JP2024051281A5 - - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a variable operating position microleaf switch (hereinafter simply referred to as a microleaf switch) suitable for use as a composite operation switch in various devices such as video game machines, and a composite operation switch using this microleaf switch.

A composite operation switch, also called a joystick lever device, which is attached to the operation panel of various devices such as home or commercial video game machines, has a plurality of microleaf switches arranged around a joystick lever. A known microleaf switch is used for such a microleaf switch, and a video game or the like is played by pressing and releasing an operation button of the microleaf switch directly or indirectly via an operation piece by swinging the joystick lever (hereinafter also called the operation lever). A movable contact piece member provided on a movable contact piece attached inside the case body of the microleaf switch comes into contact with and releases a fixed contact piece member provided on a fixed contact piece, thereby turning the microleaf switch ON and OFF.

These microleaf switches, as described in, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 below, do not have an adjustment mechanism that can adjust the contact position or spacing between the movable contact portion provided on the movable contact piece and the fixed contact portion provided on the fixed contact piece.

JP 2007-234510 A JP 2011-070933 A

The microleaf switches used in combination operation switches have fixed ON/OFF operating positions, and the operating positions set by the combination operation switch (for example, the amount of tilt of a joystick or the amount of depression of a button) are fixed. Therefore, it was not possible to address the fact that users may find it difficult to operate depending on their preferences or operating habits.
As a result, the enjoyment of control during play is hindered, and in games that require competitive play such as e-sports, this can become a factor that affects the results.
In addition, product specifications such as microleaf switches have tolerances for operating positions and the like, and may vary within the tolerance range. Therefore, when multiple microleaf switches are used, the operating positions of the switches and composite operation switches used may not be uniform, and differences in operating positions may disrupt the feel of the game.

The object of the present invention is to provide a microleaf switch that is configured to adjust the contact position or distance between the movable contact portion of the movable contact piece provided inside the case of the microleaf switch and the fixed contact portion provided on the fixed contact piece. Another object of the present invention is to provide a microleaf switch that is highly durable and prevents noise generation by configuring the operation button of the microleaf switch so that it does not come into contact with the movable contact piece and operate it when the operation button is pressed.

In order to achieve the above object, the microleaf switch according to the present invention described in claim 1 has a case, an operation button provided on the case so as to be movable forward and backward, a movable contact piece connected to an external connection terminal provided on the case and operated by the operation button, and a fixed contact piece connected to another external connection terminal also provided on the case and having a fixed contact piece provided opposite the movable contact piece, and is characterized in that an adjustment member is provided on the case to adjust the contact position or distance between the movable contact piece and the fixed contact piece.

Furthermore, the microleaf switch described in claim 2 is characterized in that the movable contact is engaged in a flex-charged state with the tip of the movable contact charge protrusion of the operation button, which is slidably biased in one direction.

Furthermore, the microleaf switch described in claim 3 is characterized in that the adjustment member is configured to rotate at a fixed position, thereby making it possible to adjust the contact position or distance between the movable contact portion and the fixed contact portion.

Furthermore, the microleaf switch described in claim 4 is characterized in that the adjustment member has a plurality of cam portions with stepwise different heights at which it abuts against the movable contact portion, and the contact position or distance with the fixed contact portion can be adjusted by moving the movable contact portion by rotating the adjustment member.

Furthermore, in the microleaf switch according to claim 5, the adjustment member has its own anti-rotation portion which engages with the fixed contact piece .

Furthermore, in the microleaf switch according to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the rotation prevention portion is configured with a plurality of recesses that engage with the fixed contact piece .

The composite operation switch described in claim 7 is characterized by using the above-mentioned variable operating position microleaf switch.

The composite operation switch described in claim 8 has a case, an operation button provided on the case so as to be movable forward and backward, a movable contact piece that is connected to an external connection terminal provided on the case and has a movable contact portion and is operated by the operation button, and a fixed contact piece that is connected to another external connection terminal also provided on the case and has a fixed contact portion and is provided opposite the movable contact piece, and is characterized in that an adjustment member is provided on the case that can adjust the contact position or distance between the movable contact piece and the fixed contact piece, and the adjustment member further has its own rotation prevention portion that engages with the fixed contact piece.

When configured as in claim 1, the present invention provides a microleaf switch that allows adjustment of the contact position or distance between the movable contact portion and the fixed contact portion.

In addition, when the switch is configured as in claim 2, the force exerted on the button is not applied to the movable contact and the contacts when the button is pressed. Therefore, even if the button is subjected to excessive force, such as being struck, the movable contact is only subjected to the deflected charged force, improving the durability of the contacts. In addition, since the movable spring does not reverse (snap action mechanism) as in a normal microleaf switch, the clicking sound produced when the movable spring reverses is prevented, and noise is prevented.

In addition, when the present invention is configured as in claim 3, the adjustment member can be prevented from rotating on its own due to vibrations or shocks applied to the microleaf switch from the outside, compared to a configuration in which the adjustment member can be moved in the axial direction.

Furthermore, when the present invention is configured as in claim 4, the contact position or distance between the movable contact portion and the fixed contact portion can be adjusted in multiple stages.

Furthermore, when the present invention is configured as in claim 5, it is possible to prevent the adjustment member from rotating automatically.

Furthermore, when the present invention is configured as in claim 6, the rotational position of the adjustment member at a given rotation can be stably maintained.

Furthermore, when the present invention is configured as in claim 7, the ON/OFF operating position of the control lever can be precisely adapted to the user's preferences and operating habits, improving operability and allowing for more enjoyable video games.

The present invention, when configured as in claim 8, prevents the adjustment member from rotating independently, allowing stable ON/OFF operation over a long period of time.

1 is a perspective view of a composite operation switch in which a microleaf switch according to the present invention is used. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the composite operation switch shown in FIG. 1 taken along line A-A. FIG. 2 is a layout diagram of the microleaf switch according to the present invention on a composite operation switch. 1 is a perspective view of a microleaf switch according to the present invention; FIG. 5 is a plan view of the microleaf switch shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is a side view of the microleaf switch shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the microleaf switch shown in FIG. 4. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the internal structure of the microleaf switch shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an adjustment member according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view of the adjustment member of the present invention. This is a cross-sectional view of line BB in Figure 10. FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the adjustment member of the present invention.

The following describes in detail an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a composite operation switch A in which a plurality of microleaf switches 12 of the present invention are arranged, and the switch is used in the control panel of a commercial or home video game machine (not shown). Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A in Fig. 1. The composite operation switch A is an example of an application in which the microleaf switch 12 is used, and is not limited to the one shown. The microleaf switch 12 is also used in various other switch devices and door opening/closing detection applications, as well as applications for precise position detection such as incremental encoders and initial position detection of step motors.

In Figures 1 and 2, the operating lever 11 of the composite operating switch A consists of a rod 11a and a knob ball 11b attached to the upper end of the rod 11a. This operating lever 11 is attached to the base plate 16 via an axial bearing part 11c so that it can swing in 360 degrees, starting with the directions indicated by the arrows 11g and 11h, and is configured to automatically return to the self-supporting position via a self-supporting return mechanism B using a compression spring 11f.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, each microleaf switch 12, 12, 12, 12 attached to the circuit board 14 is sandwiched between a base plate 16 and a cam plate 17 attached to the base plate 16. This sandwiching is configured so that the locking portions 16b of the four locking members 16a provided on the four sides of the base plate 16 engage with the four engagement portions 17b provided on the cam plate 17. An operation button pressing portion 11d is attached to the operation lever 11, and the microleaf switches 12, 12, 12, 12 are arranged around the operation button pressing portion 11d as shown in Fig. 3. The indicator symbol 14a shown in Fig. 1 is a connector terminal for outputting signals from each microleaf switch 12, 12, 12, 12 to an external controller, and the indicator symbol 14b shown in Fig. 3 is an insertion hole for the rod 11a of the operation lever 11.

When the player starts the game and tilts the operating lever 11 in any direction while holding the grip ball 11b, the operating button pressing part 11d presses or releases the operating buttons 15, 15, 15, 15 of the microleaf switches 12, 12, 12, 12 arranged around it, turning each of the microleaf switches 12, 12, 12, 12 on and off. The swing angle of this operating lever 11 is limited by the stopper member 11i attached to its lower end abutting against the stopper hole 17a provided in the cam plate 17, as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the microleaf switch 12 according to the present invention, in which the operation button 15 and external connection terminals 18a, 18b are provided on the case 12a so as to protrude outward. Figure 5 is a plan view of the microleaf switch 12 in Figure 4 as seen from the direction of arrow 41a, in which the operation button 15 is housed in a housing portion 12d provided on the case 12a so as to be slidable in the direction of arrow 51. Figure 6 is a side view of the microleaf switch 12 in Figure 4 as seen from the direction of arrow 41b, in which a rotating operation portion 13a (described later) is provided on the side of the case 12a opposite the operation button 15. The microleaf switch 12 is adjusted by inserting a screwdriver or the like into the flathead groove 13b provided on the rotating operation portion 13a and rotating the screwdriver in the direction of arrow 61.

The microleaf switch 12 has a case 12a and a cover 12b that covers the case 12a, as shown in Fig. 7. Inside the case 12a made of PBT, for example, there are provided a SUS coil spring 15b that biases the POM operation button 15 in a protruding direction relative to the case 12a, a flexible movable contact piece 19a and a fixed contact piece 19d, a POM adjustment member 13, and external connection terminals 18a, 18b made of silver-plated copper alloy, and these are housed inside by engaging locking members 12h, 12h (only three are shown) provided on the four sides of the PBT cover 12b with locking projections 12i, 12i (only two are shown) provided on the case 12a. A gold-plated silver movable contact portion 20a is attached by crimping to a hole portion 19c of the movable contact piece 19a, and a gold-plated silver fixed contact portion 20b is similarly attached by crimping to a hole portion 19e of the fixed contact piece 19d.

Furthermore, the tip 19b of the movable contact 19a engages with the movable contact charge protrusion 15a provided on the operation button 15, and is raised by the elasticity of the coil spring 15b, so that the movable contact 19a is deflected and charged in the warping direction. The height adjustment portion 19f provided on the fixed contact 19d contacts one of the first cam portion 13c1 to the fifth cam portion 13c5 of the cam portion 13c provided on the adjustment member 13, each of which has a different height. The click protrusion 19g provided on the other end of the fixed contact 19d engages with the engagement recess of the rotation prevention portion 13d provided on the adjustment member 13, preventing unexpected rotation during operation of the composite operation switch A.

Next, the operational relationship between the components of the microleaf switch 12 shown in the exploded perspective view of FIG. 7 will be explained using the cross-sectional view of FIG. 8. The movable contact 19a and the fixed contact 19d are connected to the external connection terminals 18b and 18a, respectively, and are incorporated in the case 12a. At this time, in order to ensure the electrical connection between the movable contact 19a and the external connection terminal 18b and the fixed contact 19d and the external connection terminal 18a, and to incorporate them into the case 12a without any backlash, the movable contact 19a and the fixed contact 19d are provided with spring portions 19h and 19i using slit grooves, as shown in FIG. 7. The movable contact 19a and the fixed contact 19d and the external connection terminals 18a and 18b are overlapped and pressed into slits 21 and 22 provided in the case 12 to crush the spring portions 19h and 19i, respectively, thereby realizing a reliable electrical connection and absorbing the backlash in the installation.

Here, the movable contact 19a engages with the movable contact charge protrusion 15a provided on the operation button 15, and is lifted by the coil spring 15b and deflected and charged in the warping direction. Therefore, under normal circumstances, the movable contact 20a and the fixed contact 20b of the movable contact 19a and the fixed contact 19d do not come into contact with each other. However, when a pressing force acts on the operation button 15 in the direction of the arrow 81, the coil spring 15b contracts, and the amount of deflection charge of the movable contact 19a decreases, so that the movable contact 20a and the fixed contact 20b come into contact with each other. As a result, the microleaf switch 12 in which the operation button 15 is pressed is turned ON. As described above, the operation button 15 is biased by the coil spring 15b in a direction that protrudes from the case 12a, but as shown in FIG. 8, the ear 15e of the operation button 15 engages with the inner shell 12c of the case 12a, so the operation button 15 does not jump out of the case 12a.

As can be seen from FIG. 8, the force applied to the operation button 15 is not directly transmitted to the movable contact 19a, but only reduces the amount of deflection charge in the warping direction of the movable contact 19a. The deflection of the movable contact 19a is only released with a time constant determined by its elastic force and the mass of the movable contact portion 20a, and even if a strong force is applied instantaneously to the operation button 15, the movable contact 19a will not be deformed by the momentum. As described above, the tip of the movable contact 19a is engaged in a deflection-charged state with the movable contact charge protrusion 15a of the operation button 15, and when the operation button 15 is pressed, this deflection charge is released and the movable contact portion 20a and the fixed contact portion 20b come into contact with each other and are turned ON, so that the microleaf switch 12 of the present invention is suitable for realizing a highly durable composite operation switch A. Furthermore, due to the above configuration, there is no clicking sound like a conventional snap action mechanism switch, and you can enjoy it with reduced noise generation.

The adjustment member 13 is accommodated in an adjustment member accommodation portion 12g provided in the case 12a so as to be rotatable in the axial direction, and has a multi-stage cam portion 13c (first cam portion 13c1 to fifth cam portion 13c5) with different heights, a rotation prevention portion 13d, and a rotation operation portion 13a, as shown in Figs. 9 and 10. Then, by rotating the fixed contact portion 20b with a screwdriver in the minus groove 13b provided in the rotation operation portion 13a, any one of the first cam portion 13c1 to fifth cam portion 13c5 selected from the multi-stage cam portion 13c comes into contact with the height adjustment portion 19f. Therefore, by changing the first cam portion 13c1 to fifth cam portion 13c5 selected by the height adjustment portion 19f by rotating the adjustment member 13, the amount of the gap between the fixed contact portion 20b in the fixed contact piece 19d and the movable contact portion 20a in the movable contact piece 19a is adjusted.

8, the click protrusion 19g on the fixed contact piece 19d engages with one of the first click recesses 13d1 to 5th click recesses 13d5 of the rotation prevention part 13d to prevent the rotation of the adjustment member 13. Since the rotation prevention part 13d has a plurality of first click recesses 13d1 to 5th click recesses 13d5 arranged in the same phase as the first cam part 13c1 to the fifth cam part 13c5 of the multi-stage cam part 13c, when the adjustment member 13 is rotated and the adjustment member 13 stops clicking, the height adjustment part 19f does not ride up on the unstable step part of the cam part 13c.

In this way, the click mechanism that inserts the click protrusion 19g into one of the first click recess 13d1 to the fifth click recess 13d5 of the rotation prevention part 13d can suppress rotational rattle around the rotation axis, which is the adjustment operation direction of the adjustment member 13, and by aligning the phases of the first cam part 13c1 to the fifth cam part 13c5 of the cam part 13c and the first click recess 13d1 to the fifth click recess 13d5, the position of the fixed contact piece 19d after adjustment is stably maintained. Furthermore, if the cam part 13c has about five stages from the first cam part 13c1 to the fifth cam part 13c5, it is possible to achieve an optimal balance that provides high adjustment resolution and also provides the riding accuracy of the height adjustment part 19f.

In addition, the click protrusion 19g biases the rotation prevention portion 13d in the direction of the arrow 81 shown in Figure 8, which reduces play in the direction of the rotation axis of the adjustment member 13, allowing for highly accurate adjustment.

The side on which each of the rotary operation units 13a, 13a, 13a, 13a is provided is located on the outside of each of the microleaf switches 12, 12, 12, 12 in FIG. 3, and is the opposite side to the side on which each of the operation buttons 15 is provided. Therefore, each of the rotary operation units 13a, 13a, 13a, 13a of the microleaf switches 12, 12, 12, 12 is exposed to the outside, making adjustment work easier.

The external connection terminals 18a and 18b are provided on different sides of the case 12a. Generally, it is easier to solder the external connection terminals to the circuit board 14 if they are provided on the same side of the case 12a. However, with such a terminal arrangement, the case 12a of the microleaf switch 12 is fixed to the circuit board 14 on only one side, resulting in a cantilevered state. In the microleaf switch 12 of the present invention, the external connection terminals 18a and 18b are provided on different sides, so that the case 12a of the microleaf switch 12 can be securely attached to the circuit board 14 and adjustment work can be performed accurately.

Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view of the adjustment member 13, and Figure 12 is a bottom view of the adjustment member 13. Figure 11 shows the cam portion 13c, which is made up of the first cam portion 13c1 to the fifth cam portion 13c5, which are of different heights. As shown in Figures 11 and 12, a rotation prevention portion 13d, which also serves as a retaining plate, is provided at the bottom of this cam portion 13c.

The adjustment member 13 is inserted into the adjustment member housing 12g provided in the case 12a in such a way that the rotation prevention portion 13d does not interfere with the adjustment member 13, and then the adjustment member 13 is twisted to form a bayonet connection in which the anti-slip receiving portion 12f, which is a rib inside the case 12a shown in FIG. 8, engages with the anti-slip receiving portion 13d. This prevents the adjustment member 13 from coming off the case 12a. Furthermore, since the click convex portion 19g presses and engages with one of the first click recess 13d1 to the fifth click recess 13d5 of the anti-slip portion 13d, the play between the anti-slip portion 13d and the anti-slip receiving portion 12f is suppressed, and the adjustment member 13 is stored without play in the adjustment member housing 12g provided in the case 12a. In addition, the multiple circular engravings with different diameters provided on the rotation operation portion 13a in FIG. 12 are aligned in phase with the engravings and the click rotation positions, and the rotation adjustment by the adjustment member 13 can be performed smoothly by using the engraving positions as a guide.

By making the above simple adjustments, the contact position or spacing between the movable contact portion 20a and the fixed contact portion 20b can be adjusted, and natural rotation of the adjustment member 13 caused by long-term use of the composite operation switch A can be prevented.

By providing an adjustment member 13 on the case 12a of the microleaf switch 12 in this way, it is possible to adjust the relationship between the amount of depression of the operation button 15 and the output of the microleaf switch 12.

The microleaf switch of the present invention can be used to adjust the contact position or distance between the movable contact portion of the movable contact piece and the fixed contact portion of the fixed contact piece with an adjustment member, making it suitable for use as a microleaf switch that can perform stable ON/OFF operations even during assembly or after years of use.

Furthermore, a composite operation switch for a video game machine, for example, using a microleaf switch with the above configuration, can be incorporated into the operation panel and then its operating position can be adjusted, providing a composite operation switch that can precisely accommodate the user's preferences and operating habits.

Furthermore, since there is no reversing action of the movable spring (snap action mechanism) as in conventional microleaf switches, the clicking sound that occurs when the movable spring reverses is prevented, thereby preventing the generation of noise.

A composite operation switch 11 Operation lever 11a Rod 11b Grip ball 11c Axial bearing portion 11d Operation button pressing portion 12 Operation position variable microleaf switch (microleaf switch)
12a Case 12b Cover 13 Adjustment member 13a Rotation operation portion 13b Minus groove 13d Rotation prevention portion 15a Movable contact piece charge projection 15b Coil spring 18a External connection terminal 18b External connection terminal 19a Movable contact piece 19d Fixed contact piece 20a Movable contact portion 20b Fixed contact portion

Claims (8)

A variable operating position microleaf switch having a case, an operating button provided on the case so as to be movable forward and backward, a movable contact piece that is connected to an external connection terminal provided on the case and has a movable contact portion and is operated by the operating button, and a fixed contact piece that is connected to another external connection terminal also provided on the case and has a fixed contact portion and is provided opposite the movable contact piece, characterized in that an adjustment member is provided on the case to adjust the contact position or distance between the movable contact piece and the fixed contact piece. The variable operating position microleaf switch according to claim 1, characterized in that the movable contact is engaged in a flexibly charged state with the movable contact charge protrusion of the operation button, the tip of which is slidably biased in one direction. 2. The variable operating position microleaf switch according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment member adjusts the contact position or the gap between the movable contact portion and the fixed contact portion by rotating at a fixed position. The operating position variable microleaf switch according to claim 1, characterized in that the adjustment member has a plurality of cam portions of differing heights at which it contacts the movable contact portion, and the contact position or spacing with the fixed contact portion is adjusted by rotating the adjustment member to move the movable contact portion. The variable operating position microleaf switch according to claim 1, characterized in that the adjustment member further has its own anti-rotation portion that engages with the fixed contact piece. The variable operating position microleaf switch according to claim 5, characterized in that the rotation prevention portion is composed of a plurality of recesses that engage with the fixed contact piece. A composite operation switch characterized by using the variable operating position microleaf switch described in claim 1. A compound operation switch having a case, an operating button provided on the case so as to be movable forward and backward, a movable contact piece that is connected to an external connection terminal provided on the case and has a movable contact portion and is operated by the operating button, and a fixed contact piece that is connected to another external connection terminal also provided on the case and has a fixed contact portion and is provided opposite the movable contact piece, wherein an adjustment member is provided on the case to adjust the contact position or distance between the movable contact piece and the fixed contact piece, and the adjustment member further has its own rotation prevention portion that engages with the fixed contact piece.

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