JP4282357B2 - Turn signal switch - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a turn signal switch that is attached in the vicinity of a grip of a handlebar provided in a vehicle such as a two-wheeled vehicle and that can selectively blink either a left or right blinker included in the vehicle.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In general, a grip grip for a driver to grip is fixed to the left and right ends of a handlebar of a two-wheeled vehicle, and a turn signal switch is fixed in the vicinity of the base end side of the grip grip. Such a turn signal switch is a switch for operating a winker disposed on each of the left and right sides of a motorcycle to blink a winker on a desired side. Conventionally, the turn signal switch projects from the case fixed to the handlebar and the case. A movable contact that moves in response to the swinging motion of the operation knob, and a fixed contact that is fixed to the case side and that can contact or separate from the movable contact that operates with the operation knob. (For example, what is indicated by patent documents 1 is mentioned.).
[0003]
When the operation knob at the neutral position is swung in either the left or right direction, the movable contact comes into contact with the fixed contact located in that direction to form a predetermined circuit. Is configured to selectively flash. Further, when the operation knob is pushed into the protruding direction, the operation knob returns to the neutral position, and blinking of the blinker is forcibly canceled (the selected blinker is turned off).
[0004]
Incidentally, some cases fixed to the handlebar are provided with a hazard switch for performing a hazard operation by simultaneously blinking the blinkers on the left and right sides in addition to the turn signal switch as described above. Such a hazard switch is generally a push-lock type, and is configured such that the blinkers on both sides blink simultaneously when pressed, and turn off when pressed again.
[0005]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-7-254328 [0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the conventional turn signal switch has a problem in that both the turn signal switch and the hazard switch have to be provided in the case fixed to the handlebar, and the entire case becomes large. Furthermore, if both a turn signal switch and a hazard switch are installed in the case, the number of cord wirings extending from each of them increases, which makes the handling complicated and deteriorates the workability during assembly. There is also a problem that the manufacturing cost increases because the number of points increases and labor is required for parts management.
[0007]
The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and by using a hazard switch, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost while reducing the size of the case and improving the workability during assembly. It is to provide a signal switch.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, a case that can be fixed in the vicinity of a grip of a handlebar provided in a vehicle, a protrusion protruding from the case, and a left and right from a neutral position with a swing shaft provided in the case as a center. And an operation knob that can be pushed in from the neutral position in the projecting direction, and the blinker on the desired side disposed in the vehicle blinks by the swinging operation of the operation knob. In the turn signal switch that can cancel the blinking by pushing the operation knob, the operation knob swings in either the left or right direction while canceling blinking of the desired side blinker by the pushing operation. In this swinging state, it can be locked to the case, and on both sides of the vehicle disposed in the locked state. Wherein the can to blink simultaneously linker.
[0009]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the turn signal switch according to the first aspect of the invention, the inner wall surface of the case is guided to a state in which the operation knob is swung in either the left or right direction while being pushed. A groove portion is provided in which the operation knob is locked in the swinging state to make the locking state.
[0010]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the turn signal switch according to the first or second aspect, a magnet provided on the operation knob and movable based on the operation of the operation knob is fixed in the case. Based on the output voltage from the magnetism detection unit that varies the output voltage according to the change in magnetism accompanying the movement of the magnet, the left or right blinker that the vehicle should be blinking or extinguishing, Alternatively, a determination logic unit that determines whether both the left and right blinkers should be blinked or extinguished at the same time, and that blinks or extinguishes a predetermined blinker based on the determination result is provided.
[0011]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the turn signal switch according to the third aspect of the present invention, the magnetic detection unit includes three Hall elements that change the resistance value according to the strength of the magnetic force applied from the magnet and vary the output voltage. The Hall element includes a first Hall element that detects that the operation knob is swung rightward, a second Hall element that detects that the operation knob is swung leftward, and the The operation knob includes a third hall element that detects that the operation knob is locked to the case.
[0012]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.
The turn signal switch according to the present embodiment can blink or extinguish (cancel) any one of the left and right blinkers respectively disposed on the sides of the two-wheeled vehicle, and simultaneously blink or extinguish both the left and right blinkers. It can also be used as a hazard switch.
[0013]
Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the turn signal switch includes an operation knob 2 that protrudes from a case 1 that is fixed in the vicinity of a grip grip of a handlebar of a motorcycle. However, the case 1 is configured such that a swinging operation in the left-right direction (a direction in FIG. 1) and a pushing operation in the protruding direction (b direction in FIG. 1) can be performed.
[0014]
As shown in FIG. 2, the case 1 is configured by combining a first case 1a and a second case 1b, and an operation knob 2 is swingably supported on an upper portion of the first case 1a. A swing shaft 1aa is integrally formed, and a swing space S is formed below the swing shaft 1aa. The oscillating space S communicates with the first recess 1ba provided in the portion of the second case 1b facing the first case 1a, and the operating knob 2 is in the space formed by the oscillating space S and the first recess 1ba. The base end side can be swung.
[0015]
On the other hand, the second case 1b is formed with a second recess 1bb in which a substrate 4 having three Hall elements 3a to 3c described later can be contained, and the substrate 4 is positioned in the second recess 1bb. After that, a predetermined resin is filled. The tip of the terminal 5 extending from the substrate 4 reaches the connector portion 1bc formed in the lower portion of the second case 1b. By connecting a wiring cord (not shown) to the terminal 5, each Hall element 3a to The change of the output voltage detected by 3c can be transmitted to the outside as an electric signal.
[0016]
As shown in FIG. 3, the operation knob 2 is mainly composed of a resin knob portion 2a that allows the driver to hold or abut a finger, and a swinging member 2b that extends downward from the knob portion 2a. The rocking member 2b is formed with a long hole 2ba extending in the vertical direction. The operation knob 2 is configured to be swingably supported with respect to the case 1 by fitting the swing shaft 1aa of the first case 1a into the long hole 2ba.
[0017]
Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a notch 9 for accommodating the steel ball 6 and the coil spring 7 is formed from the base end (lower end in the figure) of the swing member 2 in the operation knob 2 in the vertical direction. The steel ball 6 is constantly urged downward and is pressed against the upper surface of the moderation member 8 disposed on the bottom surface of the accommodation space S. Note that the moderation member 8 is formed in a substantially arcuate shape that is convex downward and inclined toward the swinging direction of the operation knob 2.
[0018]
As a result, when the knob portion 2a is swung to the left or right, the entire operation knob 2 swings about the swing shaft 1aa and the steel ball 6 slides along the upper surface of the moderation member 8. While moving against the urging force of the coil spring 7, the coil spring 7 moves in the direction of immersion. Then, when the driver releases his finger from the knob portion 2a, the steel ball 6 tries to move in a direction protruding from the notch portion 8 by the urging force of the coil spring 7, and the amount of the moderation imparting member 8 relative to the upper surface (inclined surface) is increased. By force, the entire operation knob 2 is returned to the neutral position (that is, the state shown in FIG. 3).
[0019]
On the other hand, when the knob portion 2a is pushed downward, as shown in FIG. 4, the long hole 2ba allows the entire operation knob 2 to move downward, so that the coil spring 7 resists the biasing force. The operation knob 2 moves downward. When the driver releases his finger from the knob portion 2, the operation knob 2 is moved upward by the urging force of the coil spring 7 and returned to the neutral position (state shown in FIG. 3).
[0020]
Furthermore, a plastic magnet 10 is formed on the surface of the operation knob 2 facing the substrate 4 (the surface on the right side in FIG. 2) instead of the conventional movable contact (see FIG. 9). The plastic magnet 10 is formed by mixing magnetic powder with magnetism into plastic and is positioned below the swing member 2 b constituting the operation knob 2. Thereby, the plastic magnet 10 is movable based on the operation of the operation knob 2.
[0021]
Here, a protruding pin portion 11 is formed on the surface opposite to the surface on which the plastic magnet 10 is formed in the operation knob 2 (the surface on the left side in FIG. 2), while the pin portion in the first case 1a is formed. 11 is guided to a state where the operation knob 2 is pushed in and swung in the left direction in the figure, and a groove for locking the operation knob 2 in the swung state. 12 is formed.
[0022]
That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the groove portion 12 has a substantially arc-shaped portion that guides the pin portion 11 in the swinging direction at the upper portion, and on the left side while hanging downward from the arc-shaped portion. The entire operation knob 2 is locked to the case 1 by being bent and having an end portion facing upward, and the pin portion 11 being locked to the portion facing upward. It becomes. In this locked state, the operation knob 2 is in a state as shown in FIG.
[0023]
On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, three Hall elements (a first Hall element 3 a, a second Hall element 3 b, and a third Hall element 3 c) serving as a magnetic detection unit are formed on the substrate 4. The output voltage can be varied according to the change in magnetism accompanying the movement of the plastic magnet 10. Here, the Hall element is one in which the resistance value changes according to the strength of the magnetic force applied from the magnet and the output voltage is made different. In this embodiment, when the proximity to the plastic magnet 10, the output voltage is low. (L), and when separated, the value becomes high (H).
[0024]
When the operation knob 2 is in the neutral position (the state shown in FIG. 3), the plastic magnet 10 is not brought into proximity with any of the hall elements 3a to 3c, and when the operation knob 2 is swung leftward ( When the plastic magnet 10 approaches the second Hall element 3b and the operation knob 2 is swung to the right (the state shown in FIG. 6), the plastic magnet 10 approaches the first Hall element 3a. It is configured as follows.
[0025]
Further, when the operation knob 2 is pushed down to cancel blinking of the blinker (state shown in FIG. 4), the plastic magnet 10 is brought into a state of being close to both the first hall element 3a and the second hall element 3b. On the other hand, when the pin 11 is locked to the groove 12 by swinging the operation knob 2 leftward from the pushed-in state in order to cause the blinker to blink simultaneously on the left and right (state of FIG. 8), the plastic magnet 10 is in a state of being close to both the first Hall element 3a and the third Hall element 3c.
[0026]
Here, as shown in FIG. 10, the Hall elements 3 a to 3 c are connected in parallel to the power supply Vcc on the substrate 4, and the output elements OUTPUT-L, OUTPUT-R, and OUTPUT- are respectively connected. Connected to HZ. These output terminals are connected to the determination logic unit 13, and when the operation knob 2 is operated as described above and the plastic magnet 10 moves, the magnetic force exerted from the plastic magnet 10 to the hall elements 3a to 3c. The output voltage corresponding to the strength of the output is output to the determination logic unit 13.
[0027]
Based on the output voltages from the hall elements 3a to 3c, the determination logic unit 13 should blink or extinguish either the left or right blinkers included in the two-wheeled vehicle, or blink or extinguish both the left and right blinkers simultaneously. The predetermined blinker is blinked or extinguished based on the determination result. Specifically, according to the logic shown in FIG. 11, either the left or right blinker should be blinked, the blinker blink should be canceled, or the left and right blinkers are blinked simultaneously according to the output voltage from the Hall elements 3a to 3c. It is determined whether or not a hazard is to be generated, and a predetermined electric circuit is configured or cut off based on the result.
[0028]
According to the figure, if the control knob 2 is swung to the right, the right blinker flashes, the left blinker is blinked to the left, the blinker is canceled by pushing, and the blinker is canceled. It can be seen that if the operation knob 2 is pushed in and swung to the left and locked, both the left and right blinkers flash and become a hazard. Further, since the previous state is maintained when the operation knob 2 is in the neutral position, even if the operation knob 2 returns to the neutral position after the operation, blinking or extinction based on the operation is maintained.
[0029]
As shown in FIG. 10, resistance elements R1 to R3 are connected to the Hall element 3c, resistance elements R4 to R6 are connected to the Hall element 3a, and resistance elements R7 to R9 are connected to the Hall element 3b. With such a resistance element, the output voltage from each Hall element 3a-3c can be in a predetermined range. For example, when the voltage of the power supply Vcc is 5V, the output voltage is limited to the range of 0.5V-4.5V. It has become so.
[0030]
According to the turn signal switch, the operation knob 2 can be swung to the left while being pushed in, and can be locked to the case 1 in the swinging state, and is disposed on the motorcycle in the locking state. Since the blinkers on both sides are blinked simultaneously, the turn signal switch can be used as a hazard switch, so that the case 1 can be downsized and the manufacturing cost can be reduced while improving the workability during assembly.
[0031]
Further, since the operation knob 2 is locked by operating and locking the pin portion 11 along the groove portion 12 as shown in FIG. 7 provided inside the first case 1a, the operation knob 2 is locked. The knob 2 can be easily locked with respect to the case 1, and the blinkers on both sides arranged in the two-wheeled vehicle can be surely blinked.
[0032]
Furthermore, the magnetism of the plastic magnet 10 that moves based on the operation of the operation knob 2 is detected by the Hall elements 3a to 3c, and the determination logic unit 13 blinks or extinguishes a predetermined blinker based on the detection result. Therefore, the winker can be operated in a non-contact manner without using a contact as in the prior art. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a decrease in life due to contact wear. Furthermore, since the operation state of the operation knob 2 can be detected by the first Hall element 3a, the second Hall element 3b, and the third Hall element 3c fixed to the case 1, each operation state of the operation knob 2 can be detected. Thus, the reliability of the switch can be improved.
[0033]
Although the present embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the operation knob is swung to the left while being pushed, the operation knob is engaged with the case in a swinging state. It is good also as a shape of the groove part which can be stopped. That is, as long as the operation knob is pushed and swung in either the left or right direction to lock the operation knob, the blinkers on both sides of the two-wheeled vehicle may be blinked simultaneously to create a hazard.
[0034]
In this embodiment, the switching operation is performed using the Hall element. However, the switching operation may be performed using a conventional contact structure. Furthermore, instead of the Hall element, another magnetic detection unit (which changes the output voltage according to the change in magnetism accompanying the movement of the magnet formed on the operation knob) may be used. In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to a turn signal switch attached to a handlebar of a two-wheeled vehicle, but may be applied to other vehicles having a handlebar such as a snowmobile, a three-wheel or a four-wheel buggy. it can.
[0035]
【The invention's effect】
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the operation knob can be swung in either the left or right direction while being pushed, and can be locked to the case in the swinged state. Since blinkers on both sides of the vehicle are blinked simultaneously, the turn signal switch can also be used as a hazard switch, reducing the size of the case and reducing the manufacturing cost while improving the workability during assembly. Can do.
[0036]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, the operation knob is guided to the inner wall surface of the case until it is swung in either the left or right direction while pushing the operation knob, and the operation knob is engaged in the swung state. Since the groove portion for stopping is provided, the operation knob can be easily locked to the case, and the blinkers on both sides provided in the vehicle can be surely blinked.
[0037]
According to the invention of claim 3, the magnetism of the magnet that moves based on the operation of the operation knob is detected by the magnetism detection unit, and the determination logic unit blinks or extinguishes the predetermined blinker based on the detection result. Therefore, the winker can be operated in a non-contact manner without using a contact as in the prior art. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a decrease in life due to contact wear.
[0038]
According to the invention of claim 4, since the operation state of the operation knob can be detected by the three hall elements (first hall element, second hall element and third hall element) fixed to the case, Each operation state of the operation knob can be reliably grasped, and the reliability of the switch can be improved.
[Brief description of the drawings]
1 is a front view showing a turn signal switch according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 shows an internal structure of the turn signal switch according to the embodiment of the present invention. Schematic diagram (with the control knob in the neutral position)
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an internal structure of a turn signal switch according to an embodiment of the present invention (a state in which an operation knob is pushed in)
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the turn signal switch according to the embodiment of the present invention (a state in which the operation knob is swung to the left).
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the turn signal switch according to the embodiment of the present invention (in a state where the operation knob is swung to the right).
7 is a schematic view showing a groove portion and a pin portion locked to the groove portion in the turn signal switch according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing the internal structure of the turn signal switch according to the embodiment of the present invention. (Operation knob is locked to the case)
FIG. 9 is a front view showing an operation knob in a turn signal switch according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a circuit diagram showing a configuration of a substrate and a connection state with a determination logic unit in the turn signal switch according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating logic in a determination logic unit in the turn signal switch according to the embodiment of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Case 2 ... Operation knob 3a ... 1st Hall element (magnetic detection part)
3b ... 2nd Hall element (magnetic detection part)
3c ... 3rd Hall element (magnetic detection part)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 4 ... Board | substrate 5 ... Terminal 6 ... Steel ball 7 ... Spring 8 ... Moderation provision member 9 ... Notch part 10 ... Plastic magnet 11 ... Pin part 12 ... Groove part 13 ... Determination logic part

Claims (4)

A case that can be fixed in the vicinity of the grip of the handlebar of the vehicle;
An operation knob formed so as to protrude from the case, swingable from the neutral position to the left and right around the swing shaft provided in the case, and pushed from the neutral position in the protruding direction;
A turn signal switch that blinks the desired side of the vehicle disposed on the vehicle by swinging the operation knob and canceling the blinking by pushing the operation knob.
The operation knob can be swung in either the left or right direction while canceling blinking of the desired side blinker by a pushing operation, and can be locked to the case in the swung state. A turn signal switch characterized in that blinkers on both sides arranged in a vehicle can be blinked simultaneously in a locked state.   On the inner wall surface of the case, the operation knob is pushed in and guided to a state where it is swung in either the left or right direction, and the operation knob is locked in the swung state to lock the operation knob. The turn signal switch according to claim 1, further comprising a groove portion to be in a state. A magnet provided on the operation knob and movable based on the operation of the operation knob;
A magnetic detection unit fixed in the case and configured to vary an output voltage according to a change in magnetism accompanying movement of the magnet;
Based on the output voltage from the magnetic detection unit, it is determined whether the left and right winkers of the vehicle should be blinked or extinguished, or both the left and right winkers should be blinked or extinguished at the same time. A determination logic unit for blinking or turning off a predetermined blinker,
The turn signal switch according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising:   The magnetic detection unit is composed of three Hall elements whose resistance value changes according to the strength of the magnetic force applied from the magnet and varies the output voltage, and the Hall knob is swung rightward. A first Hall element that detects that the operation knob is swung leftward, and a second Hall element that detects that the operation knob is locked to the case. 4. The turn signal switch according to claim 3, wherein the turn signal switch comprises a three-hole element.

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