JP4332757B2 - Dial operation device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a dial type operating device used for operating an electronic device provided in a vehicle (particularly an automobile).

JP 2006-107904 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-7332 JP 2001-14777 A Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 3-4437

  In a vehicle such as an automobile, an operation unit for operating an electronic device to be mounted, for example, an air conditioner, a car audio system, and a car navigation system is provided in the vehicle. The operation unit is provided with an operation unit for a vehicle occupant to operate as necessary. Among these, dial type operation devices are often used in air volume adjustment operation units, temperature adjustment operation units or outlet selection operation units of air conditioners, volume operation units of car audio systems, and the like (Patent Documents 1 to 4).

  The dial-type operation device forms a click uneven row on one of the dial knob and the housing as in Patent Document 1 in order to provide intermittent click feeling (moderation feeling) at the time of operation while providing intermittent operation angle position. Similarly, a click mechanism having a click plunger that is spring-biased toward the click unevenness row on the other side is often provided. Various configurations of the click mechanism have been proposed. For example, in Patent Documents 1 and 2, a click mechanism mounting member that rotates integrally with the dial knob is provided in addition to the dial knob, and the spring and the click plunger are clicked. After mounting on the mechanism mounting member, a dial knob is further assembled to form an integral dial assembly, and the dial assembly is assembled to the housing. On the other hand, Patent Document 3 discloses a configuration in which a click mechanism mounting hole for co-loading a spring and a click plunger is formed so as to open on the inner peripheral surface of a dial knob mounting hole on the housing side.

  However, in the configurations of Patent Documents 2 and 3, the click mechanism mounting member is required separately from the dial knob, and there is a problem that an increase in the number of parts is unavoidable. On the other hand, in the configuration of Patent Document 4, since the click mechanism mounting hole is closed to the dial mounting surface side, the click plunger and the coil spring are connected to the click mechanism from the opening on the inner peripheral surface side of the dial knob mounting hole. Further, there is a disadvantage that the assembly is troublesome because the dial knob must be mounted while preventing the click plunger and the coil spring from coming out of the click mechanism mounting hole. Also, when manufacturing the casing by injection molding, the core pulling direction of the dial knob mounting hole and the core pulling direction of the click mechanism mounting hole do not match, and the core of the click mechanism mounting hole is not aligned with the dial knob mounting hole. A slide core mechanism that slides out in a different direction from the core is required, and there is a problem that mold costs rise. Furthermore, since the slide core is pulled out in the longitudinal direction of the click mechanism mounting hole, the core taper amount to be applied to the inner surface of the click mechanism mounting hole is inevitably increased. There is a problem that the rattling becomes large and the operation sound is easily noticeable.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a dial-type operating device that is a slide core mechanism for forming a click mechanism mounting hole and that can effectively suppress rattling in the click mechanism mounting hole of a click plunger. It is in.

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention

In order to solve the above problems, the dial type operating device of the present invention is
A housing configured as a resin injection molded body;
A dial knob attached to the dial knob mounting hole formed in the outer surface of the housing so as to be rotatable in the circumferential direction of the dial knob mounting hole;
A click unevenness forming portion provided so as to be integrally rotatable with the dial knob, the click unevenness row being formed along the outer peripheral surface,
In the plunger mounting groove formed in the peripheral area of the dial knob mounting hole on the surface of the housing, the tip is arranged to engage with the click uneven row, and follows the click uneven row as the dial knob rotates. Click plunger that moves forward and backward in the plunger mounting groove,
An elastic member that is mounted in the plunger mounting groove together with the click plunger, and that elastically biases the click plunger toward the click uneven row;
The plunger mounting groove has a groove length larger than the groove depth, and has an inner surface shape that allows the molding core of the plunger mounting groove to be extracted from the groove opening side. The side surface is a tapered surface that enlarges the groove width on the groove opening side.

  In the dial type operating device of the present invention, the click unevenness row is formed along the outer peripheral surface of the click unevenness forming portion that can rotate integrally with the dial knob, and the tip portion of the click unevenness forming portion is arranged opposite to the click unevenness row. Is done. In other words, the click plunger has a configuration facing the dial knob from the side with respect to the rotation axis. Plunger mounting grooves are formed in a housing configured as a resin injection molded body so as to form an opening on the surface of the housing on which the dial knob is mounted. The plunger mounting groove has a groove length larger than the groove depth, and an inner surface shape that allows the molding core of the plunger mounting groove to be extracted from the groove opening side. That is, when the casing is injection molded, the molding core of the plunger mounting groove is extracted from the molded body in the rotational axis direction of the dial knob in the same manner as the molding core of the dial knob mounting hole formed through the casing surface. Is possible.

As a result, the following effects are achieved.
(1) Since the click mechanism is mounted on the housing side, it is not necessary to provide a click mechanism mounting member separately from the dial knob as in Patent Documents 2 and 3.
(2) Since the plunger mounting groove opens on the housing surface (dial mounting surface) and the molding core can be removed, the click plunger (and the elastic member) are opened from the opening in the rotational axis direction of the dial knob. ) Can be easily mounted, and the troublesome procedure of loading the click plunger and the elastic member from the inner peripheral surface side of the dial knob mounting hole can be eliminated (however, the process of mounting the click plunger from the end surface in the longitudinal direction of the plunger mounting groove) Is not a statement to eliminate).
(3) When manufacturing the casing by injection molding, the extraction direction of the core of the dial knob mounting hole matches the extraction direction of the core of the plunger mounting groove, and the core of the plunger mounting groove is aligned with the core of the dial knob mounting hole. Since a slide core mechanism that slides in a different direction and removes it becomes unnecessary, the mold cost can be reduced.
(4) Since the molding core of the plunger mounting groove is extracted in a direction perpendicular to the advancing and retreating direction of the click plunger to be mounted, the core extraction stroke can be made small, so that the taper amount applied to the inner surface is small. The click plunger rattles in the groove width direction in the click mechanism mounting hole, and as a result, operation noise can be suppressed.

  The side surface of the click plunger that faces the inner surface of the tapered surface of the plunger mounting groove can be formed as a surface that is more prominent than the inner surface of the tapered plunger mounting groove in the plunger mounting groove. In this case, the click plunger is fitted with a clearance fit in the plunger mounting groove. A taper is provided inside the plunger mounting groove in the groove depth direction, and as described above, the amount of taper required for removing the molding core can be reduced, so that the click plunger generated on the opening side of the plunger mounting groove Even when the gap between the side surfaces becomes small and the gap fitting mounting form as described above is adopted, it is possible to effectively suppress rattling in the groove width direction of the click plunger and, consequently, the operation sound.

  On the other hand, at least one inner wall portion in the width direction of the plunger mounting groove can be formed as a tapered wall portion that, together with the corresponding side wall portion of the click plunger, becomes narrower toward the recess bottom. By forming the tapered wall portion, the side wall portion of the click plunger and the inner wall portion of the plunger mounting groove can be fitted in a sliding form, and the rattling of the click plunger in the width direction can be further reduced.

  The form of the elastic member is not particularly limited, and for example, a leaf spring or the like can be used. However, a coil spring is preferably used from the viewpoint that adjustment of the spring constant is easy and a jig for mounting is unnecessary. be able to. In this case, the click plunger can be a hollow member having an open rear end. A spring receiving portion can be formed in the plunger mounting groove at a position corresponding to the rear end. The coil spring is accommodated in the click plunger, and the click plunger can be mounted in the plunger mounting groove in a state where the coil spring is compressed between the spring receiving portion and the tip of the inner surface of the click plunger. According to this configuration, the coil spring can be collectively mounted in the plunger mounting groove in the form of an assembly inserted into the click plunger, and the number of assembling steps can be reduced. Further, since the coil spring is assembled in a state where it is accommodated in the click plunger, the coil spring is less likely to be scattered when the coil spring is assembled while being pressed against the spring receiving portion and compressed.

  A knob mounting cylindrical portion whose inner peripheral surface is used as a dial knob mounting hole can be integrally formed on the wall portion of the housing, and a click concavo-convex row can be arranged inside the knob mounting cylindrical portion. The knob mounting cylindrical part or dial knob has a tip lifting restricting part for restricting the tip side of the click plunger coming into contact with the click concavo-convex row from the groove opening by the elastic biasing force of the coil spring in the plunger mounting groove. In the mounting groove, the click plunger can be formed in a positional relationship in which the tip lifting restriction state can be eliminated by compressing the click plunger against the elastic biasing force of the coil spring while being compressed. According to this configuration, when the click plunger is mounted in the plunger mounting groove, the click plunger is retracted against the elastic urging force of the coil spring while being compressed, thereby causing interference between the tip lifting restriction portion and the click plunger. Can be avoided, and can be installed smoothly. After the mounting, the click plunger moves forward by the elastic return force of the coil spring and comes into contact with the click concavo-convex row, and the tip of the click plunger is prevented from being lifted from the opening of the plunger mounting groove by the tip lifting restricting portion. Further, rattling of the click plunger in the groove depth direction is less likely to occur, and a stable advance / retreat operation can be secured.

  Specifically, the knob mounting cylindrical portion can be formed with a penetrating portion that allows the plunger mounting groove and the inside of the knob mounting cylindrical portion to communicate with each other and that the tip end portion of the click plunger protrudes toward the click uneven row. . In this case, the inner edge located on the groove opening side of the penetrating portion can be used as the tip lifting restricting portion. Click through in the assembled state by providing a penetrating part in the knob-mounting cylindrical part that rotatably supports the dial knob, and passing it through the tip of the click plunger and engaging it with the click uneven row inside it. The plunger is less likely to come out of the plunger mounting groove, and a stable assembled state can be obtained.

  On the other hand, in the plunger mounting groove, the rear end side of the click plunger is separated from the groove opening by engaging the rear end portion of the click plunger while allowing the click plunger to move forward and backward by a certain length in the plunger mounting groove. A rear end lifting restricting portion that restricts lifting can be formed. By forming the rear end lifting restricting portion, the click plunger is less likely to rattle in the groove depth direction, and a more stable advance / retreat operation can be secured.

  The rear end lifting restricting portion is detachably engaged with a plunger side engaging portion formed at the rear end portion of the click plunger from the rear end surface side of the click plunger, and in the engaged state, It is possible to provide a groove-side engaging portion that engages with the rear end portion of the click plunger while allowing a certain length of forward / backward movement in the plunger mounting groove. Since the groove side engaging portion can be detachably engaged with the plunger side engaging portion formed at the rear end portion of the click plunger from the rear end surface side of the click plunger, the click plunger is inserted into the groove. The engagement state can be formed simply by inserting in the longitudinal direction, and the function of preventing the rear end of the click plunger from floating while ensuring the forward and backward movement of the click plunger can be performed without any problem.

  The groove side engaging portion may be a guide protruding portion protruding from the inner surface of the plunger mounting groove. Further, the plunger side engaging portion is formed so as to open to the rear end surface of the plunger and to cut to the middle position in the longitudinal direction of the plunger toward the distal end side of the plunger, and receives the guide protrusion from the rear end surface side of the plunger in the longitudinal direction of the plunger. It can be a guide notch. By the relative movement of the guide shaft portion within the guide notch portion, the advancement and retraction of the click plunger accompanying the dial knob operation is guided, and rattling of the click plunger in the groove depth direction can be prevented.

  When the elastic member is a coil spring, and the click plunger is a hollow member whose rear end is open and the coil spring is accommodated inside the opening, the guide notch is formed through the wall of the hollow member. It can be a guide slit. In this case, if the guide protrusion is formed so that the tip end protrudes into the hollow member with respect to the guide slit, the rear end of the coil spring accommodated in the click plunger is brought into contact with the protrusion. By doing so, it can also be used as a spring receiving portion.

  When the direction perpendicular to both the depth direction of the plunger mounting groove and the advancing and retreating direction of the click plunger is defined as the width direction of the plunger mounting groove, the guide protrusion is a guide shaft arranged in the width direction of the plunger mounting groove. The guide shaft portion can be disposed in the guide slit. The guide notch is used as a guide slit, and the guide shaft located in the width direction of the plunger mounting groove is engaged with this, so that the guide shaft functions as the aforementioned rear end lifting restricting portion, and the click plunger is mounted on the plunger. When advancing and retracting in the groove, rattling of the click plunger in the groove depth direction can be effectively suppressed.

  Moreover, the auxiliary shaft part which connects a guide shaft part and the rear-end inner wall part of a plunger mounting groove can be provided in the form which crosses the clearance gap for plunger mounting in the advancing / retreating direction of the click plunger in a plunger mounting groove. As a result, the strength of the guide shaft portion can be increased, and the durability of the guide shaft portion can be sufficiently ensured even under a situation where variable stress is repeatedly applied from the elastic member as the click plunger moves forward and backward.

  By forming the leading end lifting restricting portion or the trailing end lifting restricting portion, the lift of the click plunger from the plunger mounting groove can be effectively suppressed. As a result, the bottom surface of the plunger mounting groove and the bottom surface of the click plunger can be formed as flat surfaces that do not cause uneven engagement with each other, thereby simplifying the shape.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows an example of the front appearance of an in-vehicle operation unit U to which the present invention is applied. This in-vehicle operation unit U is for operating an automobile (vehicle) air conditioner as an in-vehicle electronic device, and has a resin casing 20. Dial type operation devices 1A, 1B, and 1C (hereinafter collectively referred to as “1” when referring to the surface of the casing 20 (base surface portion: forming the front surface of the in-vehicle operation unit U)). ”). The dial type operation devices 1A, 1B, and 1C are respectively mounted on the housing 2 so as to be capable of rotating operation in a form adjacent to one horizontal row.

  The dial type operation devices 1A, 1B, and 1C are all for operating the air conditioning function. The dial type operation device 1A is used as an air conditioning temperature setting unit, and the dial type operation device 1B is used as an air conditioning outlet switching setting unit. The type operation device 1 </ b> C functions as a blowing air volume switching setting unit. The dial type operating device 1A is more subdivided than the other two dial type operating devices 1B and 1C so that the temperature setting can be changed semi-continuously. . On the other hand, the dial type operating devices 1B and 1C each have five angle holding positions arranged at equal angular intervals. In the dial type operation device 1B for setting the air outlet, five of them are “face speech, face + foot speech, foot speech, foot + def speech, differential speech”, and in the dial operation device 1C for air volume setting, “Off (stop blowing), low (air volume stage I: may be auto), air volume stage II, air volume stage III, high (air volume stage IV)”.

  Each dial type operating device 1 has a structure as shown in FIG. The housing 2 is configured as a resin injection molded body, specifically, an injection molded body such as ABS resin or polycarbonate / ABS resin. A dial knob mounting hole 21h is formed through the surface 20 (base surface portion: hereinafter also referred to as the base surface portion 20) of the housing 2, and around the rotation axis O intersecting the base surface portion 20 with respect to the dial knob mounting hole 21h. A dial knob 3 is rotatably attached to the dial. The dial knob 3 is provided with a click unevenness forming portion 32 in which a click unevenness row 35 is formed along the outer peripheral surface at a position buried from the base surface portion 20 so as to be integrally rotatable.

  The casing 2 is formed with a plunger mounting groove (plunger mounting recess) 24 so as to form an opening 24 a in the base surface portion 20. In this plunger mounting groove 24, the click plunger 4 is mounted together with the elastic member 45 so that the distal end portion 44 faces the outer peripheral surface of the click unevenness forming portion 32 so as to be laid down as viewed from the rotation axis O side. Has been. The click plunger 4 is elastically urged toward the outer peripheral surface of the click concavo-convex forming portion 32 by the elastic member 45, and the plunger urging groove follows the click concavo-convex row 35 as the dial knob 3 rotates by the elastic urging force. Move forward and backward in 24.

  The plunger mounting groove 24 has a groove length larger than the groove depth, and has an inner surface shape in which the molding core of the plunger mounting groove 24 can be extracted from the groove opening side. Then, as shown in FIG. 8, at least one inner surface (here, both may be only one) in the groove width direction of the plunger mounting groove 24 expands the groove width on the groove opening side. A tapered surface 24t is formed. In the plunger mounting groove 24, the side surface 4 s of the click plunger 4 that faces the inner surface of the tapered surface 24 t of the plunger mounting groove 24 is a surface (tapered) that stands out from the tapered inner surface of the plunger mounting groove 24. The click plunger 4 is defined as a surface in which the taper thickness is smaller than the taper thickness δ of the taper surface 24t. Is fitted with a gap fit.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, since the plunger mounting groove 24 is open to the base surface portion 20 (dial mounting surface side) of the housing 2, the dial knob 3 has an opening 24 a in the rotation axis O direction. The click plunger 4 (and the elastic member 45) can be easily mounted, and the troublesome procedure of loading the click plunger 4 and the elastic member 45 from the inner peripheral surface side of the dial knob mounting hole 21h can be eliminated.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8, when the casing 2 is injection-molded, the molding cores 101 and 102 of the plunger mounting groove 24 are formed as dial knob mounting holes 21 h that are formed through the base surface portion 20 of the casing 2. As with the core 103, the dial knob 3 can be extracted from the molded body in the direction of the rotation axis O. That is, in the depth direction of the plunger mounting groove 24, a parting line by the molding cores 101 and 102 is set at a position that divides a spring receiving portion 26, which will be described later, up and down, and the peripheral side surfaces of the molding cores 101 and 102 are The inner peripheral surface of the plunger mounting groove 24 to be formed (including the groove opening and the peripheral edge of the through hole on the groove bottom side) has a shape that does not have a molding site that protrudes inside the groove.

  Thereby, the extraction direction of the core 103 of the dial knob mounting hole 21h and the extraction direction of the cores 101 and 102 of the plunger mounting groove 24 coincide with each other, and the core of the plunger mounting groove 24 is different from the core of the dial knob mounting hole 21h. Since the slide core mechanism that slides out and removes is unnecessary, the die cost can be reduced. Further, since the molding core of the plunger mounting groove 24 is extracted in a direction perpendicular to the advancing and retreating direction of the click plunger 4 to be mounted, the core extraction stroke can be reduced, and the taper amount δ (see FIG. 8) applied to the inner surface. The X-X cross section and the Y-Y cross section) can be reduced, and rattling in the click mechanism mounting hole of the click plunger 4 can be suppressed, and consequently the operation sound can be suppressed.

  This will be described in more detail below. The elastic member 45 is configured as a coil spring (hereinafter also referred to as a coil spring 45). The click plunger 4 is a hollow member having an open rear end, and a spring receiving portion 26 is formed in the plunger mounting groove 24 at a position corresponding to the rear end. The coil spring 45 is accommodated in the click plunger 4, and the click plunger 4 is mounted in the plunger mounting groove 24 in a state where the coil spring 45 is compressed between the spring receiving portion 26 and the tip of the inner surface of the click plunger 4.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the spring receiving portion 26 is a rotation fulcrum portion, the forward / backward direction of the click plunger 4 is the rotational radius direction, and the tip position of the click plunger 4 is positioned outside the plunger mounting recess 24 (in step 1). Position), when the click plunger 4 is virtually rotated within a predetermined plane from the position toward the second position (position of step 4) which is also located in the plunger mounting recess 24, the rotation accompanies the rotation. The shape of the rear end portion of the click plunger 4 and the plunger mounting groove (concave portion) 24 is determined so that spatial interference between the spring spring receiving portion 26 and the rear end portion of the click plunger 4 does not occur.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the click plunger 4 has plunger-side guide engagement portions (plunger-side engagement portions) 43, 43 that open to the rear end surface of the click plunger 4 and extend in the forward / backward direction of the click plunger 4. Is formed. The spring receiving portion 26 is engaged with the plunger side guide engaging portions 43 and 43 of the click plunger 4 from the opening side, and is also used as the plunger guide portion 26 for guiding the forward and backward movement of the click plunger 4.

  Specifically, the spring receiving portion 26 that forms the plunger guide portion 26 is a guide protruding portion (groove-side engaging portion) 26 that is formed to protrude from the inner surface of the plunger mounting recess 24. Further, the plunger side guide engaging portions 43, 43 are formed so as to open to the rear end surface of the plunger and to cut to the middle position in the longitudinal direction of the click plunger 4 toward the distal end side of the plunger. The plunger-side engaging portions 43 and 43 guide the movement of the click plunger 4 in the plunger mounting groove 24 by moving the plunger 26 in the plunger mounting groove 24 by moving the plunger 26 in the plunger longitudinal direction.

  The plunger side engaging portions 43, 43 are guide slits 43, 43 formed through the wall portion of the hollow click plunger 4. The guide protrusion 26 is inserted into the guide slits 43, 43 so that the front end protrudes into the click plunger 4, and is in contact with the rear end of the coil spring 45 accommodated in the hollow member. . The guide protrusion 26 has a guide shaft portion 26 disposed in a direction intersecting with the advance / retreat direction of the click plunger 4, and the guide shaft portion 26 is disposed in the guide slits 43. As a matter of course, the guide shaft portion 26 is formed narrower than the guide slits 43 and 43.

  Further, an auxiliary shaft portion 25 that connects the guide shaft portion 26 and the inner wall portion of the rear end of the plunger mounting groove 24 is provided so as to cross the plunger mounting gap 24j in the direction in which the click plunger 4 moves forward and backward in the plunger mounting groove 24. ing. An auxiliary slit 42 that allows passage of the auxiliary shaft portion 25 is formed at the rear end portion of the click plunger 4 at a position that overlaps the relative rotation locus of the auxiliary shaft portion 25 when virtual rotation is performed. Yes. The auxiliary shaft portion 25 is formed to be narrower than the auxiliary slit 42.

  The formation position of the concave rear end wall 24b that defines the rear end portion of the plunger mounting concave portion 24 in the advancing and retreating direction of the click plunger 4 is as shown in FIG. The click plunger 4 is retracted against the elastic force of the coil spring 45 by a necessary and sufficient distance so as not to interfere with 35, and the click plunger 4 is virtually rotated around the central axis of the guide shaft in this state. Is defined behind the virtual locus J drawn by the rear end edge of the click plunger 4. Further, in order to avoid interference with the trajectory J, the bottom portion of the plunger mounting groove 24 is notched in a penetrating form (however, at least this portion is sufficient for avoiding interference). It may be a bottomed structure with a sufficient groove depth).

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the dial knob 3 has a knob body 31 formed in a cap shape. As shown in FIG. 3, a knob mounting cylindrical portion 21 protrudes from the surface of the base surface portion 20 of the housing 2, and as shown in FIG. 2, the knob main body 31 includes the knob mounting cylindrical portion 21. It is mounted in a form that covers from the outside. The inner peripheral surface of the knob mounting cylindrical portion 21 is used as a dial knob mounting hole 21h. As shown in FIG. 4, when it is considered that the click plunger 4 is accommodated in the plunger mounting groove 24 in a state where the coil spring 45 is in contact with the spring receiving portion 26 so that the coil spring 45 is not compressed, the tip portion 44 has a click unevenness. The length in the advancing / retreating direction is determined so as to enter a certain length inside the bottom of the recess 35 c of the row 35.

  As shown in FIG. 2, when the direction perpendicular to both the depth direction of the plunger mounting groove 24 and the forward / backward direction of the click plunger 4 is defined as the width direction of the plunger mounting groove 24, the spring receiving portion 26 It is also used as a guide shaft portion 26 formed so as to connect both inner wall portions 24s, 24s in the width direction of the mounting groove 24. The aforementioned guide slits 43, 43 are formed on the rear end side of the click plunger 4, and serve as a guide shaft portion engaging portion that engages with the guide shaft portion 26 in a rotatable manner.

  Here, the guide slits 43 and 43 (guide shaft portion engaging portions) are formed at intermediate positions in the height direction of the side wall portions 4 s in the width direction of the click plunger 4. Between the guide shaft portion 26 and the rear end inner wall portion 24b of the plunger mounting groove 24, when the rear end portion of the click plunger 4 is mounted upright in the plunger mounting groove 24, both side walls 4s in the width direction are placed. A plunger mounting gap 24j is formed for receiving a portion located on the rear side of the guide slits 43, 43. Further, the auxiliary shaft portion 25 connects the guide shaft portion 26 and the rear end inner wall portion 24b of the plunger mounting groove 24 so as to cross the plunger mounting gap 24j in the advancing and retreating direction of the click plunger 4 in the plunger mounting groove 24. It is formed in a shape.

  On the back surface of the top surface portion of the knob body 31, a stem portion 32 inserted inside the knob mounting tubular portion 21 projects so as to extend rearward from the rear end edge of the knob body 31 in the direction of the rotation axis O. Has been. On the outer peripheral surface of the portion of the stem portion 32 extending from the rear end edge of the knob main body 31 (in a state where the dial knob 3 is mounted on the knob mounting cylindrical portion 21), a position corresponding to the plunger mounting groove 24 is provided. The click concavo-convex row 35 is formed. That is, the said part of the stem part 32 comprises the above-mentioned click uneven | corrugated formation part.

  The knob mounting tubular portion 21 has a back surface tubular portion 21 s that protrudes from the back surface of the base surface portion 20. A casing side engaging portion 24 is formed concentrically as a cylindrical portion having a diameter smaller than that of the rear surface cylindrical portion 21s at the rear end portion of the rear surface cylindrical portion 21s, and is formed at the rear end portion of the stem portion 32. The claw-like knob-side engagement portion 34 thus engaged is engaged with the stem portion 32 so as to allow rotation around the rotation axis O. A through portion 23 that protrudes the distal end portion 44 of the click plunger 4 toward the click concavo-convex row 35 formed in the stem portion 32 is formed in a portion that forms the front end surface of the plunger mounting groove 24 of the back surface cylindrical portion 21s. Is formed.

  The penetrating portion 23 (the inner peripheral edge thereof) forms a tip lifting restricting portion, and the distal end side of the click plunger 4 that contacts the click uneven row 35 by the elastic biasing force of the coil spring 45 in the plunger mounting groove 24 extends from the groove opening. Regulates floating. As is apparent from the figure, the formation position of the penetrating portion 23 (tip lifting restricting portion) is retracted by a certain length while compressing the click plunger 4 against the elastic biasing force of the coil spring 45 in the plunger mounting groove 24. By doing so, it is determined that the tip lift restriction state of the click plunger 4 can be eliminated. Specifically, by projecting onto a plane orthogonal to the depth direction of the plunger mounting groove 24 (the central axis direction of the dial knob mounting hole 21h), the distal end portion of the click plunger 4 and the penetrating portion 23 of the click plunger 4 are controlled in a state where the tip lift is restricted. An overlap occurs with the inner peripheral surface, and the overlap does not occur in the restriction cancellation state where the click plunger 4 is retracted by a certain length.

  On the other hand, the guide shaft portion 26 in the plunger mounting groove 24 engages with the guide slits 43, 43, thereby allowing the click plunger 4 to move forward and backward by a certain length in the plunger mounting groove 24. It functions as a rear end lifting restricting part that restricts the rear end side from floating up from the groove opening. In addition, the bottom surface of the plunger mounting groove 24 and the bottom surface of the click plunger 4 are each formed as a flat surface that does not cause uneven engagement with each other.

  Note that the stem portion 32 of the dial knob 3 is formed hollow, and a rotor 6 for detecting rotation is fitted therein as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of engagement claws 33 project in the circumferential direction on the inner peripheral surface of the stem portion 32, and an engagement rod 61 integrated with the front end of the rotor 6 that is pushed into the stem portion 32. By engaging with this, the dial knob 3 and the rotor 6 rotate integrally. The substrate 7 on which the rotation sensor 71 is mounted is fixed to the bottom of the housing 2 by screwing or the like, and the rear end portion of the rotor 6 on which the rotation detection portion is formed is inserted into the rotation sensor 71. The rotational displacement of the dial knob 3 is detected.

  The procedure for assembling the click plunger 4 to the housing 2 in the dial type operating device is as follows. First, as shown in Step 1 of FIG. 6, the rear end portion of the click plunger 4 that houses the coil spring 45 is placed in the plunger mounting groove 24 while the rear end of the coil spring 45 is abutted and supported by the spring receiving portion 26. Insert into. Next, as shown in step 2, in this state, the click plunger 4 is tilted into the plunger mounting groove 24 with the spring receiving portion 26 as a rotation fulcrum. The length of the click plunger 4 in the advancing / retreating direction is determined as shown in FIG. 4 when the coil spring 45 is not compressed. Therefore, before the click plunger 4 is inserted into the plunger mounting groove 24, the length is hemispherical. The formed distal end portion 44 comes into contact with the side surface of the knob mounting tubular portion 21 first.

  Returning to FIG. 6, from this state, when the click plunger 4 is forcibly pushed down to the plunger mounting groove 24 side, the coil spring 45 in the click plunger 4 is compressed between the spring receiving portion 26 and the click plunger. 4 is rotated toward the plunger mounting groove 24 in such a manner that the front end portion 44 of the 4 slides on the outer peripheral surface of the dial knob 3. The coil spring 45 is in an uncompressed state so that the rear end edge extends rearward from the bottom position of the guide notches 43 and 43 in a state where the front end side is in contact with the inner front end surface of the click plunger 4. The length has been adjusted.

  When the click plunger 4 is mounted in the plunger mounting groove 24, the guide shaft portion 26 is inserted into the guide notches 43 and 43, and the coil spring 45 extending into the guide notches 43 and 43 is inserted into the guide shaft portion 26. The rear end portion of the click plunger 4 is inserted into the plunger mounting groove 24 while being compressed. Then, the click plunger 4 is rotationally mounted in the plunger mounting groove 24 in such a manner that the inner edges of the guide notches 43 and 43 are rotatably supported on the guide shaft portion 26. Even if the click plunger 4 generates a force in the direction of popping out of the plunger mounting groove 24 due to the reaction force of the compressed coil spring 45, the guide shaft portion 26 is fitted in the guide notches 43, 43, so that Be blocked.

  The plunger mounting groove 24 is a space for securing a rotation allowance of the rear end portion of the click plunger 4 when the click plunger 4 is rotationally mounted by cutting out a rear portion of the bottom portion 28 into a penetrating configuration. 28s is secured. As indicated by a broken line in Step 2 of FIG. 6, when the insertion depth of the guide shaft portion 26 into the guide cutout portions 43 and 43 is increased, the portion of the click plunger 4 that is located behind the guide shaft portion 26 is increased. The turning radius becomes large, and interference with the bottom of the plunger mounting groove 24 becomes a problem. However, the interference can be avoided by securing the space 28s.

  Then, as shown in step 3, the distal end portion 44 of the click plunger 4 is fitted into the plunger mounting groove 24 and the coil spring 45 is elastically restored, and the distal end portion 44 of the click plunger 4 is in the engaged position, that is, the through portion 23. It moves in, and it will be in the state protruded inside the knob mounting cylindrical part 21. FIG. Thereafter, as shown in step 4, the assembly is completed by fitting the stem portion 32 of the dial knob 3 into the inside of the knob mounting tubular portion 21. After the assembly, the guide shaft portion 26 is relatively moved in the guide notches 43 and 43 to guide the advancement and retraction of the click plunger 4 due to the operation of the dial knob 3, and the depth of the plunger mounting groove 24 in the groove depth direction is guided. Shaking can be prevented.

Hereinafter, various modifications of the present invention will be described.
9 to 12 show various modifications of the spring receiving portion. In the example shown in FIG. 9, the auxiliary shaft portion is omitted and only the guide shaft portion 26 is configured. Further, the click plunger 4 is not formed with an auxiliary slit. In the example shown in FIG. 10, the guide shaft portion 26 is divided in the middle of the groove width direction to form two guide protrusions that protrude from the inner surface of the groove.

  In the configuration of FIG. 11, the guide shaft portion 26 is not connected to both inner surfaces of the plunger mounting groove 24, and between the both ends in the groove width direction of the guide shaft portion 26 and the corresponding inner surface of the plunger mounting groove 24. Is formed with a gap, and the wall of the hollow click plunger 4 can be advanced and retracted through the gap. In other words, the guide shaft portion 26 is inserted into the interior of the click plunger 4 from the rear end opening portion together with the auxiliary shaft portion 25. Further, no guide slit is formed in the wall portion of the click plunger 4.

  In the configuration of FIG. 12, a spring receiving portion 26 ″ is formed on the bottom surface of the plunger mounting groove 24 to form a gap for moving the wall portion of the hollow click plunger 4 forward and backward between both side surfaces of the plunger mounting groove 24. The spring receiving portion 26 ″ forms a groove side engaging portion (guide protruding portion) and is inserted into the click plunger 4 from the rear end opening thereof. Further, a guide slit 42 ′ (plunger side engaging portion) for receiving the protruding proximal end portion of the spring receiving portion 26 ″ is formed on the bottom wall portion of the click plunger 4.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, at least one of the plunger mounting grooves 24 in the width direction, here both inner wall portions 124t and 104t, together with the corresponding side wall portions 104t and 104t of the click plunger 4, face the bottom of the recess 124. The concave portion 124 can be formed as a tapered wall portion having a narrow width. By forming the tapered wall portion, the side wall portion 4s of the click plunger 4 and the inner wall portions 24s, 24s of the plunger mounting groove 24 can be fitted in a sliding form, and the rattling of the click plunger 4 in the width direction is further reduced. can do.

  As shown in FIG. 13, it is possible to form a tip lifting restriction portion 26 </ b> L on the dial knob 3. In FIG. 13, the tip lifting restricting portion 26 </ b> L is formed so as to protrude in the circumferential direction of the proximal end portion of the stem portion 26.

The front view which shows an example of the vehicle operation unit which is one of the application objects of this invention. The top view and AA sectional view showing an example of the dial type operating device of the present invention. The perspective view which shows the principal part of the dial type operating device of FIG. Similarly side sectional drawing. The disassembled perspective view of the dial type operating device of FIG. Explanatory drawing of the assembly process of the dial type operating device of FIG. Sectional drawing which shows the modification of a click plunger. The figure explaining the relationship between the core for shaping | molding and the taper formed in the inner surface of a plunger mounting groove. Explanatory drawing which shows the 1st modification of a spring receiving part. Explanatory drawing which shows the 2nd modification of a spring receiving part. Explanatory drawing which shows the 3rd modification of a spring receiving part. Explanatory drawing which shows the 4th modification of a spring receiving part. The figure which shows the modification of a front-end | tip floating control part.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Dial type operating device 2 Housing | casing 3 Dial knob 4 Click plunger 20 Base surface part 21 Knob attachment cylindrical part 21h Dial knob attachment hole 21s Back surface cylindrical part 23 Through-hole part (tip floating regulation part)
24 Plunger mounting groove 25 Auxiliary shaft portion 26 Guide shaft portion (spring receiving portion, guide protruding portion, groove side engaging portion, rear end lifting restricting portion)
32 Stem part (click unevenness forming part)
35 click concavo-convex row 43, 43 guide slit (plunger side engaging portion, guide shaft portion engaging portion)
44 Tip 45 Coil spring (elastic member)

Claims (13)

A housing configured as a resin injection molded body;
A dial knob attached to the dial knob mounting hole formed in the outer surface of the housing so as to be rotatable in the circumferential direction of the dial knob mounting hole;
Click unevenness forming portion provided so as to be rotatable integrally with the dial knob, the click unevenness row being formed along the outer peripheral surface,
In the plunger mounting groove formed in the peripheral area of the dial knob mounting hole on the surface of the housing, a tip end portion is disposed so as to engage with the click concavo-convex row, and the click according to the rotation operation of the dial knob. A click plunger that moves forward and backward in the plunger mounting groove following the concave-convex row;
An elastic member that is mounted in the plunger mounting groove together with the click plunger and elastically biases the click plunger toward the click uneven row;
The plunger mounting groove has a groove length larger than the groove depth, has an inner surface shape that allows the molding core of the plunger mounting groove to be extracted from the groove opening side, and at least one of the plunger mounting grooves in the groove width direction. A dial type operating device characterized in that the inner side surface is a tapered surface that enlarges the groove width on the groove opening side.   In the plunger mounting groove, the side surface of the click plunger facing the inner side surface of the tapered surface of the plunger mounting groove is a surface that is more prominent than the inner surface of the tapered plunger mounting groove. The dial type operating device according to claim 1, wherein a plunger is fitted into the plunger mounting groove with a clearance fit.   The at least one inner wall portion in the width direction of the plunger mounting recess is formed as a tapered wall portion that, together with the corresponding side wall portion of the click plunger, becomes a narrower width toward the recess bottom. Dial type operation device as described. The elastic member is a coil spring;
The click plunger is a hollow member having an open rear end, and a spring receiving portion is formed in the plunger mounting groove at a position corresponding to the rear end.
The coil spring has a front end accommodated in the click plunger and a rear end in contact with the spring receiving portion, and is compressed between the front end of the inner surface of the click plunger and the spring receiving portion. The dial type operating device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the dial type operating device is mounted in the plunger mounting groove together with a plunger. The wall portion of the casing is integrally formed with a knob mounting cylindrical portion whose inner peripheral surface is used as the dial knob mounting hole, and the click uneven row is disposed inside the knob mounting cylindrical portion. ,
The knob mounting cylindrical portion or the dial knob restricts the tip end side of the click plunger coming into contact with the click concavo-convex row from the groove opening by the elastic biasing force of the coil spring in the plunger mounting groove. Positional relationship in which the tip lifting restriction state can be resolved by retracting the click plunger by a predetermined length while compressing the click plunger against the elastic biasing force of the coil spring in the plunger mounting groove. The dial type operating device according to claim 4, which is formed by   The knob mounting cylindrical portion is formed with a penetrating portion that allows the plunger mounting groove and the inside of the knob mounting cylindrical portion to communicate with each other and that the tip end portion of the click plunger protrudes toward the click concavo-convex row. 6. The dial type operating device according to claim 5, wherein an inner edge portion of the penetrating portion located on the groove opening side is used as the tip lifting restricting portion.   In the plunger mounting groove, the click plunger is engaged with the rear end portion of the click plunger while allowing the click plunger to move forward and backward by a predetermined length in the plunger mounting groove, so that the rear end side of the click plunger is the groove. The dial type operating device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a rear end lifting restricting portion that restricts lifting from the opening is formed.   The rear end lifting restricting portion is detachably engaged with a plunger side engaging portion formed at the rear end portion of the click plunger from the rear end surface side of the click plunger, and the click in the engaged state. 8. The dial type operating device according to claim 7, wherein the plunger is a groove side engaging portion that engages with a rear end portion of the click plunger while allowing a predetermined length of the plunger to move forward and backward within the plunger mounting groove.   The groove-side engagement portion is a guide protrusion that protrudes from the inner surface of the plunger mounting groove, and the plunger-side engagement portion opens to the rear end surface of the plunger and is positioned halfway in the longitudinal direction of the plunger toward the plunger front end side. The dial type operating device according to claim 8, wherein the dial operating device is formed as a guide notch that receives the guide protrusion in the plunger longitudinal direction from the plunger rear end surface side. The elastic member is a coil spring;
The click plunger is a hollow member in which a rear end is opened and the coil spring is accommodated from the opening,
The guide notch is a guide slit formed through the wall of the hollow member;
The guide protrusion is formed such that a tip portion protrudes into the hollow member with respect to the guide slit, and comes into contact with a rear end of the coil spring housed in the click plunger. The dial type operating device according to claim 9, which is also used as a dial.   When the direction perpendicular to both the depth direction of the plunger mounting groove and the advancing / retreating direction of the click plunger is defined as the width direction of the plunger mounting groove, the guide protrusion is arranged in the width direction of the plunger mounting groove. The dial type operating device according to claim 10, further comprising a guide shaft portion to be disposed, wherein the guide shaft portion is disposed in the guide slit.   An auxiliary shaft portion is provided that connects the guide shaft portion and the inner wall portion of the rear end of the plunger mounting groove so as to cross the plunger mounting gap in the plunger mounting groove in the forward and backward direction of the click plunger. Item 12. A dial operation device according to Item 11.   The dial type operation according to any one of claims 5 to 12, wherein a bottom surface of the plunger mounting groove and a bottom surface of the click plunger are each formed as a flat surface that does not cause uneven engagement with each other. apparatus.

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