely controlling various devices of the toilet body. A remote control side infrared transmitter / receiver 18, 18 that enables wireless transmission / reception of various signals between the upper surface push button) and the toilet body, and a liquid crystal panel that displays the setting status, current time, temperature, etc. of various devices of the toilet body 17.

The main body housing 10 incorporates a circuit board 40 (see FIG. 3) on which an operation switch 41, which will be described later, is disposed, and includes a front cover 11, a rear cover 16, and an upper surface push button mounting plate 30, which will be described later. A boss portion (not shown) formed with a screw hole for screwing the rear cover 16 together with the circuit board 40 is projected at an appropriate position on the rear surface of the front cover 11.
The front cover 11 has a front surface portion 12 having an opening through which the key tops of the front push buttons 19a to 19h are exposed, and left and right side surface portions 15a extending from the left and right edges of the front surface portion 12 to the rear cover 16 side. 15b, extending from the lower end edge of the front surface portion 12 to the rear cover 16 side, extending to the lower surface edge of the left and right side surface portions 15a, 15b, and extending from the upper end edge of the front surface portion 12 to the rear cover 16 side. The upper and lower side surfaces 15a and 15b are connected to the upper end edges of the left and right side surfaces 15a and 15b.
That is, the main body housing 10 is assembled with the front cover 11 and the rear cover 16 by screws so as to enclose the circuit board 40.

  The front push buttons 19a to 19h are, for example, 19a is a stop button for stopping the operation of a local cleaning device (not shown) or a drying device (not shown) provided in the toilet body, and 19b is a local cleaning device. A butt washing button for operating a butt washing nozzle (not shown), 19c is a bidet washing button for activating a bidet washing nozzle (not shown) of a local washing device, and 19d is a activating drying device. The drying buttons 19e and 19f are cleaning strength buttons for changing the water pressure from each local cleaning nozzle, and 19g and 19h are nozzle position changing buttons for changing the front and rear positions of each local cleaning nozzle. Thus, it is disposed at an appropriate position on the front surface portion 12.

Openings 14A to 14C in which upper surface push buttons 20A to 20C to be described later are disposed are formed at appropriate positions on the upper surface portion 14, and an upper surface push button mounting plate 30 to be described later is disposed below the openings 14A to 14C. The bottoms of the recesses 30A to 30C are fitted into fitting portions formed on the inner wall upper end portion of the cover 11 and the inner wall upper end portion of the rear cover 16 so as to be installed between the covers (see FIG. 3). Forming.
The upper surface push buttons 20A to 20C are, for example, a toilet seat opening drive button 20A for opening and driving a toilet seat (not shown), 20B and 20C being a flush button for operating the flush control system and performing washing. The small flush button is provided on the upper surface (top surface) portion 14 of the main body housing 10 in consideration of the operability of both the user in the standing position and the user in the sitting position as described above.

When the user pushes down the various push buttons 19a to 19h (front push buttons) and 20A to 20C (top push buttons) as described above, a control signal is sent to the toilet body via the remote-side infrared transmission / reception units 18 and 18. It is set as the structure which is transmitted to a control part and controls various apparatuses of the toilet bowl main body.
In addition, transmission / reception of various signals between the toilet body and the toilet remote controller A may be performed by wire instead of wireless.

Next, the push button structure according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
Hereinafter, an example in which the push button structure according to the present embodiment is applied to the large flush button 20B will be described. However, the toilet seat opening drive button 20A, the small flush button 20C, or other push buttons provided on the upper surface portion 14 are described. The present invention can also be applied.

The large flush button 20B is formed of a hard resin material similar to that of the main body housing 10, and is formed in a horizontally long shape along the toilet interior wall W. The key top 21 is pressed by the user, and the key top 21 It has an operating rod 22 that protrudes substantially at the center of the back surface and operates an operation switch 41 to be described later, and locking claws 23 and 23 that protrude on both sides thereof.
The key top 21 has a flat plate portion 21a formed in a flat plate shape, and a protruding edge portion 21c that protrudes downward from the edge of the flat plate portion 21a. Locking claws 23 and 23 are projected on both sides.
The locking claws 23, 23 are arranged more than the inner peripheral walls of the locking holes 33, 33 so that they can be inserted into two locking holes 33, 33 formed on the upper surface push button mounting plate 30 described later. The width between the outer ends of the claw pieces 23a, 23a, the outer peripheral wall of which is formed slightly smaller and protrudes outwardly of each of the locking claws 23, 23 (outward when the operation rod 22 is the center). Are formed so as to be larger than the width between the inner walls on the outer side (outer side when the hole 32 is the center) of both the locking holes 33, 33.
Further, the operating rod 22 has an outer diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the hole 32 formed in the upper surface push button mounting plate 30, and is formed so as to be able to be inserted into the hole 32.
Further, the key top 21 is formed so that the outer peripheral wall thereof is slightly smaller than the inner peripheral wall of the opening 14B formed in the upper surface portion 14 of the main body housing 10 and can be fitted into the opening 14B. ing.

On the other hand, the upper surface push button mounting plate 30 constituting the bottom of the recess 30B formed in the main body housing 10 to which the flush button 20B is mounted is a support protrusion that supports the rear lower end surface 21b of the protruding edge portion 21c of the key top 21. Part 31, a hole 32 through which the operating rod 22 is inserted, and a locking hole 33, 33 into which the locking claw 23, 23 is inserted.
The support convex portion 31 is along the longitudinal direction (direction along the toilet indoor wall W) of the key top 21 so as to be positioned along the inner wall 14b on the rear side (toilet indoor wall W side) of the opening 14B constituting the concave portion 30B. When the key top 21 is pushed down, the rear-side lower end surface 21b of the protruding edge portion 21c of the key top 21 comes into contact with the upper surface of the support convex portion 31.
In the present embodiment, the hole wall portions 32a, 33a, 33a of the hole portion 32 and the locking hole portions 33, 33 are formed so as to protrude from the upper surface push button mounting plate 30, respectively. When water or the like enters the top push button mounting plate 30, it prevents water from entering or adhering to the circuit board 40 or the like built in the main body housing 10 through the hole 32 and the locking holes 33 and 33. Although not described in detail, the upper surface push button mounting plate 30 is formed with a guide rod that guides water or the like to a discharge port that discharges water outside the main body housing 10 when water or the like enters.

In the present embodiment, when the large flush button 20B is not pushed down between the rear lower end surface 21b of the protruding edge 21c and the upper surface of the support convex portion 31, the operation switch 41 described later is used. A slight gap set smaller than the stroke amount is formed, but in the state where the large washing button 20B is not pushed down, the rear lower end surface 21b of the protruding edge portion 21c and the upper surface of the support convex portion 31 It is good also as a structure which contacts.
Moreover, although the hole 32 and the hole wall parts 32a, 33a, and 33a of the locking hole parts 33 and 33 are formed so that it may each protrude from on the upper surface pushbutton attachment plate 30, it is good also as a structure which does not protrude. .

In order to attach the large flush button 20B configured as described above to the upper push button mounting plate 30, the flush large button 20B is recessed from above in the state in which the main body housing 10 is assembled as shown in FIG. It can be easily mounted by fitting into 30B.
That is, when the large flush button 20B is pressed from above, the width between the locking claws 23 and 23 contracts with elastic deformation, and along the inner walls on the outer sides of the locking holes 33 and 33, respectively. Both the locking claws 23, 23 are inserted and can be easily attached.
Further, when both the locking claws 23, 23 are inserted to a predetermined position, the width between the outer ends of the claw pieces 23a, 23a is reduced by the restoring force of the both locking claws 23, 23 as described above. It becomes larger than the width between the inner walls on the outer sides of the locking holes 33, 33, and functions as a retainer for the large washing button 20B.

The flush button 20B and the operation switch 41 are in such a positional relationship that the lower end surface of the operation rod 22 contacts the upper surface of the operation switch 41 in the state where the flush button 20B is attached as described above. That is, in this embodiment, the large flush button 20B is held by the operation switch 41 in a state where the push-down operation is not performed.
In this embodiment, the operation switch 41 employs a non-locking type tact switch (tactile switch), and is provided in the switch housing 41a so as to be swingable up and down, and a spring piece (metal spring) in the switch housing 41a ( An operating element (stem) 41b that is constantly biased upward by a not-shown unit is provided. In other words, the large washing button 20B is constantly biased upward by the spring piece.
In addition, it is good also as a structure which provides separately the elastic member which always urges | biases the washing large button 20B upwards between the washing large button 20B and the upper surface pushbutton attachment plate 30. FIG.

When the tact switch 41 is pressed down, the tact switch 41 is accompanied by a reversing operation of the spring piece, and a click feeling (tactile feedback) is obtained. This allows the user to operate the push button. It is possible to recognize that various devices are operated by.
Although not shown, the circuit board 40 is provided with operation switches corresponding to the front push buttons 19a to 19h and the upper push buttons 20A and 20C.

The stroke amount of the tact switch 41 is very small, usually 1 mm or less, for example, around 0.3 mm, and the above-described members are appropriately designed accordingly.
That is, in the present embodiment, as described above, the large flush button 20B is disposed between the rear lower end surface 21b of the protruding edge portion 21c of the key top 21 and the upper surface of the support convex portion 31 of the upper surface push button mounting plate 30. In a state where the pressing operation is not performed, a gap set smaller than the stroke amount of the tact switch 41 is formed, and the lower end surface of the operation rod 22 is in contact with the upper surface of the tact switch 41 as described above. Further, the length thereof is set, and the protruding amounts of the locking claws 23 and 23 are also set accordingly.
As a result, when the user presses down the large flush button 20B, before the tact switch 41 can be operated, the rear lower end surface 21b of the protruding edge portion 21c of the key top 21 is formed on the upper surface of the support convex portion 31. The rear side of the flush large button 20B is supported in a cantilevered manner along the longitudinal direction so that the front side is inclined as shown in FIG. 3C, that is, behind the protruding edge 21c. It is pushed down by rotating counterclockwise around the contact portion between the side lower end surface 21b and the support convex portion 31 as a fulcrum.
In this state, the operation lever 41b of the tact switch 41 is depressed by the operation rod 22 until it can be operated, that is, according to a predetermined stroke amount, and the operation is performed.
The outer diameter of the operating rod 22 and the size of the outer peripheral wall of the locking claws 23 and 23 are also inserted in the hole 32 and the locking holes 33 and 33 to be inserted and inserted, respectively, so that the above operation is possible. Is set to be swingable.

According to the above-described configuration, the tact switch 41 is uniformly pressed down regardless of which part on the front side of the large flush button 20B, that is, any part on the left and right along the longitudinal direction is pressed. 41 can be prevented from being damaged.
In addition, the tact switch 41 is uniformly pressed down regardless of which part of the front side of the large washing button 20B is pressed, so that the operability is excellent.
That is, in the state in which the large flush button 20B is pressed, the rear lower end surface 21b of the protruding edge portion 21c of the key top 21 is not supported by the support convex portion 31. If the portion near the left and right ends is pushed down along the longitudinal direction, the movement of the operating rod 22 becomes large, the pressing force against the tact switch 41 is not constant, and the tact switch 41 is not operated properly, or Although there is a risk of causing damage or the like, in the present embodiment, these can be prevented as described above.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the width in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the key top 21 is such that the large flush button 20B is pushed down before the tact switch 41 can be operated, and the upper surface portion 14 of the main body housing 10 is operated. A part of the front side inner wall 14a of the opening 14B formed in the front part and a part of the front side outer wall of the protruding edge part 21c of the key top 21 are set to contact each other. Is set.
Thereby, the front inner wall 14a of the opening 14B functions as a stopper of the key top 21, and damage to the tact switch 41 due to excessive pressing force on the tact switch 41 of the operating rod 22 can be prevented.

In addition, in this embodiment, although the support convex part 31 formed in the recessed part 30B illustrated what was made into the shape of a protrusion, not only this but along the longitudinal direction of the keytop 21, Any shape may be used as long as the rear side lower end surface 21b of the protruding edge portion 21c can be uniformly held. For example, a plurality of protrusions having the same height may be provided.
Also, the large flush button 20B is not attached to the recess 30B by the locking claws 23, 23, but may be configured to be attached by, for example, fitting so that it can be pushed down, that is, swingable.
Further, in the present embodiment, the upper surface push button mounting plate 30 constituting the recess 30B is configured as a separate body from the front cover 11 and the rear cover 16, but is molded integrally with either one to form the recess 30B. It is good also as a structure.
Furthermore, the operation switch 41 is exemplified by a tact switch, but is not limited thereto, and a push switch or the like may be applied.

It is a partial exploded schematic perspective view which shows an example of embodiment of the pushbutton structure which concerns on this invention, and the remote controller for toilets using the same. The partial expansion perspective view of the embodiment is shown, (a) is a schematic perspective view of the push button viewed from the back side, and (b) is a partial enlarged perspective view of the recess. The partial expanded sectional view of the embodiment is shown, (a) is a schematic sectional view taken along line XX in FIG. 1, (b) is a schematic sectional view taken along line YY in FIG. 1, and (c). These are figures of the same part as (b) showing the state where a pushbutton is pushed down operation.

Explanation of symbols

10 Main body housing 20B Flush button (push button)
21 Key Top 22 Operation Rod 23 Locking Claw 30B Recess 31 Supporting Projection 32 Hole 33 Locking Hole 40 Circuit Board 41 Tact Switch (Operation Switch)
A Toilet bowl remote controller (remote controller)
W Toilet interior wall (wall surface)

Claims (4)

A push button structure disposed on a wall surface and applied to a remote controller for remotely operating an electronic device,
The remote controller includes a main body housing that includes a circuit board on which an operation switch is disposed, and a push button that is attached to a recess formed on the upper surface of the main body housing and operates the operation switch by a pressing operation. And
The push button has a key top formed horizontally in a direction along the wall surface,
When the key top is pushed down, the key top is inclined so that the rear side of the key top is cantilevered by the supporting convex portion formed in the concave portion. In claim 1,
The key top of the push button protrudes an operating rod for operating the operation switch by the pressing operation at substantially the center of the back surface, and a locking claw is formed on both sides thereof. A push button structure characterized in that a hole for inserting the operating rod and a locking hole for inserting and locking the locking claw are formed.   A wall-mounted remote controller using the pushbutton structure according to claim 1 or 2. In claim 3,
A remote controller that is disposed on the wall of the toilet and remotely controls the toilet body.

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