JP2017103166A - Rotational oscillation type operation dial and electronic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a rotational oscillation type operation dial that can be made more compact and thinner, has turning torque stabilized, and can impart a good click feeling and a good operation feeling.SOLUTION: An operation dial which can rotate and reverse, has an uneven surface on a reverse shaft-part outer peripheral surface, and oscillates at least with up and down, and right and left parts pressed to enable button operation, a holder member having a cylindrical holding part having a hole part for radial fitting with the operation dial, a pusher part for switches arranged at the up and down, and right and left positions which can elastically deform to support the operation dial in an oscillatory state outside the holding part, and an annular part having the operation dial and a sliding part, and an elastic member arranged to make an amplitude movement in an axial direction of engagement with the uneven surface impart a click feeling according to rotation of the operation dial, this operation member having a fixation part for the elastic member arranged in an outer peripheral direction orthogonal to a hole center axis of the holding part and on a slide part inner peripheral side of the annular part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to a dial that can be rotated forward and backward, and further to a rotary swing type operation dial that can also perform a push button operation by swinging the dial at least in the vertical and horizontal directions, and an electronic device using the rotary swing type operation dial. .

  As an input means to a digital camera (hereinafter simply referred to as a camera), there is a case where a rotary swing type operation dial that can be rotated forward and backward and can be operated by pushing a button by further swinging up and down and left and right is sometimes installed. Many. The rotary swinging operation dial is provided with a click mechanism for locking in a predetermined rotation angle posture.

  Also, rotation operations are assigned to functions that require continuous input operations such as camera manual focus and white balance settings, and push button operations for functions that can be set by toggle operations such as flash ON / OFF / AUTO Is assigned.

  Conventionally, such a click mechanism of the rotary swing type operation dial has been provided with a spring member at a portion facing the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion on the back surface of the rotary operation dial as described in Patent Document 1.

  The outer peripheral surface of the bearing portion on the cylindrical base member that is diameter-fitted with the rotary operation dial is a convex / concave surface that causes the spring member to move in amplitude according to the rotation of the rotary operation dial. The technique to make is disclosed (patent document 1).

Japanese Patent No. 5219988

  However, the spring member shown in Patent Document 1 described above forms a pair of arm portions extending in an arc shape provided at both ends of the lower end portion of the L-shaped attachment portion, and the distal ends thereof rotate relative to each other. It is bent in an arc shape in a direction approaching the central axis portion of the operation dial. The attachment portion of the spring member is fixed by a snap fit means between the shaft portion on the back surface of the rotary operation dial and the outer wall portion.

  In the case of this configuration, since the bending process is performed on the pair of arms provided on both ends and extending in an arc shape and the mounting surface, it is difficult to obtain the bending accuracy of the front end of the plate. In order to set an appropriate click load for the spring member, the L length of the tip and mounting part is required, so when snap-fitting, the dimensions of the tip are likely to violate, so the click force of the rotary operation dial, The click feeling tends to vary.

  Since the spring member is configured on the rotary operation dial side, the outer diameter of the rotary operation dial itself becomes large and cannot be reduced in size. Further, since the snap fit direction is also configured in the thickness direction of the rotary operation dial, there is a problem that the rotary operation dial itself cannot be thinned.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and can reduce the size and thickness of the dial without increasing the size of the electronic device. Further, the rotational torque of the dial is stable and the touch is good. An object of the present invention is to provide a rotary swing type operation dial and an electronic device capable of obtaining a click feeling and an operation feeling.

In order to achieve the above object, the rotary swing type operation dial according to the present invention includes:
An operation dial that can be rotated forward and backward, has a concave and convex surface formed on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion on the back surface, and can be operated by pressing at least the upper, lower, left, and right parts, and a hole that is diameter-fitted with the operation dial. A cylindrical holding portion, a pusher portion for a switch that is elastically deformable and arranged vertically and horizontally to support the operation dial so as to be swingable outside the holding portion, and slides on the operation dial An elastic member that is arranged so as to be capable of amplitude movement in the axial direction and engages with a concave and convex surface formed on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion on the back surface of the operation dial. However, in the operation member that gives a click feeling according to the rotation of the operation dial, the elastic member is fixed in the outer peripheral direction orthogonal to the hole central axis of the holding portion and on the inner peripheral side of the sliding portion of the annular portion. The part has been installed The features.

  According to the rotary swing type operation dial according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the size and thickness of the dial without causing an increase in the size of the electronic device, and further stabilize the rotational torque of the dial and provide a good click feeling. A feeling of operation is obtained.

1 is an external perspective view of a digital camera that is an imaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a rotary operation dial unit figure concerning the embodiment of the present invention, and a section surface indication figure shown in Drawing 4 and Drawing 6. It is a disassembled perspective view of the rotary operation dial which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view of the rotary operation dial which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a side view XX cross section which shows the rotary operation dial holding | maintenance structure which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a partial front view which shows the positional relationship of the holder member which concerns on embodiment of this invention, and a click spring. It is a front view YY cross section which shows the positional relationship of the rotary operation dial and click spring which concern on embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a digital camera (hereinafter abbreviated as a camera) that is an imaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1A is an external perspective view of the front side (subject side) of the camera, and FIG. 1B is an external perspective view of the back side (photographer side).

  As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, reference numeral 101 denotes a camera body that is an exterior of an electronic apparatus (showing a camera in the present invention), and reference numeral 102 denotes a lens barrel that constitutes a photographing optical system. The lens barrel 102 includes an imaging optical system, a lens barrier, a photoelectric conversion element, a lens driving mechanism diaphragm, a shutter, and the like. The lens barrel 102 is configured so that a subject image is formed on an image sensor by a photographing optical system. The power button 103 is an operation member that turns on or off the power of the camera. Reference numeral 104 denotes a release button, which can take a still image by pressing.

  Usually, the release button 104 of the camera is composed of a two-stage switch. AF and AE are performed when the first switch (SW1) is turned on by half-pressing the release button 104, and still image shooting is performed when the second switch (SW2) is turned on by fully pressing the release button 104. ing. A rotation operation type zoom lever 105 is attached to the outer periphery of the release button 104. The zoom lever 105 is an operation means that receives an operation input by an operator.

  When the zoom lever 105 is rotated clockwise as viewed from the upper surface of the camera body, the zoom lens performs a zoom operation toward the Tele side (direction in which the angle of view becomes narrower), and conversely when rotated counterclockwise, the photographing lens Zooms to the Wide side (the direction in which the angle of view widens).

  Reference numeral 106 denotes a moving image button, which can be used to capture a moving image by pressing. Reference numeral 107 denotes a strobe, and 108 denotes a strobe button. When the subject is not bright enough at the time of shooting, sliding the strobe button 108 pops up 107, exposing a light emitting window (not shown) and emitting light for shooting. When not used at the time of shooting, the strobe 107 is manually pushed down to be in the retracted state.

  Reference numeral 109 denotes a mode dial, which is rotatably supported with respect to the camera body 101. A plurality of marks (not shown) corresponding to various shooting modes are printed on the top surface of the mode dial 109. By aligning an index of the imaging device with the marks, a still image shooting mode, Settings such as a moving image shooting mode and a shot image reproduction mode can be made.

  Reference numeral 110 denotes a liquid crystal panel unit that displays an image for confirming the composition at the time of shooting and a reproduced image. The display unit has a built-in capacitive touch panel. Touching the screen with your finger allows you to make various settings such as shooting settings, playback of recorded images, image enlargement / reduction, image sending / editing, communication settings, etc. Operation is possible. The display unit can also display shooting conditions such as shutter speed and aperture value, the number of shots, menus, and the like.

  A terminal cover 111 is supported so as to be slidable and rotatable with respect to the camera body 101. When the terminal cover 111 is opened, external connection terminals such as a USB terminal and an HDMI (registered trademark) terminal are exposed.

  Reference numeral 112 is provided with a plurality of operation button groups 112. These button groups are used when switching functions such as a playback button, a communication button, an information display button, and a menu button.

  When the playback button is pressed, the function switches from the shooting mode to the playback mode, and displays a still image or a moving image recorded on the display unit of the liquid crystal panel unit 110. The communication button is a function for starting wireless communication such as Wi-Fi. The information display button is a function for switching display / non-display of the camera function display displayed on the display unit of the liquid crystal panel unit 110. The menu button is a function for switching display / non-display of the setting of the photographing condition and the reproduction condition.

  Reference numeral 113 denotes a rotary swing type operation dial (hereinafter abbreviated as a rotary operation dial) as an operation dial.

  Hereinafter, a simple configuration and functional operation of the rotary operation dial 113 will be described.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram of a rotary operation dial unit according to an embodiment of the present invention, and a sectional instruction diagram shown in FIGS. 2A is a front view of the rotary operation dial unit, and FIG. 2B is a side view of the rotary operation dial unit.

  The operation dial 1 is supported so that it can be rotated and a button can be operated when the upper, lower, left and right parts are pressed. On the display board 2, the icons 2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D are printed with icons representing up, down, left, and right button functions at intervals of 90 degrees, and no rotation is performed. However, when the operation dial 1 is swung, It is supported so that it can follow.

  The center button 3 is non-rotatably supported by a portion of the display panel 2 that does not swing, which will be described later. That is, the rotary operation dial 113 is composed of three members in appearance, and the only member that rotates is the operation dial 1, and when it is pressed down in the up, down, left, and right directions, the display board follows the operation dial 1. 2 swings. The center button 3 is an independent operation and is not interlocked when the operation dial 1 is rotated or swung. The center button 3 is movable and functions as a button only when pressed. The center button 3 functions as a confirmation key for various settings in terms of camera functions.

  In this embodiment, a function at the time of shooting of each camera is assigned to the rotation operation dial 113. For example, 2A is exposure compensation, 2B is auto flash, forced flash, and flash prohibition with strobe, 2C is AF, normal, far, macro, and 2D is self-timer time 10 seconds, self-timer 2 seconds.

  These selections are sequentially switched by rotating the operation dial 1, and the function at the time of camera shooting is determined by pressing the center button 3. When the center button 3 is pressed, for example, exposure correction, photometry distribution, white balance, number of recorded pixels, compression rate, and the like can be selected, and the operation button 1 is selected by rotating the operation dial 1 as an individual hierarchical function selection method. Confirmation is possible by pressing the button.

  Further, when reproducing the camera, it is possible to enlarge / reduce the image by selecting and confirming one image from a plurality of images and rotating the operation dial 1.

  A detailed holding configuration and operation of the rotary operation dial will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 4. FIG.

  3A and 3B are exploded perspective views of the rotary operation dial unit according to the embodiment of the present invention. 3A is a perspective view of the rotary operation dial unit as seen from the front side, FIG. 3B is a perspective view of the rotary operation dial unit as seen from the back side, and FIG. 4 shows the rotary operation dial holding configuration according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view XX section shown.

  A pair of photo interrupters 6a is mounted as a photo sensor that detects a position by projecting and receiving light for detecting rotation. Further, a flexible wiring board 6 having a switch 6b corresponding to the center button 3 and other push buttons (operation button group 112 shown in FIG. 1, 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D shown in FIG. 2) and a base plate 8 are provided. It is fixed by a double-sided tape 7. This state is hereinafter abbreviated as plate unit 9.

  The square boss 4a on the flat surface portion 4h in the holding portion 4X configured in the holder member 4 and the square hole 5a formed on the flat surface portion 5c of the click spring 5 (elastic member) are positioned and fitted. Further, the shaft 4b on the flat surface portion 4h of the holding portion 4X formed in the holder member 4 and the hole 5b formed on the flat surface portion 5c of the click spring 5 (elastic member) are not shown in the crimping welding or the like. It is fixed by means of

  In a state where the click spring 5 (elastic member) is fixed to the holder member 4, the pin shape of the holding portion 4 </ b> X configured in the holder member 4 is positioned and fitted into the hole formed in the plate unit 9 and is not illustrated. It is fixed by means such as caulking welding. The click spring 5 (elastic member) forms a pair of arm portions 5d extending in an arc shape provided at both ends of the flat surface portion 5c, and two R-shaped portions 5e (convex shapes) provided at the tip portions thereof. Have.

  In the present embodiment, the click spring 5 (elastic member) is not a complicated bent shape, so that it is easy to process and the dimensions of components are easy to stabilize. Further, since the mounting surface on which the click spring 5 (elastic member) is positioned and fitted is disposed on the outer peripheral portion of the holding portion 4X, the two R-shaped portions 5e provided at the distal end portion of the click spring 5 (elastic member). The (convex shape) has an effect of preventing the shake in the rotation axis direction. Furthermore, by arranging the mounting surface of the click spring 5 (elastic member) on the outer peripheral portion, the operation dial 1 can be made thin.

  Next, the shaft 1 a formed on the operation dial 1 and the hole 4 c on the holding portion 4 </ b> X formed in the holder member 4 are inserted in a slidable fit. At this time, the operation dial 1 is slidably fitted in a diameter by a hole 4c on the holding portion 4X formed in the holder member 4 and is rotatable. Here, the fitting amount in the direction of the rotation center axis of the diameter fitting is set to a small amount with respect to the shaft 1a of the operation dial 1, so that the operation dial 1 can be rotated and can be slightly inclined. It has become.

  Further, the sliding rib 1b formed on the operation dial 1 and the sliding surface 4d formed on the annular portion 4Y of the holder member 4 are in contact with each other. The annular portion 4Y formed in the holder member 4 is thin and elastically deformable, and a pusher portion 4e is formed on the switch 6b side arranged on the flexible wiring board 6 in the vertical and horizontal directions. Has been. As described above, the sliding surface 4d and the pusher portion 4e are substantially coaxial.

  In the holder member 4 of the present embodiment, the holding portion 4X and the annular portion 4Y are integrally configured by connecting positions avoiding the switches 6b arranged on the top, bottom, left and right. The purpose of this configuration is to reduce the number of parts.

  Next, the display board 2 is inserted into the stepped opening 1 c formed in the operation dial 1. At this time, the pin shape formed on the display plate 2 is positioned and fitted into a hole formed in the plate unit 9 and fixed by means such as caulking welding (not shown). At that time, the sliding rib 1d formed on the operation dial 1 and the receiving surface 2b (four places) formed on the display panel 2 are slidably contacted. This is a retainer that restricts the direction in which the operation dial 1 is disengaged (the upward direction in the figure).

  The receiving surface 2b (four places) formed in the display board 2 is provided in the vicinity of the fixing portion 2f fixed to the plate unit 9 by caulking welding, and has a structure that does not easily move. Further, since the display panel 2 is connected to the outer appearance upper side 2d and the fixing portion 2f with a thin arm portion 2e so as to have a spring property, the operation dial 1 and the outer appearance upper side 2d of the display plate 2 are integrated. It can swing up and down.

  As a result, the operation dial 1 can be rotated about the center of the hole 4c on the holding portion 4X formed on the holder member 4 and can be swung and can be pressed at a position corresponding to the switch 6b arranged vertically and horizontally. Is possible.

  A long-angle shaft 3a formed on the center button 3 is positioned in a long hole 2a formed in the display panel 2 and is slidably fitted. Furthermore, the receiving surface 2c provided in the vicinity of the receiving surface 2b formed on the display board 2 and the claw portions 3b (two locations) formed on the center button 3 are prevented from being detached by the snap fit means. As a result, the center button 3 can be pressed and operated.

  Next, a light shielding blade 1e (12 in this embodiment) formed of metal is formed on the operation dial 1 by insert molding, and the operation dial 1 and the light shielding blade 1e rotate and swing integrally.

  When the operation dial 1 is rotated, the light-shielding blade 1e forms a light-shielding portion at an equal angle so that the light in the photo interrupter 6a is permitted / inhibited according to the rotation angle. The number of light shielding portions corresponds to the number of convex and concave portions 1f on the operation dial 1 (12 in this embodiment), and the output when the operation dial 1 is stopped is always determined.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3A, two photo interrupters 6a are mounted and set to an angle at which the two pulse waveforms generated by the light shielding blade 1e are always shifted in half phase. This makes it possible to detect the rotation direction. The photo interrupter 6a and the light shielding blade 1e are set so that they do not come into contact with each other even when the operation dial 1 is swung by a pressing operation.

  Next, the rotation click of the operation dial 1 is performed by forming a convex recess 1f (12 positions in this embodiment) formed on the back surface of the operation dial 1 and an R-shaped portion 5e formed on the click spring 5 (elastic member). The (convex shape) generates a reaction force with respect to the direction in which the operation dial 1 tries to open outward from the rotation center axis direction. Between the two R-shaped portions 5e (convex shape), the convex concave portion 1f provided on the operation dial 1 rotates to function as a spring, generating a click feeling.

  Next, the positional relationship of the click configuration will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  As described above, the square boss 4a on the flat surface portion 4h of the holding portion 4X configured in the holder member 4 and the square hole 5a formed on the flat surface portion 5c of the click spring 5 (elastic member) are positioned and fitted. Has been.

  Further, the shaft 4b on the flat surface portion 4e in the holding portion 4X configured in the holder member 4 and the hole 5b formed on the flat surface portion 5c of the click spring 5 (elastic member) are not shown in the crimping welding or the like. It is fixed by means of. At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, a pair of arm portions 5 d provided in the click spring 5 (elastic member) and extending in an arc shape are in contact with the protruding portions 4 g on the holding portion 4 </ b> X configured in the holder member 4.

  In the single component state (natural state) of the click spring 5 (elastic member), the pair of arm portions 5d extending in a circular arc shape and the two R-shaped portions 5e (convex shape) provided at the distal end portion are provided as holding portions. It is located inside 4X in the central axis direction. When assembled into the holding portion 4X from this state, the pair of arm portions 5d extending in an arc shape of the click spring 5 (elastic member) are regulated by the protrusion 4g on the holding portion 4X and are spread outward from the central axis direction of the holding portion 4X. .

  As a result, appropriate precharge is applied to the two R-shaped portions 5e (convex shape) provided at the distal end portion of the click spring 5 (elastic member), so that the click spring 5 is managed by managing the width dimension in the Z direction. The precharge force of the (elastic member) is stabilized.

  Further, the width dimension in the Z direction of the two R-shaped portions 5e (convex shape) provided at the distal end portion of the click spring 5 (elastic member) and the inner diameter of the hole 4c on the holding portion 4X are substantially matched. As a result, when the shaft 1a of the operation dial 1 is assembled into the hole 4c on the holding portion 4X, it can be assembled straight, so that the assembling workability is improved.

  Further, the pair of arm portions 5d extending in an arc shape of the click spring 5 (elastic member) is regulated by the projection portion 4g on the holding portion 4X, and is moderate to the two R-shaped portions 5e (convex shape) provided at the tip portion. A precharge is applied. When the convex concave portion 1f of the operation dial 1 is assembled from this state, the R-shaped portion 5e (convex shape) on the click spring 5 (elastic member) is opened from the rotation center axis direction of the operation dial 1 to the outside. Further, since a reaction force is further generated, a desired stable click force can be obtained in the convex / concave portion 1 f of the operation dial 1. Further, since the click force is stabilized, the radial backlash at the click stop position of the operation dial 1 is also reduced.

  Further, the outer diameter of the operation dial 1 can be reduced by accommodating the mounting surface (the square boss 4a and the shaft 4b) on which the click spring 5 (elastic member) is fixed to the holder member 4 within the outer diameter C of the holding portion 4X. Is possible.

  With the configuration as described above, it is possible to realize a rotary swing type operation dial that can satisfy reliability and a feeling of click operation at low cost in a small size.

  In the present embodiment, the holder member 4 is integrally formed of the holding portion 4X and the annular portion 4Y. However, even when the holding portion 4X and the annular portion 4Y are configured separately, the same effect as the present invention is obtained. can get.

  In the present embodiment, the operation dial 1 and the light shielding blade 1e are integrally formed by insert molding. However, the operation dial 1 and the light shielding blade 1e may be separated and fixed by bonding or the like. The same effect as that of the present invention can be obtained even in the configuration in which the light-shielding blade 1e is formed from 1 itself.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the configuration with the center button 3 is shown, but the presence of the center button 3 is not essential in the gist of the present invention, and the same effect as the present invention can be obtained even in the configuration without the center button 3. .

  Further, in this embodiment, an example using a photo interrupter as the rotation detecting means has been shown, but the same effect as the present invention can be obtained even if a reflection type photo reflector is used.

  As mentioned above, although preferable embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to these embodiment, A various deformation | transformation and change are possible within the range of the summary.

1 rotating dial, 1a shaft part, 4 holder member, 4X holding part, 4Y annular part,
4b Shaft (fixed part), 4d sliding part, 4e pusher part, 5 click spring (elastic member)

Claims (4)

An operation dial that can be rotated forward and backward, has a concave / convex surface formed on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion on the back surface, and can be swung and operated by pressing a button at least up / down / left / right;
A cylindrical holding portion having a hole that is diameter-fitted to the operation dial, and a switch that is elastically deformable to be swingably supported on the outside of the holding portion and arranged vertically and horizontally A holder member having a pusher part and an annular part having a sliding part sliding with the operation dial;
An operation member that is provided with an elastically movable member that can move in the axial direction and engages with a concave-convex surface formed on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion on the back surface of the operation dial, and that provides a click feeling according to the rotation of the operation dial. In
A rotary swing type operation dial characterized in that a fixing portion of the elastic member is disposed in an outer peripheral direction orthogonal to a hole central axis of the holding portion and on an inner peripheral side of the sliding portion of the annular portion.   The elastic member forms a pair of arm portions extending in an arc shape provided at both ends of the fixed portion, and has a convex shape in a direction in which the tip portions approach each other. The rotary swing type operation dial described in 1.   The rotary swinging operation dial according to claim 2, wherein an arm portion of the elastic member is brought into contact with a protrusion formed on a circumferential line of the holding portion.   An electronic apparatus equipped with the rotary swing type operation dial according to any one of claims 1 to 3 as input means.