JP4528697B2 - Switch device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a switch device capable of selectively operating a pair of switch elements by rotating the same operation member.

As a conventional example of this type of switch device, a pair of switch elements disposed on a circuit board in a housing, an actuator mounted on both switch elements, and swingable on the actuator The thing of the structure provided with the operation member is known (for example, refer patent document 1). In such a conventional switch device, a part of the operation member held swingably in the housing is exposed from the window portion of the housing so that it can be operated by an operator's finger, and when this operation member is operated. Since one end of the actuator is pushed and the lower switch element is pressed and driven, the switch-on signal is selectively sent from the pair of switch elements by selectively pushing both ends of the actuator with the operation member. Can be output.
JP-A-8-7701 (page 3-4, FIG. 1)

  In the conventional switch device described above, a space for stacking the switch elements and the actuators under the operation member in the housing must be secured. Therefore, the height of the housing is increased and the entire device is thinned. There was a problem that it was difficult.

  The present invention has been made in view of the actual situation of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a switch device that can selectively press drive a pair of switch elements and can be easily reduced in thickness.

To achieve the above object, in the switch device of the present invention includes a housing window is opened on the operating surface side, a portion having a rotation axis that will be rotatably held within the housing wherein An operating member exposed in the window, a pair of switch elements disposed on a circuit board in the housing and generating an elastic repulsion force against a pressing driving force, and swingably held in the housing A pair of oscillating end portions each having an actuator mounted on the switch element, the actuator being disposed on the side of the operating member, and a concave groove shape or a long hole shape at the oscillating central portion of the actuator. to form a notch, the parallel to extend the axial direction of the pivot shaft of the drive unit which is set to a predetermined radius of rotation to one end of the pivot shaft of the operating member, the actuator driving section in the notch of Rotatably to engage, the driving portion during rotational operation of the operating member the switching element by swinging rotating the actuator is configured to be press drive to the oscillating end portion.

In the switch device configured as described above, a driving portion extending in parallel with the axial direction of the rotation shaft is provided at one end portion of the rotation shaft of the operation member, and the driving portion is formed in the swing central portion of the actuator. Since the notch is slidably engaged with the notch, the actuator is smoothly swung and rotated in accordance with the rotational movement of the drive unit during the rotation operation of the operation member, and a pair of switch elements disposed below the actuator Can be selectively pressed. Therefore, the actuator and each switch element can be arranged on the side of the operation member, and the thickness can be easily reduced while suppressing the height of the housing.

  Further, in the above configuration, when a return spring is further provided that engages with the operation member in the housing and generates a return force at the time of the rotation operation, a slight amount is provided between the drive portion and the actuator of the operation member at the time of non-operation. Even if there is play, the operation member itself is kept free of play by the return spring, so that the dimensional accuracy can be set relatively rough, and the parts cost can be reduced and the assemblability can be improved.

Further, in the above configuration, the housing includes an upper case having a window portion and a lower case to which the upper case is attached, the actuator is swingably supported by the lower case, and the rotating shaft of the operation member Is supported by the lower case so as to be rotatable, it is possible to assemble all circuit boards, switch elements, actuators, operation members, etc. in the lower case, and the assembly is completed when the upper case is attached to the lower case. Therefore, a switch device with good assemblability can be obtained.

  Further, in the above configuration, the switch element is a fixed contact fixed on the circuit board, a dome body mounted on the circuit board around the fixed contact and capable of elastically buckling, and the dome. A movable contact fixed inside the body and facing the fixed contact so as to be able to come into contact with and separated from the fixed contact, and the movable contact is brought into contact with the fixed contact by being buckled and deformed by being pressed and driven. In addition, the waterproof and dustproof property of the contact portion can be remarkably enhanced, and a relatively large elastic repulsive force and a clear click feeling can be generated by the dome body, so that the reliability and operation feeling can be improved with a simple configuration. .

The switch device of the present invention is provided with a drive portion extending in parallel with the axial direction of the rotation shaft at one end portion of the rotation shaft of the operating member, and the drive portion is formed in a notch formed in the swinging central portion of the actuator. It is slidably engaged, and the drive portion of the operating member causes the side actuator to swing and rotate during the rotation operation, so that the swing end portion of the actuator presses the lower switch element, Since the actuator and each switch element can be arranged on the side of the operation member, the height of the housing can be suppressed without difficulty. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a switch device which can selectively press and drive a pair of switch elements and can be easily reduced in thickness.

  An embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a steering switch device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an assembled product of the switch device, and FIG. Is a front view showing a steering wheel equipped with the switch device, FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of an operation at the time of rotating the switch device, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a rubber seat incorporated in the switch device, and FIG. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the return spring integrated in this switch apparatus.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the steering switch device 1 according to the present embodiment is mounted in a pair of left and right inside an annular portion 31 of a steering wheel 30 of an automobile. Although the pair of steering switch devices 1 are formed in a symmetrical shape but have the same basic structure, only the steering switch device 1 mounted on the right side of FIG. 3 will be described below.

  The steering switch device 1 includes a lower case 2 in which a positioning pin 3 and a swing support portion 4 are erected, and a circuit board installed in the lower case 2 with a wiring pattern including a fixed contact 7 formed on the upper surface. 6, a rubber sheet 8 having a dome-shaped bulging portion 8a at a plurality of locations and placed on the circuit board 6, and a swing shaft portion 9a are pivotally supported by the swing support portion 4 and swing ends. An actuator 9 having a portion 9b mounted on the bulging portion 8a, an upper case 10 attached to the lower case 2 so as to cover the circuit board 6 and the rubber sheet 8, and an upper case 10 having a window portion 11a. The integrated frame-shaped case 11, the rotary knob 13 that is rotatably supported in the lower case 2 and a part of which is exposed to the window portion 11 a, and the rotary shaft 13 a of the rotary knob 13 are wound around and rotated. A torsion coil spring 14 that operates as a return spring during operation; The lower case has two operation keys 15 and 16 which are supported by the upper case 10 so as to be movable up and down at two places adjacent to the shaped case 11 and whose lower end portions are mounted on the bulging portion 8a, and an opening portion 17a. 2 and the cover body 17 that closes the upper case 10. Then, a rotation operation with respect to the rotary knob 13 and a pressing operation with respect to the operation keys 15 and 16 can be performed. Regardless of which operation is selected, the corresponding bulging portion 8a is elastically buckled and deformed. As a result, a click feeling is generated, and the movable contact 18 in the bulging portion 8a comes into contact with the fixed contact 7 on the circuit board 6 to be switched on (see FIG. 5). The lower case 2, the upper case 10, and the frame-shaped case 11 constitute a housing 19. The circuit board 6, the rubber sheet 8, the actuator 9, the torsion coil spring 14, and the like are accommodated in the internal space of the housing 19. In addition, the rotary knob 13 and the operation keys 15 and 16 are exposed on the upper surface side of the housing 19 and can be operated with fingers.

  The configuration of each part will be described in detail. Inside the lower case 2 is a swing support comprising a positioning pin 3 for positioning the circuit board 6 and the rubber sheet 8, and a pair of upright walls 4b having a shaft hole 4a for the actuator 9. 4 and the support wall 12 having the shaft groove 12a for the rotary knob 13 are erected, and the pair of standing wall portions 4b are erected substantially in parallel and have shaft holes 4a formed at opposite positions. Yes. In addition, a plurality of terminal holes 2a are arranged in one side portion in the lower case 2, and a shaft hole for the rotary knob 13 is provided in the other side portion in the lower case 2 at a location facing the shaft groove 12a. 2b is formed, and an engagement step portion 5 inclined in an inverted C shape for elastically contacting both arms 14a of the torsion coil spring 14 is provided in the vicinity thereof.

  The circuit board 6 is installed in the housing 19 so as to be substantially parallel to the window portion 11a. On the circuit board 6, a wiring pattern (not shown) including the fixed contact 7 is formed, and the illumination LED 20 and the like A terminal 21 for external connection is provided. Further, the circuit board 6 is formed with a plurality of through holes 6a through which the positioning pins 3 are inserted, and a cutout part 6b serving as an arrangement space for the swing support part 4, corresponding to each through hole 6a. In a state where the positioning pins 3 are inserted and the respective terminals 21 are inserted into the corresponding terminal holes 2a, the circuit board 6 is accurately positioned and placed and fixed on the lower case 2.

  The rubber sheet 8 is an integrally molded product made of elastic rubber. From the sheet-like portion, six bulged portions 8a that can buckle and deform, and two pin engaging portions 8b that are attached to the positioning pins 3 are provided. The two rectangular tube portions 8c into which the LEDs 20 are inserted are formed so as to protrude, and a cut-out portion 8d serving as an arrangement space for the swing support portion 4 is formed immediately above the cut-out portion 6b of the circuit board 6. Yes. The rubber sheet 8 is placed and fixed on the circuit board 6 in a positioning state in which each pin engaging portion 8b is attached to the corresponding positioning pin 3, and as shown in FIG. The movable contacts 18 provided on the ceiling surface are opposed to the corresponding fixed contacts 7 so as to be able to contact and separate.

  The actuator 9 has a rocking shaft portion 9a whose axis is aligned with the rocking center, and swings by pivoting both ends of the rocking shaft portion 9a to the shaft holes 4a of the pair of standing wall portions 4b. The moving support unit 4 is supported so as to be able to swing. As shown in FIG. 4, the actuator 9 is formed in a line-symmetric shape with respect to the swing shaft portion 9a, and the swing end portions 9b at both ends shown in the figure are arranged in parallel via a cut portion 8d. It is mounted in an elastic contact state on the bulging portion 8a. That is, when the swinging shaft portion 9a of the actuator 9 is press-fitted between the pair of standing wall portions 4b at the assembly stage, the swinging end portions 9b are disposed on the corresponding bulging portions 8a, and then swung. Since both end portions of the shaft portion 9a enter the shaft hole 4a and are pivotally mounted, the actuator 9 is snap-coupled to the swing support portion 4, and each swing end portion 9b applies a reaction force from the corresponding bulging portion 8a. The preloaded state is maintained. The actuator 9 is disposed adjacent to the support wall 12 positioned on one side of the rotary knob 13, and the rotary knob 13 is placed in a groove-shaped notch 9 c formed at the center of oscillation of the actuator 9. The drive part 13b mentioned later is inserted so that raising and lowering is possible. And the inner wall which opposes via the notch 9c becomes the engaging part 9d which engages this drive part 13b so that sliding is possible, and when the rotary knob 13 is rotated, the drive part 13b is integrated. The actuator 9 swings and rotates in one direction around the swing shaft 9a, and the biased swing end 9b descends. The corresponding bulging portion 8a is pressed and driven.

  The rotary knob 13 is formed in a substantially semi-cylindrical shape including a rotary shaft 13a, and both ends of the rotary shaft 13a are rotatably supported by the shaft groove 12a of the support wall 12 and the shaft hole 2b of the lower case 2. Has been. A driving portion 13b extending in an L shape on the outer side of the support wall 12 protrudes from an end portion of the rotating shaft 13a on the shaft groove 12a side, and a tip end portion of the driving portion 13b is set to a predetermined rotation radius. At the same time, it extends parallel to the axial direction of the rotating shaft 13 a and is inserted into the notch 9 c of the actuator 9. The torsion coil spring 14 is wound around the end of the rotary shaft 13a of the rotary knob 13 on the shaft hole 2b side. As shown in FIG. 2 is in elastic contact with the engaging step 5 in the inner wall. Thereby, when the rotary knob 13 is rotated, the arm portion 14a in the rotation direction is strongly pressed against the engagement step portion 5 to generate an elastic repulsive force, and the rotary knob 13 after the rotating operation is caused by this elastic repulsive force. It comes to automatically return. 6 is a cross-sectional view as viewed in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 1, that is, in the direction from the shaft hole 12 c side of the holder 12 toward the shaft groove 12 a side of the holder 12.

  A frame-like case 11 is attached to a predetermined position of the upper case 10, and the upper case 10 is fixed on the lower case 2 by appropriate means such as screws 22 and caulking. Operation keys 15 and 16 are supported on the upper case 10 so as to be movable up and down, and the upper surfaces of these operation keys 15 and 16 are exposed at two locations adjacent to the frame-shaped case 11. In the present embodiment, the case where a separate frame-like case 11 is retrofitted to the upper case 10 is illustrated, but the upper case 10 and the frame-like case 11 may be integrally molded products.

  The cover body 17 is fixed to the outer wall surface of the lower case 2 by appropriate means such as snap coupling, and the frame-like case 11 with the rotary knob 13 exposed in the opening 17a of the cover body 17 and the operation keys 15 and 16. Is coming out. The operator can selectively perform the rotating operation of the rotary knob 13 and the pressing operation of the operation keys 15 and 16 by moving a finger within the opening 17a.

  Next, the operation of the steering switch device 1 configured as described above will be described.

  First, the operation when the rotary knob 13 is rotated will be described mainly with reference to FIG. When the operator rotates the rotary knob 13 with fingers in the neutral state shown in FIG. 4A, the torsion coil spring 14 is pushed and bent in the holder 12, and the drive unit 13 b rotates integrally with the rotary knob 13. In order to drive the actuator 9, a predetermined bulging portion 8 a is pressed by the actuator 9. For example, as shown in FIG. 4B, when the rotary knob 13 is rotated in the direction of arrow A, the drive unit 13b in the notch 9c of the actuator 9 rotates while pushing the engagement portion 9d on the right side of the drawing. As the actuator 9 oscillates and rotates clockwise about the oscillating shaft portion 9a, the oscillating end portion 9b on the right side of the drawing descends while pushing the lower bulging portion 8a. As a result, the bulging portion 8a is elastically buckled and causes a click feeling, and the movable contact 18 in the bulging portion 8a comes into contact with the corresponding fixed contact 7 to output a switch-on signal. The The operation when the rotary knob 13 is rotated in the direction opposite to the direction of the arrow A is the same. In this case, the left swing end portion 9b shown in FIG. 4 pushes the lower bulging portion 8a and buckles. A switch-on signal resulting from the deformation is output.

  In addition, when the rotational operation force on the rotary knob 13 is removed in the state of FIG. 4B, the bulging portion 8a that has been buckled and deformed returns to its original dome shape by its own elastic force. The movable contact 18 moves away from the fixed contact 7 and is switched off, and the swinging end 9b on the right side of the figure is pushed up by the bulging portion 8a, and the actuator 9 swings and rotates counterclockwise. In addition, since the rotary knob 13 closes and biases the torsion coil spring 14 as shown in FIG. 6B during the rotation operation, the elastic repulsive force of the torsion coil spring 14 is rotated. 13 and the actuator 9 act as a force for returning to the original position. Therefore, when the rotational operation force is removed, the rotary knob 13 and the actuator 9 reliably rotate backward to their neutral positions and automatically return to the neutral state shown in FIG.

  When the operation force is removed after the rotation operation, the rotary knob 13 is automatically returned to the substantially neutral position by the elastic repulsive force of the bulging portion 8a that has been pushed into the swing end portion 9b of the actuator 9, so that the torsion coil A configuration in which the spring 14 is omitted is also possible. However, if the torsion coil spring 14 is incorporated as a return spring after the rotation operation as in this embodiment, even if there is some backlash between the drive portion 13b of the rotary knob 13 and the actuator 9 when not operated. Since the rotary knob 13 itself is kept free of play by the torsion coil spring 14, the dimensional accuracy can be set to be relatively rough, and the parts cost can be reduced and the assemblability can be improved.

  Next, the operation when the operation key 15 is pressed will be described. Since the operation key 15 is mounted on the corresponding bulging portion 8a, the bulging portion 8a is elastically buckled during the pressing operation. The deformation causes a click feeling, and the movable contact 18 in the bulging portion 8a comes into contact with the corresponding fixed contact 7 to output a switch-on signal. When the pressing operation force is removed, the bulging portion 8a that has been buckled and deformed returns to its original dome shape by its own elastic force, so that the movable contact 18 is separated from the fixed contact 7 and switched off. In addition to switching, the pressed operation key 15 is pushed up by the bulging portion 8a and automatically returns to the original position. Note that the operation when the other operation key 16 is pressed is completely the same as this, and the description thereof is omitted.

  As described above, in the switch device 1 according to the present embodiment example, the drive portion 13b extending to the rotary knob 13 swings and rotates the side actuator 9 during the rotation operation, whereby the swing end portion 9b of the actuator 9 is moved. The lower bulging part 8a is pressed and driven, and the actuator 9 and the bulging part 8a are arranged on the side of the rotary knob 13, so that the height reduction of the housing 19 can be easily reduced. In addition, it is easy to obtain a desired operating force and operating stroke by appropriately selecting the shape of the actuator 9. Further, in this switch device 1, the tip of the drive part 13 b extending in parallel along the axial direction of the rotary knob 13 is inserted into a notch 9 c provided in the central part of the actuator 9 to rotate the rotary knob 13. Since the drive portion 13b is designed to slide along the engaging portion 9d of the actuator 9 during operation, the actuator 9 can be smoothly swung and rotated along with the rotational movement of the drive portion 13b. Stable operation can be expected. The notch 9c of the actuator 9 may be formed in a long hole shape instead of a concave groove shape.

  Further, the switch device 1 according to the present embodiment forms a housing 19 by an upper case 10 in which a frame-like case 11 having a window portion 11a is integrated and a lower case 2 to which the upper case 10 is attached, Since the actuator 9 is swingably supported by the lower case 2 and the rotary knob 13 is rotatably supported by the lower case 2, the circuit board 6, the rubber sheet 8, The actuator 9 and the rotary knob 13 can all be assembled. When the upper case 10 is attached to the lower case 2, the assembly is completed. Therefore, this switch device 1 has good assemblability.

  Further, in the switch device 1 according to the present embodiment example, by placing the rubber sheet 8 having the bulging portions 8a at a plurality of locations on the circuit board 6, the switch element that is selectively pressed by various operations. Since it constitutes a group, the risk of foreign matter such as dust and moisture entering the housing 19 from the outside adheres to the contact portion and causes a contact failure or a short-circuit accident is extremely low, and the reliability of each switch element is In addition to the increase, the number of parts can be reduced and the assemblability is also improved. And since each bulging part 8a can produce a comparatively big elastic repulsion force and a clear click feeling, operation feeling also becomes favorable.

  In the above embodiment, the composite switch device 1 in which other operation members (operation keys 15, 16) are arranged in parallel on the rotary knob 13 is illustrated, but the operation member is only the rotary knob 13. In short, the present invention is applicable to any switch device provided with an operation member capable of pressing and driving the switch element via the swing mechanism similarly to the rotary knob 13.

It is a disassembled perspective view of the switch apparatus which concerns on the embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the assembly completion product of this switch apparatus. It is a front view which shows the steering wheel which mounted | wore with this switch apparatus. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing at the time of rotation operation of this switch apparatus. It is principal part sectional drawing of the rubber seat integrated in this switch apparatus. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the return spring integrated in this switch apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Switch apparatus 2 Lower case 4 Oscillation support part 5 Engagement step part 6 Circuit board 7 Fixed contact 8 Rubber sheet 8a Expansion part 9 Actuator 9a Oscillation shaft part 9b Oscillation end part 9c Notch 9d Engagement part 10 Upper Case 11 Frame-shaped case 11a Window 12 Support wall 13 Rotating knob (operation member)
13a Rotating shaft 13b Drive unit 14 Torsion coil spring (return spring)
17 Cover body 18 Movable contact 19 Housing

Claims (4)

A housing window on the operation side is opened, and the operating member partially having a rotation axis that will be rotatably held within the housing is exposed to the window portion, the circuit board within the housing A pair of switch elements that are disposed above and generate an elastic repulsive force that resists the pressing drive force, and a pair of swing end portions that are swingably held in the housing are mounted on the switch elements. Actuators,
Placing the actuator on the side of the operating member, to form a notch groove-like or elongated shape to the swinging center of the actuator, the pivot shaft predetermined on one end portion of said operating member A driving portion set to a turning radius is extended in parallel with the axial direction of the rotating shaft, and the driving portion is slidably engaged with the notch of the actuator , and the operating member is rotated when the operating member is rotated. A switch device, wherein the switch element is configured to be pressed and driven by the swing end portion by swinging and rotating the actuator. The switch device according to claim 1 , further comprising a return spring that engages with the operation member in the housing to generate a return force during a rotation operation. 3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the housing includes an upper case having the window portion and a lower case to which the upper case is attached, and the actuator is swingably supported by the lower case. The switch device , wherein the rotation shaft of the operation member is rotatably supported by the lower case. The switch element according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the switch element is fixed on the circuit board and mounted on the circuit board around the fixed contact and elastically seated. A dome body that can bend and deformed, and a movable contact fixed inside the dome body and facing the fixed contact so as to be able to come into contact with and away from the fixed contact. A switch device, wherein a movable contact abuts on the fixed contact.

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