JP3128431B2 - Operation device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an operating device provided in a vehicle-mounted audio device or the like, which prevents light for illumination from leaking from the outer periphery of an operating member for pressing a switch,
Further, the present invention relates to an operation device capable of effectively illuminating an operation member.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional operating device provided in a vehicle-mounted acoustic device. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a circuit board, which is fixed inside a nose (operation plate) 4 provided as a decorative part on the front surface of the audio equipment main body. Electronic components such as switches 2 and 2 for executing various operations of the audio equipment and a light source 5 for nighttime illumination are mounted on the substrate 1. The switches 2, 2 operate when the movable parts 2a, 2a are pressed. The operation member 3 is inserted into the hole 4a of the nose portion 4. This operating member 3 is a fulcrum 3 at the center.
a is oscillatingly supported by the nose portion 4.
On the back surface of the operating member 3, pressing portions 3b, 3b are formed at positions sandwiching the fulcrum 3a, and the pressing portions 3b, 3b
As a result, the movable parts 2a, 2a of the switches 2, 2 are pressed.

A light guide member 6 formed of a light guide material such as a transparent resin material is provided between the substrate 1 and the nose portion 4, and the light source 5 is provided with a concave portion 6 formed in the light guide member 6.
a. Light emitted from the light source 5 is guided by the light guide member 6 and provided to the back surface of the operation member 3. In FIG. 5, the light source 5 is located on the back side of the operation member 3. However, usually, the light source 5 is provided at a position away from the operation member 3, and the light from the light source 5 is guided to the light guide member 6. To the operating member 3. The operation member 3 is partially or entirely formed of a transparent or translucent resin material. As shown in FIG. 6, on the surface of the operation member 3, a display unit S for displaying operation types such as characters and symbols is provided. For example, paint or plating such as white appears on the display unit S (parts such as characters), and the surface of the operation member 3 other than the display unit S is covered with paint or plating such as black.
When the light from the light source 5 is guided to the light guide member 6 and irradiated on the back surface of the operation member 3, when viewed from the front of the nose portion 4,
The characters and symbols on the display unit S are illuminated, so that the type of the operation member 3 can be easily checked at night.

[0004]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional operating device, since the light guide member 6 is disposed inside the operating member 3, a gap (a) between the periphery of the operating member 3 and the nose portion 4 is required. ) Has a problem that light easily leaks to the outside. In particular, in the case of the operating member 3 which swings as shown in FIG. 5, the swinging operation of the operating member 3 is allowed between the outer periphery of the operating member 3 and the inner circumferential surface of the hole 4a of the nose portion 4. Since a gap (a) as wide as possible is formed, light emitted from the light guide member 6 or light emitted from the light source 5 leaks out of the nose section 4 from the gap (a), causing the nose section 4 to pass through at night. When viewed from the outside, unnatural light is emitted from the outer periphery of the operation member 3 to impair the appearance. Therefore, conventionally, the operating member 3
A light-shielding cushion material 7 such as rubber or resin is provided on the back side of the light-shielding cushion material 7 so that the light-shielding cushion material 7 bends when the operation member 3 swings.

However, since the light-shielding cushion member 7 is formed of a soft material such as rubber or a soft resin material, when the operation member 3 swings, it is fitted into the gap (a), or 3 has a disadvantage that it is broken by the back corner. Further, in the assembling work, it is necessary to adhere the light-shielding cushion material 7 to the back surface of the nose part 4, and there is a disadvantage that the number of working steps increases. Also, as shown in FIG.
When the switch 2 and the light guide member 6 are provided adjacent to each other inside the operation member 3, the space in which the light guide member 6 can be arranged becomes smaller, and the area of the surface 6 b of the light guide member 6 facing the operation member 3 becomes smaller. . Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, the area of the opposing surface 6b of the light guide member 3 is smaller than the area of the display portion S where the characters and symbols are formed, and the light given to the operation member 3 is L at the central portion. It becomes strong in the range shown and weakens as it goes around it. Therefore, it is impossible to uniformly illuminate the entire characters and symbols on the display unit S.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and it is possible to prevent light from leaking from the outer periphery of an operation member without adding a new part, and to provide a display portion formed on the operation member. It is an object of the present invention to provide an operating device capable of effectively lighting.

[0007]

According to the present invention, there is provided a switch having an operation member supported on an operation plate so as to be capable of being pressed and having a movable portion inside the operation plate which is pressed by the operation member.
In the operating device, in which a light guide member for providing light from the light source to the operating member is disposed, the operating plate is integrally formed with a light shielding plate that covers a gap between the operating member and the operating plate from inside. The plate is provided with a hole into which the movable portion is inserted.

In this case, the operating member includes a member that swings and operates to press the movable portion of one switch, and a member that slides linearly by the pressing operation. The light shielding plate is provided outside the region where the light guide member faces the operation member, and the light shielding plate covers a gap between the operation member and the operation plate from inside the operation plate.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a pair of operating members are provided on the operating plate, the operating members being oscillated about the center as a fulcrum, and having a movable portion inside the operating plate pressed by a portion of the operating member sandwiching the fulcrum. And a light guide member for providing light from the light source to the operation member, wherein the light guide member faces the operation member in the middle of both switches, and the operation plate has an operation member. A light-shielding plate extending between the switch and the switch is integrally formed, and a hole for inserting the movable portion is formed in the light-shielding plate.

[0010] In this case, the light-shielding plate is connected to the operating member at least at both ends on the swinging side of the operating member (both ends in the arrangement direction of the pair of switches) in a portion other than the region where the light guide member faces the operating member. The gap with the plate is covered with the light shielding plate from the inside of the operation plate.

In the above two means, the movable portion of the switch has a shape having a step on its outer periphery, and an uneven portion along the step is formed on the inner periphery of a hole formed in the light shielding plate. it can.

In each of the above means, the hole formed in the light shielding plate surrounds the entire periphery of the movable portion of the switch or at least a part of the periphery of the movable portion. That is, at least a part of the movable portion of the switch is inserted into a hole formed in the light shielding plate.

Further, in each of the above means, it is preferable that a concave or convex lens surface facing the operation member is formed on the light guide member.

[0014]

In the above means, a light guide member is provided at a position adjacent to the switch pressed by the operation member,
The light from the light guide member easily leaks to the outside from the gap between the outer periphery of the operation member and the operation plate via the arrangement area of the switch. However, since the light-shielding plate is provided on the operation plate, and the movable portion of the switch is inserted into the hole formed in the light-shielding plate, light hardly leaks from the periphery of the movable portion of the switch toward the operation plate, and the outer periphery of the operation member Light hardly leaks to the outside through a gap between the control panel and the operation plate. Further, since the light-shielding plate is formed integrally with the operation plate, there is no need to provide a separate component for shielding light, so that the number of components and the number of assembly steps can be reduced.

In particular, the operating member swings around the central portion, the movable portions of the pair of switches are pushed by a portion sandwiching the fulcrum of the operating member, and a light guide member is provided between the two switches. In this case, the gap between the operation member and the operation plate at both ends on the swinging side of the operation member (both ends in the arrangement direction of the pair of switches) becomes slightly larger and light is likely to leak, but opposes both right end portions of the operation member. Since the movable part of each switch is inserted into the hole of the light-shielding plate, it is difficult for light to reach the gap, and light leakage can be effectively prevented.

In the case where the movable portion of the switch has a shape having a step around it, if the shape of the hole of the light-shielding plate is made to be uneven along the step, the gap between the movable portion and the light-shielding plate at the stepped portion is formed. Light leakage from between can be prevented.

Further, since the light guide member and the switch are provided adjacent to the inside of the operation member, the area of the opposing surface of the light guide member facing the operation member is restricted, and the operation member is moved from the opposing surface to the operation member. Light cannot be given effectively. Therefore, if the opposing surface of the light guide member having this limited area is a concave (concave spherical surface or concave cylindrical shape) lens surface, the light supplied from the light guide member to the operation member is diffused and the illumination area for the operation member is diffused. Is spread, and the display unit provided on the operation member can be uniformly illuminated.

Conversely, if the facing surface is a convex (convex spherical or convex cylindrical) lens surface, it is possible to converge light applied to the operating member, and to provide a display section formed on the operating member. When the area is small, the small display unit can be effectively illuminated. That is, when the light guide member and the switch are adjacent to the inside of the operation member, a space is taken away by the switch, and the cross-sectional area of the light guide member reaching the portion facing the operation member is reduced, and is provided to the operation member. The amount of light decreases. Therefore, by converging and giving light to the operation member by the convex lens surface, the display section of the operation member can be effectively illuminated with a small amount of light.

[0019]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an operating device mounted on a nose portion of an on-vehicle audio device as viewed from the inside of the device, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a partial front view of the operation member viewed from the front side. Symbol 30
Is a nose portion (decorative portion) of the on-vehicle audio equipment, and is formed of a resin material. The nose portion 30 is provided with an operation plate 31 on which an oscillating operation member 40 and other operation members are arranged. Further, a liquid crystal display panel and the like are arranged in the nose portion 30, and an insertion opening for a cassette tape, a disk, or the like is opened.

The printed circuit board 11 is disposed at a predetermined interval inside the operation plate 31, and the operation plate 31 and the circuit board 11 are fixed to each other by a spacer or the like.
On the circuit board 11, a pair of switches 12, 12 are mounted and fixed by means such as soldering. Switch 12
A movable part 13 having a large operation stroke is provided on the main body 12a so as to be able to advance and retreat, and the movable part 13 is urged in a protruding direction by a spring inside the switch main body 12a.
As shown in FIG. 4, the front shape of the movable portion 13 is a peripheral surface uneven shape in which a convex portion 13 a and a concave portion 13 b are formed at equal intervals around a step 13 c. That is, the movable part 13
The shape is such that a plurality of radial projections 13a are formed around the periphery.

A light source 14 is mounted on the circuit board 11 at a position adjacent to the switch 12. This light source 1
Reference numeral 4 denotes a lamp in which a translucent cover colored orange or green is covered, or a colored light emitting diode. The light guide member 20 is provided between the circuit board 11 and the operation plate 31. The light guide member 20 is formed of a light guide material such as a transparent or translucent resin material. The main body 21 of the light guide member 20 includes the switches 12, 1
The second body 12 a extends to a wide area between the operation plate 31 and the circuit board 11 in a portion other than the area where the main bodies 12 a are mounted. As shown in FIG. 3, a concave portion 21a is formed in the main body 21 of the light guide member 20, and the light source 14 is inserted into the concave portion 21a.

A light guide 22 extends from the main body 21 of the light guide member 20, and as shown in FIGS. It extends between the bodies 12a and 12a. Switch body 12
Since a and 12a are relatively large, the width W of the light guide 22 extending between the switches 12 is relatively small, as shown in FIG. Further, as shown in FIG.
A reflecting surface 22a is formed which extends at an angle of degrees in the direction of the operation plate 31. As shown in FIG. 3, the connection between the main body 21 and the light guide 22 of the light guide member 20 has a height dimension H.
Is small, and therefore the cross-sectional area (H ×
W) is small.

The leading end of the light guide 22 of the light guide 21 is
The illuminating portion 23 has a gradually increasing cross-sectional area. The distal end surface of the illuminating portion 23 is a facing surface 23a facing the operation member 40 from the inner surface side. The illuminating section 23 is located above the main body 12a of the switch 12 and in the middle of the movable sections 13, 13.
13 and 13 can be secured in a larger area than the light guide 22. In this embodiment, the facing surface 23a is a concave lens surface having a concave spherical surface. The operation plate 31
(Recess) 31 in which the operating member 40 is installed
a is formed. In the part viewed from the III-III section shown in FIG.
The side walls 32, 32 extending in the direction are formed, and the side walls 32, 3 are formed.
Light-shielding plates 33, 33 extending in the horizontal direction in FIG. Resiliently deformable support arms 34, 34 extending toward the surface of the operation plate 31 are integrally formed from the distal ends of the light shielding plates 33, 33, and fulcrum projections 34a, 3 are provided at the distal ends of the support arms 34, 34.
4a are formed.

As shown in FIG. 1, fulcrum holes 41 are formed in the center of both sides of the operation member 40. Operation plate 3
When the operation member 40 is inserted into the hole 31a from the front surface side of the first member 1, the support arms 34, 34 are once bent inward by elastic deformation, and the fulcrum projections 34a, 34a are moved to the fulcrum hole 4 of the operation member 40.
1, 41 are fitted. Therefore, the operating member 40 is provided with the fulcrum 3
The pivoting operation of the fitting portions of the supporting holes 4a, 34a and the fulcrum holes 41, 41 can swing around the center as a fulcrum, and the operating member 40 is supported by the operating plate 31 so as to be able to press freely. As shown in FIG. 3, between the side surfaces in the direction orthogonal to the swing direction of the operation member 40 (both sides in the direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the switches 12, 12) and the side walls 32, 32. Although a small gap (b) and (b) is formed in the gap, the inside of the gap (b) and (b) is covered with the light shielding plates 33 and 33.

On the back surface of the operating member 40, a pair of pressing portions 42, 42 is formed so as to protrude at positions sandwiching the pivot point.
When the operation member 40 is swingably attached to the operation plate 31, the pressing portions 42, 42 are switched to the switches 12, 1, respectively.
2 abuts against the end surfaces of the movable parts 13, 13. Pressing part 4
2 and 42 are in contact with the front end surfaces of the movable portions 13 and 13 without gaps. The movable parts 13 and 13 include a switch body 12a,
Since the two movable portions 13 are in close contact with the pressing portions 42 of the operating member 40 at positions sandwiching the fulcrum, the operation is performed because the movable portions 13 are urged in the protruding direction by a spring provided in the inside 12a. The member 40 is maintained in the neutral position shown by the solid line in FIG.

In the section taken along the line II-II in FIG. 1 shown in FIG.
0, a side wall 35 extending in the direction of the circuit board 11 from a position facing both ends on the swing side (both ends in the switch arrangement direction),
2 are formed integrally with each other.
The light shielding plates 36, 36 extending in the horizontal direction in the figure are integrally formed. Both ends of the operation member 40 on the swing side and the operation plate 3
The gaps (c) and (c) with 1 are covered by the light shielding plates 36, 36 from the inside. Holes (or notches) 37, 37 are formed in the edges of the light shielding plates 36, 36,
The movable parts 13 and 13 of the switches 12 and 12
7, 37. As shown in FIG.
The inner peripheral portion of each of the movable portions 13 and 37 has a shape that matches or is similar to the outer peripheral shape of the movable portion 13. That is, in the inner periphery of the hole 37, the concave portion 37a corresponding to the convex portion 13a of the movable portion 13 is provided.
And the convex portion 37b corresponding to the concave portion 13b of the movable portion 13 are formed alternately. That is, the inner periphery of the holes 37, 37 has an uneven shape along the step on the outer periphery of the movable portion 13. Therefore, the gap between the movable part 13 and the light shielding plate 36 is minimized.

The operation member 40 is partially or entirely formed of a transparent or translucent resin material. As shown in FIG. 4, on the surface of the operation member 40, a display unit S for displaying operation types such as characters and symbols is provided. For example, paint or plating such as white appears on the display unit S (parts such as characters), and the surface of the operation member 40 other than the display unit S is covered with paint or plating such as black. FIG.
The opposing surface 23a of the light guide member 20 shown in FIG. 2 faces the back surface of the operation member 40 at the portion where the display portion S is formed.

Next, the operation of the operating device having the above configuration will be described. In this operating device, when one end of the surface of the operating member 40 is pressed with a finger, the operating member 40 swings as shown by a broken line in FIG. 2 with a fitting portion between the fulcrum projection 34a and the fulcrum hole 41 as a fulcrum. . At this time, the movable portion 13 is pressed by the one pressing portion 42, and the switch 12 is operated. A gap (b) and a gap (c) between the operation member 40 and the operation plate 31 are formed on the outer periphery of the operation member 40. As shown in FIG. 2, a gap (c) is provided between the both ends of the operation member 40 on the swing side and the operation plate 31 to allow the operation member 40 to swing. Further, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, since the bottom portions 40a at both ends in the swing direction of the operation member 40 are lifted and moved to near the surface of the operation plate 31 at the time of swinging, the right side in the drawing when the operation member 40 is pressed. Light easily leaks from the gap (c).

However, the inside of each of the gaps (c) and (c) is covered by the light shielding plates 36, 36.
Surrounds the movable part 13 of the switch 12 and
Of the main body 12a. Therefore,
The light leaking from the main body 21 of the light guide member 20 to the outside and the light leaking to the outside from the light guide 22 of the light guide member 20 are blocked by the light shielding plate 36.
The operation member 40 and the operation plate 31 are shielded from light by a wider range.
Light is less likely to reach the gap (c) between the first and second light sources. Therefore,
Light leakage to the outside of the operation plate 31 from the gap (c) is almost eliminated.

This is the same in FIG. 3. Since the gap (b) between the operation member 40 and the operation plate 31 is covered inside by the light shielding plate 33, the operation plate 31 is removed from the gap (b). There is almost no light leakage outside. The light from the light source 14 passes through the light guide 22 from the main body 21 of the light guide member 20, is reflected by the reflection surface 22 a, and is illuminated by the illumination 23.
It is guided inside and is given to the back surface of the operation member 40 from the opposing surface 23a. Since the opposing surface 23a to the operation member 40 is a concave lens surface, light is diverged or diffused from the opposing surface 23a to the operation member 40 as shown by an arrow in FIG. The display section S such as a character or a symbol provided on the surface of the operation member 40 by the light given from the facing surface 23a.
Is illuminated.

As shown in FIG. 2, the opposing surface 23a of the light guide member 20 is as large as possible. However, since the movable portions 13, 13 of the switches 12, 12 are provided on both sides, the area of the opposing surface 23a is large. Is limited, and as shown in FIG.
It is inevitable that 3a has an area smaller than the entire area of the display section S of the operation member 40. However, since the light is diverged and emitted from the facing surface 23a, it is possible to illuminate the display portion S such as the characters and symbols shown in FIG. 4 with uniform luminance over a wide range. In addition, the opposing surface 23a of the light guide member 20
However, a concave cylindrical surface having an axis that does not deform in a direction (Y direction) orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the characters on the display unit S illustrated in FIG. 4 may be used. In this case, since the bending direction of the cylindrical surface is the X direction, the light is diverged in the X direction and given, and the characters on the display unit S arranged in the Y direction can be illuminated with uniform luminance.

The display section S shown in FIG.
In the case of a symbol or the like that exists only near the center of the surface of the above, by forming the facing surface 23a as a convex spherical surface or a convex cylindrical surface, light can be focused on the display portion S and can be illuminated effectively. That is, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3,
When the light guide 22 of the light guide member 20 extends between the switches 12 and 12 adjacent to the switches 12 and 12, the width W of the light guide 22 and the height of the base thereof It is inevitable that H becomes smaller and the cross-sectional area (H × W) of the light guide 22 becomes smaller. Therefore, the amount of light guided from the light source 14 to the facing surface 23a is reduced. Therefore, by converging the facing surface 23a as a convex lens surface on the display unit of the operation member 40, light can be effectively captured and the display unit can be illuminated with sufficient luminance.

In the illustrated embodiment, the operating member 40 having a fulcrum at the center and swinging is illustrated. However, the operating member swings with one end as a fulcrum, and the other end of one switch is movable. The unit may be operated. Alternatively, the operation member may slide linearly in a direction perpendicular to the operation plate. Also in these cases, when the light guide member adjacent to the switch is provided, it is possible to effectively prevent light from leaking from the gap between the operation member and the operation plate. Further, since the light shielding plate 36 is formed integrally with the operation plate 31, there is no need to provide another member for shielding light. Further, the operation device of the present invention is not limited to a vehicle-mounted device, and may be implemented in other fields as long as illumination of the display unit is required.

[0034]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to effectively prevent light from leaking to the outside from the gap between the operation member that swings or the operation member that moves linearly and the operation plate. Further, since the light-shielding plate is formed integrally with the operation plate, there is no need to provide another component for shielding light, and the number of components and the number of assembly steps can be reduced.

In the case where the movable portion of the switch has a shape having a step around the periphery, the periphery of the hole formed in the light shielding plate is formed to have an uneven shape along the step of the movable portion, so that the gap between the movable portion and the light shielding plate is reduced. Light leakage from the gap can be effectively prevented.

Further, since the surface of the light guide member facing the operation member is a lens surface, even if the cross-sectional area of the light guide plate adjacent to the switch or the area facing the operation member is small, it is effective for the operation member. Lighting can be performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially exploded perspective view showing an operation device mounted on a nose portion of an in-vehicle audio device as an example of an operation device of the present invention from the inside of an operation plate;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a partial front view of the operation device as viewed from the front side of the operation member;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional operating device provided in an on-vehicle audio device;

FIG. 6 is a partial front view showing an operation member of a conventional operation device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Circuit board 12 Switch 12a Switch main body 13 Movable part 13a Convex part 13b Concave part 13c Step 14 Light source 20 Light guide member 21 Main part of light guide member 22 Light guide part 23 Lighting part 23a Opposing surface 30 Nose part 31 Operation plate 33, 36 Light shielding plate 37 hole 37a concave portion 37b convex portion 40 operating member 42 pressing portion S display portion

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01H 23/02

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] An operation member is supported on an operation plate so as to be capable of being pressed, and a switch having a movable portion pressed by the operation member inside the operation plate, and a light guide for supplying light from a light source to the operation member. In the operating device in which the members are arranged, the operation plate is integrally formed with a light shielding plate that covers a gap between the operation member and the operation plate from inside, and a hole into which the movable portion is inserted is formed in the light shielding plate. An operating device characterized by being formed. 2. A pair of switches provided on an operation plate, the operation member swinging around a center as a fulcrum, and having a movable portion inside the operation plate pressed by a portion sandwiching the fulcrum of the operation member; In an operation device in which a light guide member for providing light from a light source to an operation member is disposed, the light guide member faces the operation member at an intermediate position between the switches, and the operation plate includes an operation member and an operation plate. A light-shielding plate integrally covering a gap between the movable portion and the light-shielding plate, and a hole into which the movable portion is inserted is formed in the light-shielding plate. 3. The switch according to claim 1, wherein the movable portion of the switch has a shape having a step on its outer periphery, and an uneven portion along the step is formed on an inner periphery of a hole formed in the light shielding plate. Operating device. 4. The operating device according to claim 1, wherein the light guide member has a concave or convex lens surface facing the operation member.