JP3043045U - Foot switch - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To provide a highly reliable foot switch that is thin and can open and close contacts reliably even if the operation stroke is short, and that damage is unlikely to occur. SOLUTION: A micro switch 12 in which a lever 12a swings along a component mounting surface between a base portion 4 on which a component is placed and an operation pedal 6 to which a stepping operation is applied, and an open end of the base portion 4 are provided. A cantilever spring 14 supported so as to swing in the vertical direction (displacement direction of the operation pedal 6) at substantially the center is housed. An annular contact portion 14b provided at the open end of the cantilever spring 14 has a lower arc-shaped surface (contact surface) contacting the lever 12a and an upper portion contacting the operation pedal 6. . When the operation pedal 6 is operated, the contact portion 14b is displaced downward, and the lever 12a slides along the contact surface of the contact portion 14b in the direction of pressing the push button 12b, whereby the contact point of the microswitch 12 is changed. To be closed. Therefore, the cantilever spring 14 is not subject to large deformation.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

[Technical field to which the invention belongs]

 The present invention relates to a thin foot switch.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 2. Description of the Related Art A foot switch for performing an on / off operation with a foot has been conventionally known so that an electric device can be operated even by manual work. In recent years, it has been considered to apply such a foot switch to, for example, a kitchen at home, and in particular, since the work is performed while standing in the kitchen, it is necessary to keep the heels on the floor with the feet. The foot switch is required to be thin and operate reliably even if the operation stroke is short so that the operation can be performed.

To realize this requirement, as shown in, for example, FIGS. 6A and 6B, a space for accommodating the switch main body and the like between the base portion 104 to which the switch main body and the like are attached and the base portion 104. There is known a foot switch 102 that includes an operation pedal 106 that is formed so as to be displaceable in a direction toward and away from a base 104 (hereinafter, referred to as a vertical direction).

In the foot switch 102, a well-known hinge lever type micro switch 112 is used as a switch body. In order to configure the foot switch 102 as a whole with a thin shape, the micro switch 112 is laid down, that is, turned on / off. A lever 112a for operating is arranged so as to be displaced in a direction along the mounting surface 104a of the microswitch 112 (hereinafter, referred to as a horizontal direction). In other words, since the displacement direction (vertical direction) of the operation pedal 106 and the operation direction (horizontal direction) of the lever 112a do not match, it is not possible to directly operate the lever 112a by the operation pedal 106, and the operation between the two is not possible. A means for converting and transmitting (displacement) is required.

Therefore, here, a leaf spring 114 having a triangular cross section is used. That is, as shown in FIGS. 6C and 6D, when the leaf spring 114 is pressed downward by the operation of the operation pedal 106, the leaf spring 114 elastically deforms and moves horizontally. It extends and contacts the lever 112a of the microswitch 112, and the lever 112a is operated.

[0006]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 However, in this foot switch 102, the folded portions A and B of the leaf spring 114 are forced to undergo a relatively large deformation each time the operating pedal 106 is operated, and therefore, when repeatedly used, the folded portion is caused by metal fatigue. There was a problem that A and B would be damaged.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a highly reliable foot switch that is thin and can open and close contacts reliably even if the operation stroke is short, and is resistant to breakage. The purpose is to

[0008]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is a switch main body having a movable portion which is displaced in a predetermined direction to open and close a contact, and the switch main body is attached to the switch main body. A base for mounting the movable part along the mounting surface, and a space for accommodating the switch body between the base, and when an external force is applied to the mounting surface of the base. A foot switch comprising: an operation pedal that displaces in the approaching direction; and an operation transmission portion that displaces together with the operation pedal and abuts on a movable portion of the switch body to displace the movable portion. , The fixed end is supported by the base, the open end is a cantilever spring that can swing substantially along the displacement direction of the operation pedal, and the open end has the operation pedal and the flexible spring. Part both abutting the abutment portion provided on the, and the contact surface between the movable part of the abutting portion front Symbol movable part, characterized by comprising forming a slidable shape.

In the foot switch according to claim 1 configured as described above, the operation pedal is operated by an external force, and the operation pedal is displaced in a direction approaching the mounting surface of the base portion to which the switch body is mounted. Then, the contact portion of the operation transmission portion provided so as to come into contact with the operation pedal is displaced, and further, the movable portion of the switch body that slides along the contact surface of the contact portion becomes the switch body. The contacts of the switch body are opened and closed by moving in the direction along the mounting surface of.

Note that the slidable shape of the contact surface may be, for example, an arc shape or an elliptic arc shape, or may be a simple plane inclined. As described above, in the foot switch according to the present invention, the movable portion of the switch body can be slid along the contact surface by utilizing the shape of the contact surface of the contact portion provided in the operation transmitting portion. Thus, the displacement direction of the operation pedal is converted into the operation direction of the movable part that opens and closes the contact of the switch body.

Therefore, according to the foot switch of the present invention, the operation transmitting portion is not subjected to large elastic deformation as in the conventional device, so that the operation transmitting portion is less likely to be damaged due to metal fatigue, and the operation transmitting portion of the device is less likely to be damaged. The reliability can be improved. Further, according to the foot switch of the present invention, since the operation transmitting portion is supported by the base portion, the contact between the movable portion of the switch body and the contact portion of the operation transmitting portion does not depend on the operation state of the operation pedal. The state is always stable, and the reliability of the device can be further improved.

Next, the invention according to claim 2 is the foot switch according to claim 1, wherein the operation transmission portion is arranged such that the contact portion is located substantially in the center of the operation pedal. It is characterized by With the foot switch of the present invention thus configured, when operating the operation pedal, substantially the same reaction to the applied operation is exhibited at a symmetrical point when viewed from the center of the operation pedal. Therefore, usability is improved.

That is, since the operation pedal has a two-dimensional spread rather than a single point, the manner of displacement at the operation transmission unit differs depending on the point at which the operation pedal is operated (force is applied). The amount of operation required to connect and disconnect the contacts of the main unit changes, but if the abutment part of the operation transmission part is located at approximately the center of the operation pedal, at least when viewed from the center of the operation pedal, for example. The amount of operation required to turn on the switch does not differ between points that are the same distance above and below.

Next, a device according to a third aspect is the foot switch according to the first or the second aspect, wherein the operation transmitting portion is formed of an elastically deformable wire, and the abutting portion is formed of the wire rod. It is characterized in that the end of the wire is formed into a ring shape.

As described above, in the foot switch of the present invention, since the wire material that can be easily processed is used, it is possible to easily configure a highly accurate operation transmission portion, and even if the operation stroke is small, the contact point of the switch body can be surely secured. It can be opened and closed. Further, in the present invention, the contact portion is formed by molding the wire into a ring shape, that is, since the contact surface of the switch body with the movable portion is formed into an arc shape, the operation pedal is displaced. When this is done, the movable part can be slid smoothly according to this.

Next, a device according to a fourth aspect is the foot switch according to the third aspect, wherein the base portion is provided with a protrusion at a position where the fixed end of the operation transmission portion is disposed, It is characterized in that the fixed end of the transmission part is formed in a shape that fits with the projection.

According to the foot switch of the present invention constructed as described above, the operation transmitting portion is fixed to the base portion only by fitting the fixed end of the operation transmitting portion to the protrusion formed on the base portion. The number of parts can be reduced because a special fixing member such as a screw is not needed for fixing.

By the way, if the operation transmission portion has a sufficiently large elastic force, the operation pedal is returned to its original position by the elastic force of the operation transmission portion after the operation on the operation pedal is released. It is possible to return the movable part of the switch body to its original position, but the elastic force of the operation transmission part is insufficient, or the elasticity deteriorates due to repeated use. In this case, it may not be possible to return these operating pedals and movable parts to their original positions.

Therefore, the invention according to claim 5 is the foot switch according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the operation pedal is separated from the base portion between the base portion and the operation pedal. It is characterized in that a biasing member for biasing in the direction is provided.

According to the foot switch of the present invention thus configured, the movable portion of the switch body can be reliably returned to the original position by the urging member after the operation of the operation pedal is released. The reliability of the device can be further improved.

[0021]

[Embodiment of the invention]

 Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 2A and 2B are views showing the appearance of the foot switch of this embodiment, FIG. 2A is a plan view, FIG. 2B is a front view, and FIG. 2C is a right side view.

As shown in FIG. 2, the foot switch 2 of the present embodiment is formed in an octagonal shape, and has a base 4 for accommodating parts such as a micro switch 12 (see FIG. 1) described later and the same as the base 4. Operation pedal 6 that is formed in an octagonal shape and is displaceably attached to the base 4, a non-slip rubber plate 8 attached to the back surface of the base 4 (the surface that contacts the floor), and the base 4 And a cable 10 formed by bundling three signal lines for taking out the signal of the micro switch 12 housed in.

Here, FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an internal configuration of the foot switch 2 of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, a partition frame 5 is provided on the surface of the base portion 4 so as to partition a space for storing components. The partition frame 5 has a cable 10 in a space defined by the partition frame 5. A notch 5a for drawing in is formed. Further, on the outer wall of the partition frame 5, grooves 5b are formed every other one of the eight outer walls.

On the other hand, in the operation pedal 6, when the operation pedal 6 is attached to the base portion 4, a notch 6 a for pulling in the cable 10 is formed in a portion facing the notch 5 a of the partition frame 5 like the base portion 4. In addition, an engaging projection 6b is formed at a portion facing the groove 5b so as to prevent the operation pedal 6 from falling off the base 4 by engaging with the edge of the groove 5b.

The vertical width of the groove 5b formed in the partition frame 5 of the base 4 is wider than the vertical width of the engaging projection 6b formed on the operation pedal 6, and the operation mounted on the base 4 The pedal 6 is configured to be vertically displaceable with respect to the base 4 by the difference between the vertical widths. This displacement width is the operation stroke of the foot switch 2.

The foot switch 2 swings vertically in the space partitioned by the partition frame 5 with the micro switch 12 connected to the signal line of the cable 10 and the open end approximately at the center of the base 4. A cantilever spring 14 movably supported and a coil spring 16 for urging the operation pedal 6 attached to the base portion 4 in a direction in which a gap between the base portion 4 and the operation pedal 6 widens.

A protrusion (not shown) that fits into the mounting hole 12 d formed in the micro switch 12 and a protrusion 20 that fits into the coil spring 16 are formed on the surface of the base portion 4. The switch 12 and the coil spring 16 are attached to the base 4 via these protrusions 20 without using screws. Further, on the surface of the base portion 4, projections 22 and 24 for wiring the cable 10 along the partition frame 5 are further formed. In particular, the projection 24 is also used to support the cantilever spring 14. Has been.

Here, the micro switch 12 as a switch main body has a lever 12a whose one end is swingably attached to a main body having a built-in contact via a hinge, and a lever 12a arranged near the hinge and operated by the lever 12a. This is a hinge lever type knowledge (see Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS): C4505) equipped with a push button 12b for opening and closing a contact by means of the above, and a terminal 12c for taking out a signal. Since the micro switch 12 of this embodiment is a bipolar type, it has three terminals 12c. Since the micro switch 12 has a thin foot switch 2, the micro switch 12 does not make the swinging direction of the lever 12a coincide with the displacement direction of the operation pedal 6, and the lever along the component mounting surface of the base portion 4. 12a is attached to the base 4 in a lying state so that the 12a swings.

As shown in FIG. 3, the cantilever spring 14 is formed by forming a wire having a thickness of 1 mm, and is provided with a linearly formed arm portion 14 a, and the wire portion is provided at one end of the arm portion 14 a. Is provided in an annular shape (4 turns in this embodiment), and the other end is formed in a quadrangular loop shape so that it can be inserted into the protrusion 24. The fixed portion 14c is provided. Further, when the cantilever 14 is fixed to the base 4 by inserting the loop of the fixing portion 14c into the protrusion 24, the extra length portion 14d for stabilizing the fixed state is the wire of the wire forming the fixing portion 14c. It is provided by utilizing the edge. Further, the tip portion of the extra length portion 14d is bent along the partition frame 5 so as not to damage the cable 10 drawn into the base portion 4 (see FIG. 1). 3A is a front view of the cantilever spring 14, FIG. 3B is a plan view thereof, and FIG. 3C is a right side view thereof.

Here, FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the foot switch 2 configured as described above, and FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b) show a case where the operation pedal 6 is not operated (c ) (D) shows the case where the operation pedal 6 is operated. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, in the cantilever spring 14 attached to the base portion 4, the arc-shaped surface (contact surface) of the lower portion of the contact portion 14b is located above the lever 12a. The abutting portion 14b is in contact with the lower surface of the operation pedal 6 attached to the base portion 4.

When the operation pedal 6 is stepped on from this state and the operation pedal 6 is displaced downward against the biasing force of the coil spring 16, the contact portion of the cantilever spring 14 that is in contact with the operation pedal 6 is also moved. 14b is displaced downward. Then, as shown in FIGS. 4C and 4B, the lever 12a of the microswitch 12 slides along the arcuate contact surface of the contact portion 14b in the direction of pressing the push button 12b, and As a result, the contacts of the microswitch 12 are closed.

After that, when the depression of the operation pedal 6 is released, the operation pedal 6 is displaced upward by the urging force of the coil spring 16, and at the same time, the contact portion 14b is moved by the elastic force of the cantilever spring 14 itself. Displaces upward. As a result, the lever 12a of the micro switch 12 is pushed back to the push button 12b, the operation pedal 6, the contact portion 14b, the lever 12a, and the push button 12b are all returned to their original positions, and the contacts of the micro switch 12 are opened. To be done.

As described above, according to the foot switch 2 of the present embodiment, the lever 12a is slid by utilizing the shape of the contact surface of the contact portion 14b of the cantilever spring 14 for operation. Since the displacement of the pedal 6 is transmitted to the micro switch 12, the cantilever spring 14 is not subject to large deformation. As a result, damage due to metal fatigue is less likely to occur even after repeated use, and the reliability of the device can be improved.

Further, since the cantilever spring 14 is composed of a wire that can be easily processed, the positional relationship between the contact portion 14b and the lever 12a can be set with high accuracy, and as described above, it can be used repeatedly. Since the deterioration of the elastic force of the cantilever spring 14 due to this is small, even if the stroke of the operation pedal 6 is short, the contacts of the micro switch 12 can be reliably opened and closed for a long period of time.

Further, in the foot switch 2 of the present embodiment, the micro switch 12 has its mounting hole 12d fitted to the protrusion provided on the base portion 4, and the coil spring 16 itself is also provided with the base portion 4. Further, the cantilever spring 14 is attached to the base portion 4 by inserting the loop of the fixing portion 14c into the protrusion 24 by fitting it with the protrusion 20 that is provided on the partition 20. The frame 5 and the projections 22 and 24 are arranged at predetermined positions. The operation pedal 6 is attached to the base 4 by loosely fitting the engaging projection 6b into the groove 5b of the partition frame 5.

Therefore, according to the foot switch 2 of the present embodiment, it is possible to assemble without using fixing parts such as screws, and as a result, the assembling work is facilitated and the number of parts required for the assembling is reduced. Therefore, the device can be manufactured at low cost. Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and can be implemented in various modes.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the octagonal operation pedal 6 having the same size as the base 4 is used. However, instead of the octagonal operation pedal 6, as shown in FIG. A larger rectangular operating pedal 36 may be used. 5A is a plan view showing the appearance of the foot switch 32 using the rectangular operation pedal 36, FIG. 5B is its front view, and FIG. 5C is its right side view. 2, the connector 38 is attached to the tip of the cable 10.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the coil spring 16 is used to urge the operation pedal 6 in the direction of pulling it away from the base portion 4. However, if the cantilever spring 14 provides sufficient urging force, The coil spring 16 may be omitted. Further, in this embodiment, the contact portion 14b of the cantilever spring 14 is formed in an annular shape so that the contact surface with the lever 12a of the microswitch 12 is formed in an arc shape. The contact portion 14b and the lever 12a may be formed as flat planes inclined with respect to the displacement directions.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an internal configuration of a foot switch according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a trihedral view showing the appearance of the foot switch of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a trihedral view showing the structure of a spring material.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing the operation of a spring material.

FIG. 5 is a trihedral view showing the appearance of a modified example of the foot switch of the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration and operation of a conventional device.

[Explanation of symbols]

2, 32 ... Foot switch 4 ... Base 5
… Partition frame 6,36… Operating pedal 8… Rubber plate 10
… Cable 12… Micro switch 12a… Lever 1
2b ... push button 14 ... cantilever spring 14b ... contact part 1
6 ... Coil spring 20, 22, 24 ... Protrusion 38 ... Connector

Claims (5)

[Utility model registration claims] 1. A switch main body provided with a movable part which is displaced in a predetermined direction to open and close a contact, and the switch main body is attached so that the movable part moves along an attachment surface to which the switch main body is attached. And a base for forming a space for accommodating the switch body between the base and the operating pedal, which is displaced in a direction approaching the mounting surface of the base when an external force is applied, and the operating pedal. A foot switch comprising: an operation transmission part that abuts on a movable part of the switch body to displace the movable part, wherein the operation transmission part has a fixed end supported by the base part and an open end for the operation. It consists of a cantilever spring that can swing along the displacement direction of the pedal.
Moreover, a contact portion that contacts both the operation pedal and the movable portion is provided at the open end, and the contact surface of the corresponding contact portion with the movable portion is formed in a shape that allows the movable portion to slide. A foot switch characterized by becoming. 2. The foot switch according to claim 1, wherein the operation transmission portion is arranged such that the contact portion is located substantially in the center of the operation pedal. 3. The foot switch according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the operation transmission portion is formed of an elastically deformable wire rod, and the abutting portion forms an end portion of the wire rod in a ring shape. A foot switch characterized by being configured as described above. 4. The foot switch according to claim 3, wherein the base portion is provided with a protrusion at a position where the fixed end of the operation transmission portion is disposed, and the fixed end of the operation transmission portion is formed with the protrusion. A foot switch characterized by being shaped to fit. 5. The foot switch according to claim 1, further comprising a biasing member that biases the operation pedal in a direction in which the operation pedal is separated from the base, between the base and the operation pedal. A foot switch characterized by being provided.