JP2011204485A - Non-contact switch - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a non-contact switch improved in durability by eliminating problems such as generation of hitting noise and deterioration due to abrasion of a contact point, while reducing the number of parts items, reducing the thickness, and attaining the compactification of the non-contact switch.SOLUTION: This non-contact switch 1 is structured by disposing a dial knob (an operating member) 2 to freely rotate relative to a board 10 and to freely slide in the same plane with the board 10, disposing a first and a second reflection sensors 17 and 18 on both surfaces of the board 10, disposing a plurality of reflecting members on a surface (a lower surface) of a gear 4, which faces the first reflection sensor 17, in the circumferential direction, and disposing the reflecting member on a surface of a rear cover (a fixed member) 6, which faces the second reflection sensor 18, in at least an orthogonal direction. The first reflection sensor 17 detects an angle of rotation and a rotating direction of the dial knob 2, and the second reflection sensor 18 detects a sliding direction of the dial knob 2.

Description

  The present invention relates to a non-contact switch for optically detecting an operation amount and an operation direction of an operation member in a non-contact manner.

  For example, various operation switches for adjusting and controlling devices such as an audio and an air conditioner are provided on the instrument panel of the vehicle. An example thereof is shown in FIG.

  That is, FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a conventional operation switch 101. In the illustrated operation switch 101, when the dial knob 102 is rotated in any direction indicated by the arrow in the figure, a gear that rotates with the dial knob 102 is shown. When the plurality of protrusions 104 a provided on 104 come into contact with the detector switch 120 disposed on the substrate 110, the detector switch 120 is turned on. Therefore, the rotation direction and rotation angle of the dial knob 102 can be detected based on the ON direction and the number of ON times of the detector switch 120, and various devices can be adjusted and controlled by this.

  However, in the operation switch 101, the projection 104a of the gear 104 mechanically contacts the detector switch 120 when the dial knob 102 is rotated, so that a hitting sound is generated, and the contacts and contact portions of the detector switch 120 are worn. There is a problem. In particular, when the contact portion (contact point) between the protrusion 104a and the detector switch 120 is made of metal, there is a problem that the contact point deteriorates when the number of ON / OFF operations of the detector switch 120 increases.

  Therefore, Patent Document 1 proposes an optical multi-input switch that detects the tilt direction, rotation angle, and elevation of the operation lever using light as a detection medium. In this optical multi-input switch, at least one photosensor, a plurality of LEDs, and a first mask are arranged on a substrate, and a second and third mask are integrally provided on a light guide as an operation lever. The inclination direction and the rotation angle of the light guide are optically detected with the photosensor and the end face of the rod portion of the light guide facing each other.

JP 2007-149620 A

  However, the optical multi-input switch proposed in Patent Document 1 requires a large number of parts such as a plurality of LEDs, a light guide, and first to third masks, so that it is difficult to reduce the thickness and size. There's a problem. In addition, since the photosensor as the light receiving unit is arranged at the center of the switch, functional parts such as a light source for illumination and a tact switch cannot be arranged at the center of the switch, and the purpose is to increase the number of functions. There was also a problem that parts could not be laid out.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its objective is to reduce the number of parts, reduce the thickness and make it compact, and solve problems such as the occurrence of hitting sound and deterioration due to contact wear. It is another object of the present invention to provide a non-contact switch that can improve durability.

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the operation member is disposed so as to be rotatable relative to the substrate and slidable in the same plane together with the substrate, and the first and second surfaces are arranged on both surfaces of the substrate. Each reflective sensor is placed,
A plurality of reflecting members are arranged in a circumferential direction on a surface facing the first reflecting sensor on the operating member side, and a reflecting member is arranged at least in a direction orthogonal to the surface facing the second reflecting sensor on the fixed member side. A non-contact switch,
The rotation angle and the rotation direction of the operation member are detected by the first reflection sensor, and the slide direction of the operation member is detected by the second reflection sensor.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the operation member is supported so as to be movable up and down with respect to the substrate, and a tact switch that is operated by a pressing operation of the operation member is disposed on the substrate. It is characterized by that.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the illumination light source and the tact switch are arranged in the center on the substrate, and the first and second reflection sensors are arranged around the light source. 3. The non-contact switch according to claim 2, wherein

  The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a click mechanism for providing a click feeling to the rotation of the operation member is provided.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, urging means for urging the operation member in a direction to return to the neutral position is provided.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the rotation angle and the rotation direction of the operation member are detected optically in a non-contact manner by the first reflection sensor, and the slide direction of the operation member is optically not detected by the second reflection sensor. Since the detection is performed by contact, there is no mechanical contact portion, and problems such as generation of hitting sound and deterioration due to contact wear are solved. In addition, since the detection system is simply configured with only the reflection members arranged on the operation member side and the fixed member side, and the reflection sensor for detecting the light reflected by these reflection members, the number of parts is reduced. However, the non-contact switch can be made thinner and more compact.

  According to the invention described in claim 2, since the tact switch can be operated (ON) by pressing the operation member, adjustment control for a plurality of items can be performed with one switch, and the function as a multi-input switch can be achieved. Can be demonstrated.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the illumination light source and the tact switch are arranged in the center on the substrate, and the first and second reflection sensors are arranged around the illumination light source and the tact switch. Component layout is possible.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the click mechanism gives the click feeling to the rotation of the operation member, the rotation operation of the operation member is surely performed and the operability of the user is enhanced and the operability is improved. To do.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, when the operating member is slid in the same plane together with the substrate, the operating member is released from the operating member or when the force applied to the operating member is weakened, the operating member is biased by the biasing means. Therefore, the slide operation of the operation member can be performed continuously and accurately.

It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the non-contact switch which concerns on this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view of the non-contact switch which concerns on this invention. It is the perspective view which looked at the gear of the non-contact switch concerning the present invention from the slanting lower part. It is a perspective view of the holder of the non-contact switch concerning the present invention. It is a perspective view of the rear cover of the non-contact switch concerning the present invention. (A)-(i) is a figure which shows the relationship between the reflection member arrange | positioned at a gear, and arrangement | positioning of a reflection sensor. It is a figure explaining the principle of the detection by a reflection sensor. It is a figure which shows the output waveform of a reflection sensor. (A)-(i) is a figure which shows the relationship between the reflection member arrange | positioned at a rear cover, and arrangement | positioning of a reflection sensor. It is a figure which shows the output waveform of a reflection sensor. It is a perspective view of the conventional operation switch.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a non-contact switch according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the non-contact switch, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a gear seen from obliquely below, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a holder, FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a rear cover.

  A non-contact switch 1 according to the present invention detects a rotation direction and a rotation angle of a dial knob 2 as an operation member, a sliding direction and a pressing operation in the same plane optically in a non-contact manner, and is substantially cylindrical. A substantially disc-shaped dial cover 3 is attached to the center of the upper surface of the dial knob 2. The dial cover 3 is integrally formed of a transparent or translucent resin that transmits light.

  A double cylindrical gear 4 is coupled and integrated with the dial knob 2, and a plurality of teeth 4 a are formed at equal intervals on the outer periphery of the lower end of the gear 4. A ring-shaped front plate 5 is engaged with the outer periphery of the gear 4.

  By the way, the non-contact switch 1 is provided with a switch case 8 configured by attaching a circular cover-like front cover 7 on the upper part of a cylindrical cover 7 having different diameters. The dial knob 2 and the gear 4 that are coupled and integrated with each other are inserted from above. The switch case 8 accommodates a double cylindrical holder 9, a disk-shaped substrate 10 attached to the lower surface of the holder 9, and upper and lower two-stage sliders 11, 12.

  Here, the dial knob 2 and the gear 4 constituting the operation member can be rotated relative to the substrate 10 and can be slidably supported in the horizontal plane together with the substrate 10 and the holder 9 and can be moved up and down with respect to the substrate 10. It is supported by.

  As shown in detail in FIG. 4, the holder 9 has a plurality of locking claws 9 a that open radially outward at the outer peripheral portion and are radially formed at this pitch in the circumferential direction. A spring 13 is fitted and held. Although not shown, the spring 13 is locked at the front cover 7 to urge the dial knob 2, the gear 4, the holder 9 and the substrate 10 to return them to the neutral position. The urging means is configured. Therefore, when the hand is released from the dial knob 2, the dial knob 2, the gear 4, the holder 9, and the substrate 10 are always in the neutral position.

  Further, a leaf spring 14 that engages with the teeth 4 a formed on the gear 4 is attached to the inner peripheral portion of the holder 9, and this leaf spring 14 rotates when the dial knob 2 is rotated together with the gear 4. A click mechanism for providing a click feeling to the rotation of the dial knob 2 together with the teeth 4a by engaging with the teeth 4a formed on the gear 4 is constituted.

  An LED 15 for illumination is arranged at the center of the upper surface of the substrate 10 attached to the lower surface of the holder 9, and a tact switch 16 is arranged beside it. Here, as shown in FIG. 1, a through hole 2 a through which light from the LED 15 passes is formed at a position directly above the LED 15 in the center of the bottom surface of the dial knob 2. Further, the bottom surface of the dial knob 2 is in contact with the tact switch 16, and when the dial knob 2 is not operated, the dial knob 2 does not press the tact switch 16, and the tact switch 16 is in the OFF state. It is in.

  As described above, the LED 15 and the tact switch 16 are arranged at the center position on the upper surface of the substrate 10, but the reflection sensors 17 are arranged at two places around these, and these reflection sensors 17 are shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, it faces the rectangular windows 9b formed in the holder 9, respectively.

  In addition, reflection sensors 18 are disposed at four orthogonal positions on the outer peripheral edge side of the lower surface of the substrate 10. Here, the reflection sensors 17 and 18 include a light emitting element and a light receiving element. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, one end of a harness 19 routed in the sliders 11 and 12 is connected to the substrate 10.

  Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of reflecting members 20 are arranged at equiangular pitches in the circumferential direction on the ring-shaped lower surface of the gear 4 facing the upper surface of the substrate 10 (reflection sensor 17). Therefore, a plurality of reflective members 20 and non-reflective portions 21 (indicated by hatching in FIG. 3) are alternately arranged on the lower surface of the gear 4.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, four reflecting members 22 are arranged at four positions orthogonal to each other on the surface of the rear cover 6 that is a fixing member that faces the lower surface of the substrate 10 (reflection sensor 18).

  Thus, in the non-contact switch 1 configured as described above, the rotation angle and the rotation direction of the dial knob 2 are detected by the two reflection sensors 17 arranged on the upper surface of the substrate 10, and The sliding direction of the dial knob 2 is detected by the four reflection sensors 18 arranged. The tact switch 16 detects the pressing operation of the dial knob 2. Hereinafter, these will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIGS. 6A to 6I are views showing the relationship between the reflection member arranged on the gear and the arrangement of the reflection sensor, FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the principle of detection by the reflection sensor, and FIG. 8 is the output of the reflection sensor. FIGS. 9A to 9I are diagrams showing the relationship between the reflection member disposed on the rear cover and the arrangement of the reflection sensor, and FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the output waveform of the reflection sensor.

  As shown in FIGS. 6A to 6C, the two reflection sensors 17 arranged on the upper surface of the substrate 10 may be arranged at opposing positions separated from each other by approximately 180 ° in the circumferential direction. As shown in FIG. 6F, it can be arranged at a position separated by an angle α in the circumferential direction or at a position separated by an angle β (> α) in the circumferential direction as shown in FIGS. However, in the arrangements shown in FIGS. 6A to 6C, the two reflection sensors 17 should not be arranged diagonally in order to accurately recognize the rotation direction of the dial knob 2.

  As shown in FIG. 7, when the reflecting member 20 and the non-reflecting portion 21 are alternately arranged at the pitch P (= 4 mm) on the gear 4, when the dial knob 2 is rotated in any direction, the reflecting sensor 17. Since the light from the light emitting part is reflected by the reflecting member 20 and the reflected light is detected by the light receiving part, each reflection sensor 17 outputs a current waveform with a pitch P as shown in FIG. Therefore, the rotation angle of the dial knob 2 can be detected by counting the number of waveform pulses, and the dial knob 2 can be detected from the deviation of the output waveforms of both reflection sensors 17 (17 (A), 17 (B)). Can be detected.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the four reflection sensors 18 arranged on the lower surface of the substrate 10 are arranged on the upper, lower, left, and right sides (up, down, left and right in FIG. 9), and the dial knob 2 includes the gear 4, the substrate 10, and the holder. 9 can be slid in a total of eight directions on the same plane (horizontal plane) from the neutral position shown in FIG. 9A to 9D and FIGS. 9F to 9I show the positional relationship between the reflection sensor 18 and the reflection member 22 when the dial knob 2 slides in eight directions. When the dial knob 2 moves up, down, left, and right, one reflection sensor 18 positioned in that direction detects the reflection member 22 and turns on. However, when the dial knob 2 slides diagonally, FIG. As shown in the output waveform, the two adjacent reflection sensors 18 in that direction simultaneously detect and turn on the reflection member 22, so that the diagonal slide direction of the dial knob 2 can be detected.

  On the other hand, when the dial knob 2 is pressed, the dial knob 2 pushes the tact switch 16 and turns it on, so that the pressing operation of the dial knob 2 can be detected.

  As described above, according to the non-contact switch 1 according to the present invention, the reflection sensor 17 disposed on the upper surface of the substrate 10 detects the rotation angle and the rotation direction of the dial knob 2 optically in a non-contact manner. Since the sliding direction of the dial knob 2 is detected optically in a non-contact manner by the reflection sensor 18 disposed on the lower surface of the slab, there are no mechanical contact points, and there are problems such as generation of hitting sound and deterioration due to contact wear. Is resolved.

  In addition, since the detection system is configured simply by the reflection members 20 and 22 disposed on the gear 4 and the rear cover 6 and the reflection sensors 17 and 18 for detecting the light reflected by these reflection members 20 and 22, respectively. The number of parts is reduced, the structure is simplified, and the non-contact switch 1 can be reduced in thickness and size.

  Furthermore, since the tact switch 16 can be operated (ON) by pressing the dial knob 2, adjustment control for a plurality of items can be performed with one non-contact switch 1, and the function as a multi-input switch is exhibited. be able to.

  Further, since the illumination LED 15 and the tact switch 16 are arranged at the center on the substrate 10 and the reflection sensors 17 and 18 are arranged around the LED 15 and the tact switch 16, it is possible to lay out components for the purpose of multi-function.

  In this embodiment, the tooth 4a of the gear 4 and the leaf spring 14 that engages with the tooth 4a constitute a click mechanism, and this click mechanism gives a click feeling to the rotation of the dial knob 2. The knob 2 is reliably rotated, and the user's operational feeling is enhanced, thereby improving operability.

  In the present embodiment, the dial knob 2, the gear 4, the substrate 10, and the holder 9 that slide integrally on the same plane are urged by the spring 13 in a direction to return to the neutral position (see FIG. 9E). Therefore, when the dial knob 2 is slid in the same plane together with the substrate 10 or the like, when the hand is released from the dial knob 2 or the force applied to the dial knob 2 is weakened, the dial knob 2 is caused by the biasing force of the spring 13. Returned to neutral position. For this reason, the effect that the slide operation of the dial knob 2 can be performed continuously and accurately is obtained.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is particularly useful for a switch used for a product that needs to suppress generation of an operation sound, in addition to a vehicle-mounted rotary switch using a reflection sensor.

1 Non-contact switch 2 Dial knob (operation member)
2a Dial knob passage 3 Dial cover 4 Gear 4a Gear teeth 5 Front plate 6 Rear cover (fixing member)
7 Front cover 8 Switch case 9 Holder 9a Engagement claw of holder 9b Rectangular window of holder 10 Substrate 11, 12 Slider 13 Spring (biasing means)
14 Leaf spring (click mechanism)
15 LED for illumination (light source for illumination)
16 tact switch 17 reflection sensor (first reflection sensor)
18 reflection sensor (second reflection sensor)
19 Harness 20 Reflective member 21 Non-reflective portion 22 Reflective member

Claims (5)

The operation member is arranged to be rotatable relative to the substrate and slidable in the same plane together with the substrate, and the first and second reflection sensors are arranged on both surfaces of the substrate, respectively.
A plurality of reflecting members are arranged in a circumferential direction on a surface facing the first reflecting sensor on the operating member side, and a reflecting member is arranged at least in a direction orthogonal to the surface facing the second reflecting sensor on the fixed member side. And
A non-contact switch characterized in that a rotation angle and a rotation direction of the operation member are detected by the first reflection sensor, and a slide direction of the operation member is detected by the second reflection sensor.   The non-contact switch according to claim 1, wherein a tact switch that supports the operation member so as to be movable up and down relative to the substrate and is operated by a pressing operation of the operation member is disposed on the substrate.   The non-contact switch according to claim 2, wherein the illumination light source and the tact switch are arranged at the center of the substrate, and the first and second reflection sensors are arranged around the light source.   The non-contact switch according to claim 1, further comprising a click mechanism that gives a click feeling to the rotation of the operation member. The non-contact switch according to claim 1, further comprising an urging unit that urges the operation member in a direction to return the operation member to a neutral position.

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