JP4300520B2 - Switch device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a push switch device such as a window lock (W / L) switch for a power window in a vehicle.

  Conventionally, a switch device (for example, an operation control unit provided in a driver's seat) of a power window system in a vehicle has a configuration shown in FIGS. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the upper case 1 to which various operation knobs are attached on the upper surface, the circuit board 2 provided on the inner side and lower side of the upper case 1, and the upper case 1 so as to cover the lower surface of the circuit board 2 And a lower case 3 attached to the lower side of the head. On the upper surface of the upper case 1, there are operation knobs 4 to 7 (swing type) for opening and closing each seat window, and a W / L knob 8 (operation) for prohibiting window opening and closing operations in other seats (other than the driver seat). Knob). The W / L knob 8 is a push-type (push-type) button, and is fixedly attached to the upper end of the operation shaft 10 of the W / L switch 9 mounted on the circuit board 2. Here, in the assembled state, the operating shaft 10 passes through the opening 11 provided in the upper case 1, and the tip is attached to the back side of the lower surface of the W / L knob 8. Move.

On the circuit board 2, in addition to the W / L switch 9, switches 12 to 15 for window opening / closing operation in which internal contacts are operated according to the operations of the operation knobs 4 to 7, and motors for driver's seat windows And a microcomputer chip (not shown) for controlling the operation of the relay (that is, the operation of the motor) according to the state of each switch are mounted by solder connection. Further, the lower case 3 is formed with a connector portion 16 constituting a connector for external wiring.
The W / L knob 8 is printed with a W / L mark indicating that it is an operation unit of the W / L switch 9 as shown in FIG.

  The W / L switch 9 has a structure as shown in FIG. 8B, for example. That is, the operation shaft 10 to which the W / L knob 8 is attached at the upper end, the switch case 21 that slidably supports the lower end side of the operation shaft 10 (movable up and down), and the operation shaft 10 in the switch case 21. A return spring 22 that is mounted below and urges upward to return the operating shaft 10 to the non-operating position, and an electrode pair 23 that is disposed along the inner surface of the switch case 21 and that protrudes downward as a connection terminal. When the operating shaft 10 is in the non-operating position, it is in contact with each electrode constituting the electrode pair 23 and is electrically connected (contact on state). A contact component member 24, a pressing spring 25 that is attached to the lower portion of the operation shaft 10 (the back of the contact component member 24) and urges the contact component member 24 to be pressed against the electrode pair 23 side, and an operation Axis 10 operating position And a lock pin 26 of a holding mechanism for holding. The contact surface between the contact component 24 and the electrode pair 23 forms a switch contact.

In this W / L switch 9, when the operation shaft 10 is in the non-operation position (position shown in FIG. 8B), the contact component member 24 is in contact with each electrode constituting the electrode pair 23. In this state, the contacts are in an on state where the electrodes are electrically connected to each other. When the W / L knob 8 is pushed down and the operation shaft 10 is lowered to the operation position, the contact component member 24 is not in contact with each electrode constituting the electrode pair 23 (for example, only one of the electrodes is contacted). Therefore, the contact pin is turned off and the lock pin 26 is engaged with a predetermined position of the engagement groove 27 formed in the operation shaft 10, so that the operation shaft 10 is moved to this operation position. Is maintained, and the contact-off state is maintained. When the W / L knob 8 (operation shaft 10) is pushed down again, the engagement of the lock pin 26 is released, and the operation shaft 10 returns to the non-operation position by the urging force of the return spring 22, and the contact is turned on. Return.
The holding mechanism including the lock pin 26 and the engagement groove 27 is a well-known one, and the holding state and the non-holding state are alternately repeated every time the operation shaft 10 is pushed down.

As this type of switch device, for example, as shown in FIG. 9, there is a type in which circuit components other than the W / L switch 9 are mounted on the back surface side (connector side) of the circuit board 2.
In Patent Document 1, a switch unit constituting a W / L switch is installed sideways on a substrate, and an oblique hole formed in an operation rod (operation shaft) that moves up and down integrally with a push button (W / L knob). Is engaged with a slide shaft (a shaft that operates in the lateral direction) of the switch unit, and a power window switch is disclosed in which the switch unit is activated by a push-down operation of a push button to be in a contact-on state.

JP-A-5-166435

However, the above-described conventional switch device has the following problems to be solved.
First of all, the configurations shown in FIGS. 7 to 9 have a problem that they cannot answer the market needs to shine the surface of the W / L knob 8 (that is, the W / L mark portion). . This is because the W / L switch 9 has a built-in switch contact (contact constituent member 24 and electrode pair 23) and generates heat, so that the constituent member (switch case 21 and operation shaft 10) may be a transparent member. Can not. In particular, when the switch contact of the W / L switch 9 is used in a direct switch instead of a so-called signal switch, a large current (for example, a drive current of a power window motor) flows through the switch contact, resulting in a high temperature. Therefore, as a material for the switch case 21 and the operation shaft 10, a non-transparent member having high heat resistance such as glass fiber reinforced plastic must be used. For this reason, in the configuration in which such a W / L switch 9 is installed immediately below the W / L knob 8 (the configuration shown in FIGS. 7 to 9), the output light of the light-emitting element mounted on the circuit board 2 is output. It is extremely difficult to lead to the W / L knob 8, and practically, it cannot answer the market need to shine the portion of the W / L mark.

  Second, the W / L switch 9 has to be mounted on the upper surface side of the circuit board 2 because the operation shaft 10 needs to pass through the opening 11 provided in the upper case 1. There is a problem that the soldering of the circuit board 2 cannot be performed on only one side. This is because, as shown in FIG. 7, the connector for external connection must be provided on the back surface side (in this case, the lower surface side), and therefore the electrodes of this connector are connected by soldering on the upper surface side of the circuit board 2. become. Therefore, in order to solder the circuit board 2 only on one side, all the other mounted components must be mounted on the lower surface side of the circuit board 2, but even in this case, only the W / L switch 9 is shown in FIG. 9, the circuit board 2 must be mounted on the upper surface side and soldered from the lower surface side. As a result, the circuit board 2 cannot be soldered only on one side.

Third, since the operation shaft 10 of the W / L switch 9 mounted on the circuit board 2 is passed through the opening 11 of the upper case 1 and the W / L knob 8 is fixed to the tip, the circuit board 2 in the switch case (upper case 1 and lower case 3) is fixed at a fixed position with respect to the vertical position of the W / L knob 8, and the height of the circuit board 2 is increased. There was a problem that the degree of freedom of the position was low.
Fourth, since the W / L knob 8 must be attached and fixed to the tip of the operation shaft 10 of the W / L switch 9 after the circuit board 2 is assembled, there is a problem that the number of assembly steps is large. That is, in the configuration shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the following assembly procedure with many man-hours has been required. That is, the circuit board 2 on which each circuit component (including the W / L switch 9) is mounted is assembled so as to be sandwiched between the assembly of the upper case 1 to which the operation knobs 4 to 7 are attached and the lower case 3, and thereafter Therefore, it is necessary to attach and fix the W / L knob 8 to the tip of the operation shaft 10 of the W / L switch 9.

In the device of Patent Document 1, the switch unit constituting the W / L switch is not arranged directly below the push button (W / L knob), and is separate from the push button. For this reason, the push button and the operation rod (operation shaft) that moves up and down integrally with the push button can be formed of a transparent member, and further, a light emitting element can be disposed immediately below the push button to light the push button. For this reason, the first problem described above can be solved.
However, even the apparatus of Patent Document 1 cannot solve at least the third problem described above. This is because the push button has a mechanism formed by an oblique hole formed in an operating rod (operating shaft) that moves up and down integrally with the push button and a slide shaft (a shaft that operates in the lateral direction) of the switch unit that engages with the inclined hole. Since the vertical movement is converted into a horizontal (horizontal) movement and transmitted to the switch unit, the positional relationship between the circuit board on which the switch unit is mounted and the push button must be in a certain relationship. This is because the vertical position of the circuit board cannot be determined freely.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a switch device that can solve all the first to fourth problems described above.

The switch device of the present application is provided integrally with the operation knob so as to extend to the back side of the case, the operation knob for pressing operation disposed on the surface of the case, and supports the operation knob In addition, an operation shaft that is operable in the pushing direction into the case in accordance with the pressing operation of the operation knob, a switch contact that operates in conjunction with the operation of the operation shaft, and an inner side of the case are disposed. A circuit board on which a circuit in which the switch contact is incorporated is formed,
A first switch module that includes the operation shaft and that switches on and off of the switch contact based on an operation of the operation knob is provided on the case side,
The switch contact is installed outside the lower side in the pushing direction of the operation knob,
With a built-in said switch contact has a press-type contacts, Ri by the operation of the contacts, the second switch module switch contacts are actuated installed in the outer, mounted on the circuit board And
A switch having a pressing portion for operating the switch contact by linearly moving or swinging in the direction of pressing the contact in conjunction with the operation of the operation shaft, and separated from the second switch module A drive mechanism is provided in the first switch module;
By operating the operation knob, the operation / non-operation state of the first switch module is switched, and the operation / non-operation state of the second switch module is switched.
The pressing portion is moved in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the operation knob to switch the operation / non-operation state of the switch contact .

In this switch device, the switch contact is built in the second switch module that is separate from the operation knob and the operation shaft, so that the operation knob and the operation shaft and its peripheral members (the case that supports the operation shaft slidably, It is not necessary to configure the switch drive mechanism etc. with a material having high heat resistance, and these members can be composed of a transparent or semi-transparent material, so that the operation knob itself and the mark provided on the operation knob can be easily illuminated. is there. For example, a light-emitting element can be provided on a circuit board, and output light from the light-emitting element can be transmitted to the outside through an operation shaft and an operation knob.

In addition, since the second switch module mounted on the circuit board is separated from the operation shaft and the switch drive mechanism, as long as the contactor is pushed by the pressing portion of the switch drive mechanism and operated, The positional relationship with respect to the operation axis or the like can be set freely. For this reason, the second switch module can be provided on the back side of the circuit board as long as the contact is pressed by the pressing portion. Therefore, all the mounting components including the connector can be provided on the back side of the circuit board, and the soldering operation can be performed only on one side (front side).
For the same reason, the position of the second switch module in the height direction (the axial direction of the operation shaft) (that is, the position in the height direction of the circuit board) is the height direction of the operation knob or the operation shaft. Therefore, the degree of freedom of the position in the height direction in the case of the circuit board is remarkably increased.

Further, since the second switch module mounted on the circuit board is separated from the operation shaft and the switch drive mechanism, the operation shaft and the switch drive mechanism are attached to the case before the circuit board is assembled, Further, the operation of attaching the operation knob to the operation shaft can be performed before the circuit board is assembled. For this reason, the assembly is completed with a few steps of assembling the circuit board on which each circuit component is mounted to the assembly of the case in which all components including the operation knob are attached in advance. In other words, an extra step of attaching only the operation knob after mounting the circuit board on which each circuit component is mounted to the case assembly is not required.

In this apparatus, the operation shaft and the switch drive mechanism are configured as an integrated module (that is, a first switch module) .
For this reason, compared with the structure which attaches the said operating shaft and the said switch drive mechanism with respect to a case separately, the assembly property of a case assembly improves and management of components becomes easy.

  According to the switch device of the present invention, it is possible to easily shine the operation knob itself or the mark provided on the operation knob, and the soldering operation of the circuit board can be performed only on one side. The degree of freedom in position in the height direction is remarkably increased, and the number of assembly steps can be reduced.

Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
This example is a window lock switch device in an operation control unit provided in a driver's seat in a vehicle power window system, and will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an operation knob 8 and a window lock module (W / L module) 31 in this example. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a peripheral configuration of the window lock module 31 in the assembled state. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the assembly of the upper case 1. 4A and 4B are a side view and a plan view (outside view) for explaining the operation of the switch drive mechanism 36 of the W / L module 31. FIG. FIG. 4C is a side view showing the internal configuration of the switch drive mechanism 36.
In addition, the same code | symbol is used for the component similar to the former shown in FIGS. 7-9, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

As shown in FIG. 2, the window lock switch device in the operation control unit of this example includes a switch module 30 mounted on the circuit board 2 and a W / L module 31 attached to the upper case 1.
The switch module 30 is a so-called micro switch (for example, a commercially available product), and has a pressing contact 30a, and a built-in switch contact is activated by an operation of pressing the contact a a predetermined amount. is there. In this case, the circuit configuration is such that window lock control (control for prohibiting window opening / closing operations of other seats) is realized by the operation of the switch contact. The switch module 30 is mounted on the upper surface or the rear surface of the circuit board 2 in a lateral orientation so that the operation direction of the contact 30a is a horizontal direction substantially parallel to the circuit board 2. The front end surface is disposed in a position and orientation that faces a side end surface of the pressing portion 39 described later. Further, the contact 30a of the switch module 30 is returned to the maximum non-operating position protruding in the natural state (non-operating state) by the urging means provided therein, and is held at this position.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the W / L module 31 includes an operation shaft 32 to which the W / L knob 8 is attached at the upper end, and a module case that slidably supports the lower end side of the operation shaft 32 (movable up and down). 33, a return spring 34 which is mounted below the operation shaft 32 in the module case 33 and biases upward to return the operation shaft 32 to the non-operation position (neutral position), and a holding unit incorporated in the module case 33 A mechanism 35 and a switch drive mechanism 36;

  Here, the operation shaft 32 and the W / L knob 8 are made of a transparent or translucent resin and transmit light. In addition, a light guide window 33 a through which light passes is formed at a position directly below the operation shaft 32 at the bottom of the module case 33. As shown in FIG. 2, a light emitting element 60 such as an LED is mounted at a position directly below the light guide window 33a on the upper surface of the circuit board 2, and is configured to output light upward. As a result, when the light emitting element 60 is driven in the assembled state, the output light of the light emitting element 60 passes through the light guide window 33a and then passes through the operation shaft 32 and the W / L knob 8 to obtain W / L. From the outside of the apparatus, the W / L knob 8 and the W / L mark on the W / L knob 8 appear to shine.

  The holding mechanism 35 includes a lock pin 37 and an engagement groove 38 similar to the lock pin 26 and the engagement groove 27 described above. As described above, the holding mechanism 35 is well-known, and the operation shaft 32 is pushed down. Each time, the holding state and the non-holding state are repeated alternately.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4C, the switch drive mechanism 36 includes a pressing portion 39 that is supported by the module case 33 so as to be linearly movable in the lateral direction (direction parallel to the circuit board), and the operation shaft 32. The protrusion 41 is formed on the outer periphery and engages with the groove 40 formed in the pressing portion 39 and slides in the groove 40 to drive the pressing portion 39 in conjunction with the operation of the operation shaft 32. .

  Here, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the pressing portion 39 is provided so as to move forward and backward in the lateral direction from the side surface of the module case 33. When the pressing portion 39 moves forward, the side end surface (end surface in the moving direction) is provided. ) Is provided at a position where it abuts against the distal end surface of the contact 30a of the switch module 30 and pushes the contact 30a in the pushing direction. In addition, as shown in FIG. 4C, the groove 40 has an upper portion that is inclined with respect to the axial direction of the operation shaft 32 (in this case, the vertical direction), and the protrusion 41 is lowered. Then, the projection 41 is pressed against the inclined portion of the groove 40 to drive the pressing portion 39 in the forward direction. As a result, when the operating shaft 32 is pushed from the non-operating position and moved downward, the pressing portion 39 advances in the lateral direction in conjunction with this operation and pushes the contact 30a of the switch module 30 by a predetermined amount or more. The switch contacts in the switch module 30 are activated.

The lower portion of the groove 40 is a linear portion parallel to the axial direction of the operation shaft 32, and when the pressing portion 39 moves forward and the switch contact in the switch module 30 is operated, the pressing portion 39 is further moved. It does not move unnecessarily (that is, the contact 30a is not pushed unnecessarily).
In this case, the position where the projection 41 abuts the end of the groove 40 is the limit of movement of the operation shaft 32 (full stroke position). However, when the operation shaft 32 is held by the holding mechanism 35, the full stroke is reached. The protrusion 41 is held at a position slightly above the position, and the operation state of the switch contact in the switch module 30 is maintained.
Further, when the operating shaft 32 returns to the non-operating state (neutral) and the pressing portion 39 moves backward, the switch contact in the switch module 30 returns to the non-operating state.

  In the switch device of this example described above, as shown in FIG. 4, when the W / L knob 8 and the operation shaft 32 are in the non-operation position, the pressing portion 39 is retracted, so that the switch module 30 is in contact. The child 30a is in the non-operation position, and the switch contact of the switch module 30 is in an inoperative state. However, when the W / L knob 8 is pushed (depressed) by a predetermined amount, the pressing portion 39 moves forward by a predetermined amount as shown in FIG. 4, so that the contact 30a of the switch module 30 is pushed into the operation position. The switch contact of the switch module 30 is activated. The operation state (push state) is maintained by the operation of the holding mechanism 35 even after the operation of pushing the W / L knob 8 is stopped, and when the operation of pushing the W / L knob 8 again is performed, The operating state is canceled and the non-operating state (neutral state) is restored. That is, in this switch device, every time an operation to push in the W / L knob 8 is executed, the switch contact is switched between the operating state and the non-operating state, and the same operation as the conventional one is realized.

And this switch apparatus implement | achieves the function as a W / L switch reliably as mentioned above, and has the following various characteristics.
(1) Since the switch contact is built in the switch module 30 separate from the operation knob (W / L knob 8) and the operation shaft 32, the operation knob and the operation shaft 32 and their peripheral members (module case 33 and pressing portion) 39) and the like can be made of a material having high heat resistance, and these members can be made of a transparent or translucent material. Therefore, the operation knob itself and the mark provided on the operation knob can be easily illuminated. For example, as described above, the light emitting element 60 is mounted on the circuit board 2 (a position directly below the operation shaft 32), and the output light of the light emitting element 60 is transmitted to the outside through the operation shaft 32 and the operation knob. It is possible to adopt a configuration.

(2) Since the switch module 30 mounted on the circuit board 2 is separated from the operation shaft 32 and the switch drive mechanism 36, the contact 30a is pressed by the pressing portion 39 of the switch drive mechanism 36 to operate. As long as the configuration is adopted, the positional relationship with respect to the operation axis or the like can be freely set. For this reason, the switch module 30 can also be provided on the back side of the circuit board 2 by extending the pressing portion 39 to the back side of the circuit board 2 as shown in FIG. Therefore, all the mounted components including the connector can be provided on the back surface side of the circuit board 2, and the soldering operation can be performed only on one surface (front surface side).

(3) For the same reason, the position in the height direction (the axial direction of the operation shaft 32) where the switch module 30 is installed (that is, the position in the height direction of the circuit board 2) is the position of the operation knob or the operation shaft 32. It can be set regardless of the position in the height direction, and the degree of freedom in the position in the height direction within the case (upper case 1 and lower case 3) of the circuit board 2 is remarkably increased.

(4) Since the switch module 30 mounted on the circuit board 2 is separated from the operation shaft 32 and the switch drive mechanism 36, the operation shaft 32 and the switch drive mechanism 36 are attached before the circuit board 2 is assembled. Further, it is possible to attach the operation knob (W / L knob 8) to the operation shaft 32 before the circuit board 2 is assembled. For this reason, the assembly is completed with a few steps of assembling the circuit board 2 on which each circuit component is mounted to the assembly of the upper case 1 and the lower case 3 to which all components including the operation knob are previously attached. In other words, after assembling the circuit board 2 on which each circuit component is mounted on the assembly of the upper case 1, an extra step of retrofitting only the operation knob becomes unnecessary.

(5) The operation shaft 32, the switch drive mechanism 36, and the holding mechanism 35 are configured as an integrated module (W / L module 31). For this reason, compared with the structure which attaches these components and mechanisms with respect to the upper case 1 separately, the assembly property of a case assembly improves and management of components becomes easy.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and applications are possible.
For example, as shown in FIG. 5A, the switch drive mechanism is disposed on the side (side) of the operation shaft 32 and engages with the protrusion 41 a that moves up and down integrally with the operation shaft 32. The switch drive mechanism 36a may include a pressing portion 39a having a groove 40a, and the pressing portion 39a may move back and forth in the horizontal direction by the vertical movement of the protrusion 41a.
Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 5B, a switch drive mechanism 36b including a pressing portion 39b that swings in the horizontal direction in conjunction with the vertical movement of the operation shaft 32 may be used.

  Further, the switch module may be a switch module 50 formed of a large current micro switch as shown in FIG. In this case, the contact 50a of the switch module 50 is a type that slides in the lateral direction rather than being pushed in. For this reason, the switch drive mechanism 36c provided with the press part 39c which has a groove | channel engaged with the contact 50a is provided as a switch drive mechanism.

  Further, the holding mechanism 35 is not an essential element, and there may be a mode in which the holding mechanism 35 is not provided. For example, if the circuit side is configured to hold a signal generated by the operation of the switch contact, the holding mechanism 35 is unnecessary.

It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows an operation knob and a W / L module. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the periphery structure of a W / L module. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the assembly of an upper case. It is a figure explaining a switch drive mechanism. It is a figure explaining the other example of a switch drive mechanism. It is a figure explaining other examples, such as a switch module. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the unit containing the conventional switch apparatus. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the principal part structure of the conventional switch apparatus. It is a side view explaining the component mounting state of a circuit board.

Explanation of symbols

1 Upper case 2 Circuit board 3 Lower case 8 W / L knob (operation knob)
30, 50 switch module (second switch module)
30a, 50a Contact 31 W / L module ( first switch module)
32 Operation shaft 36, 36a, 36b, 36c Switch drive mechanism 39, 39a, 39b, 39c Pressing portion 60 Light emitting element

Claims (2)

A case, an operation knob for pressing operation disposed on a surface of the case, and the operation knob provided to be integrated with the operation knob so as to extend to the back side of the operation knob, and supports the operation knob; An operation shaft that is operable in the direction of pushing into the case in accordance with the pressing operation of the switch, a switch contact that operates in conjunction with the operation of the operation shaft, and the switch contact that is arranged inside the case and incorporates the switch contact A circuit board on which a circuit to be formed is formed,
A first switch module that includes the operation shaft and that switches on and off of the switch contact based on an operation of the operation knob is provided on the case side,
The switch contact is installed outside the lower side in the pushing direction of the operation knob,
With a built-in said switch contact has a press-type contacts, Ri by the operation of the contacts, the second switch module switch contacts are actuated installed in the outer, mounted on the circuit board And
A switch having a pressing portion for operating the switch contact by linearly moving or swinging in the direction of pressing the contact in conjunction with the operation of the operation shaft, and separated from the second switch module A drive mechanism is provided in the first switch module;
By operating the operation knob, the operation / non-operation state of the first switch module is switched, and the operation / non-operation state of the second switch module is switched.
The switch device is characterized in that the pressing portion moves in a direction perpendicular to a moving direction of the operation knob to switch an operation / non-operation state of the switch contact . The switch device according to claim 1, wherein a light emitting element is provided on the circuit board, and output light of the light emitting element is transmitted to the outside through the operation shaft and the operation knob .

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