JP5006289B2 - Seesaw switch - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a seesaw switch that is used as, for example, an operation switch for a power window or a door mirror of an automobile and outputs a different signal by tilting a swingable operation knob in two or four directions.

  In this type of seesaw switch, when an operation force is applied to an operation knob supported so as to be swingable, the operation knob tilts and depresses a predetermined actuator (driving force transmission member). Has been widely known in the past, in which the actuator and the operating knob are pushed back to their original positions by the elastic return force of the switch element when the operating force is removed.

In such a conventional seesaw switch, the actuator is configured to be inserted into the through hole of the casing so as to be movable up and down. When not operated, the upper end of the actuator is in contact with the lower surface of the operation knob. Below the bottom plate of the actuator is mounted on the switch element. The casing is provided with a receiving portion for restricting the upward movement of the actuator at the peripheral edge of the lower end of the through hole, and the bottom plate portion of the actuator having a diameter larger than that of the through hole is opposed to the receiving portion so as to be able to contact and separate. Further, the switch element is provided with a fixed contact, a movable contact that can be brought into and out of contact with the fixed contact, and an elastic member made of rubber or a spring. When the user pushes the operation knob and tilts it by a predetermined angle, the operation knob moves the actuator downward by a predetermined amount against the elastic repulsive force of the elastic member, so that the movable contact pressed by the actuator is a fixed contact. A predetermined ON signal is output upon contact with the. Further, when the user removes the operation force after the operation, the movable contact is separated from the fixed contact by the elastic return force of the elastic member, and the actuator is pushed up, and accordingly, the tilt angle of the operation knob is decreased. When the upper surface of the bottom plate abuts against the receiving part of the casing, the actuator is prevented from moving upward, so it automatically returns to its original height position, and the operation knob returns to its original horizontal posture accordingly. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).
JP 2002-231103 A

  However, in the above-described conventional seesaw switch, the bottom plate part of the actuator pushed up by the elastic return force of the elastic member collides with the casing receiving part at the time of automatic return after tilting the operation knob. There is a problem that unusual noise (collision noise) is likely to occur. In addition, although it is possible to attach a buffer member to the bottom plate part of the actuator or the receiving part of the casing, in that case, another problem that the cost is inevitably increased due to an increase in the number of parts and the number of assembling steps occurs.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a state of the art, and an object thereof is to suppress the collision noise between the actuator and the casing, which is concerned at the time of automatic return after operation, at low cost and effectively. It is to provide a seesaw switch.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an operation knob that is supported so as to be swingable and tilted during operation, and an actuator that is inserted into a through-hole of the casing so as to be movable up and down and pressed by the operation knob during operation. A movable contact disposed below the actuator and driven to be pressed by the actuator during operation; a fixed contact facing the movable contact so as to be able to contact and separate; and a return means for elastically biasing the actuator upward. In the seesaw switch in which the casing is provided with a receiving portion for restricting the upward movement of the actuator at the lower peripheral edge portion of the through hole, the portion of the actuator located in the casing is more than the receiving portion. A large collar is provided, and a peripheral wall is erected so as to surround the receptacle on the collar located outside the receptacle, Grease is interposed between the receiving portion and the upper surface of the flange portion surrounded by the peripheral wall, and the height of the peripheral wall is formed lower than the protruding amount of the receiving portion, and the peripheral wall with respect to the casing The upper surface is opposed to the receiving portion so as to be able to come into contact with and away from the receiving portion.

  In the seesaw switch configured as described above, the upper surface of the flange portion of the actuator that is pushed up by the elastic return force of the elastic member at the time of automatic return after the operation knob is tilted is in contact with the receiving portion of the casing. However, even if the upper surface of the buttock collides with the receiving part, generation of an unpleasant collision sound can be suppressed by the sound deadening effect of the grease interposed between the receiving part and the upper surface of the buttock. Since the height of the peripheral wall is lower than the protruding amount of the receiving part, and the upper end of the peripheral wall is kept in non-contact with the casing, it is the receiving part that collides with the casing when the actuator is automatically restored. It becomes the upper surface of the buttocks and can suppress the generation of harsh collision noise as a seesaw switch. In addition, in order to interpose the grease between the upper surface of the receiving portion and the flange portion, it is only necessary to apply grease to the flange portion or the receiving portion of the actuator, and such work is easy, and it is necessary to separately install a buffer member. As a result, there is a cost-effective mute measure. In addition, since the leakage of grease can be prevented by the peripheral wall erected on the flange of the actuator, there is no possibility that the leaked grease adheres to the contact part and the reliability is lost, and the silencing effect is maintained for a long time. Cheap.

  In the above configuration, if a concave groove is formed on the upper surface of the flange portion of the actuator, the concave groove can be used as a grease reservoir, so that it is easy to improve the silencing effect and extend the length.

  In the seesaw switch of the present invention, since grease is interposed between the receiving part of the casing and the upper surface of the collar part of the actuator, even if the upper surface of the collar part collides with the receiving part, the gap between the upper part of the receiving part and the collar part It is possible to suppress the generation of an annoying collision sound due to the noise-reducing effect of the grease intervening. Since the height of the peripheral wall is lower than the protruding amount of the receiving part, and the upper end of the peripheral wall is kept in non-contact with the casing, it is the receiving part that collides with the casing when the actuator is automatically restored. It becomes the upper surface of the buttocks and can suppress the generation of harsh collision noise as a seesaw switch. In addition, in order to interpose the grease between the upper surface of the receiving portion and the flange portion, it is only necessary to apply grease to the flange portion or the receiving portion of the actuator, and such work is easy, and it is necessary to separately install a buffer member. As a result, there is a cost-effective mute measure. In addition, since the leakage of grease can be prevented by the peripheral wall erected on the flange of the actuator, there is no possibility that the leaked grease adheres to the contact part and the reliability is lost, and the silencing effect is maintained for a long time. Cheap.

  An embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a top view of a seesaw switch according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view when the seesaw switch is not operated, and FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a B portion in FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 shows an operation state when the user pushes the upper right end portion of the operation knob in FIG.

  The seesaw switch shown in these drawings is a box-shaped casing 1 in which an upper case 2 and a lower case 3 are integrated by snap coupling or the like, and an operation that is mounted on the upper end portion of the upper case 2 and is swingably supported. The knob 4, four actuators 5 inserted through the through-holes 21 a of the guide cylinder 21 vertically suspended at four locations in the upper case 2, and the lower actuator 4 are disposed below the four actuators 5. The four switch elements 6 and a substrate (not shown) on which the switch elements 6 are mounted are schematically configured. In this seesaw switch, the operation knob 4 can be tilted in four directions according to the operation position, and the operation knob 4 selectively depresses the actuator 5 according to the tilt direction, so that the switch element 6 is selectively pressed. It can be driven.

  The upper case 2 of the casing 1 is provided with a support mechanism (not shown) that supports the operation knob 4 so as to be swingable, and the operation knob 4 supported by the support mechanism has two axes orthogonal to each other as a swing center. It can be tilted in four directions. Inside the upper case 2, cylindrical guide cylinders 21 project from and hang at four equally spaced locations along the circumferential direction, and the lower end of each guide cylinder 21, that is, the lower peripheral edge of the through hole 21 a The receiving portion 21b restricts the upward movement of the actuator 5.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the operation knob 4 is held in a horizontal posture when not operated. The operation knob 4 can be tilted, for example, as shown in FIG. 3 when the user selectively pushes the four pressing portions 41 shown in FIG. On the lower surface side of the operation knob 4, drive protrusions 42 are suspended at four locations corresponding to the respective pressing portions 41, and when not operated, the respective drive protrusions 42 are in contact with the upper ends of the actuators 5 located below.

  At the lower end of each actuator 5, a flange 51 having a diameter larger than that of the guide cylinder 21 and an annular peripheral wall 52 standing on the outer peripheral edge of the flange 51 positioned outside the guide cylinder 21 are provided. The upper surface 51a of the flange portion 51 is opposed to the receiving portion 21b of the guide cylinder 21 located above so as to be able to contact and separate. However, the height of the peripheral wall 52 is formed lower than the protruding amount of the receiving portion 21 b, and the peripheral wall 52 is kept in non-contact with the casing 1. The flange portion 51 of each actuator 5 is mounted on the switch element 6 existing below, and the lower switch element 6 can be pressed and driven by moving the actuator 5 downward by a predetermined amount. Further, the muffling grease 7 (see FIG. 4) is applied in advance to the upper surface 51a of each flange 51, and the concave groove 51b formed in the innermost peripheral portion of the upper surface 51a functions as a grease reservoir. In addition, leakage of the grease 7 is prevented by the peripheral wall 52 surrounding the upper surface 51a. In this embodiment, the grease 7 is applied to the upper surface 51a of the collar portion 51, but instead, the grease 7 may be applied to the receiving portion 21b. In this case, since the grease 7 can be easily applied to a portion where the grease 7 is required, that is, a portion where the upper surface 51a and the receiving portion 21b collide, there is less possibility that the grease 7 is applied to an extra place. The amount of grease 7 applied can be suppressed. The actuator 5 is pushed down by the drive projection 42 when the operation knob 4 is operated, and is moved upward by being pushed into the lower switch element 6 at the time of automatic return after the operation.

  Each switch element 6 is a known push switch called a tact switch, which is a stem 61, a dome-shaped leaf spring 62 that also serves as a movable contact and a return means, and a fixed member that is slidably opposed to the central portion of the leaf spring 62. And a contact 63. The stem 61 is pushed down by the flange 51 when the actuator 5 located above moves downward. The central portion of the leaf spring 62 is pushed down by the stem 61, and when the stem 61 moves downward by a predetermined amount, the central portion of the leaf spring 62 is reversed and comes into contact with the fixed contact 63. Therefore, the leaf spring (movable contact) 62 and the fixed contact 63 is connected to output a predetermined ON signal. Further, when the central portion of the leaf spring 62 is inverted, a click feeling is generated, and this click feeling is transmitted to the user's finger through the upper actuator 5 and the operation knob 4, so that the user presses the switch element 6. You can feel this with your fingers.

  As described above, the seesaw switch configured as described above allows the actuator 5 in which the drive protrusion 42 corresponding to the pressing portion 41 exists below when the user pushes the arbitrary pressing portion 41 and tilts the operation knob 4. The actuator 5 is pushed down to move the stem 61 of the switch element 6 located below. Therefore, by tilting the operation knob 4 by a predetermined angle against the elastic repulsion force of the leaf spring 62 of the switch element 6, the stem 61 of the switch element 6 is moved downward by a predetermined amount as shown in FIG. The center portion of the leaf spring 62 can be reversed, and the leaf spring 62 can be brought into contact with the lower fixed contact 63. That is, in this seesaw switch, different switch elements 6 can be pressed and driven according to the operation position of the operation knob 4, so that the four types of on-presses 41 can be turned on when the user selectively presses the four pressing portions 41. A signal can be selectively output.

  Further, in this seesaw switch, when the user removes the operating force after the operation, the leaf spring 62 in the inverted state returns to the original dome shape by its own elastic restoring force, so that the central portion of the leaf spring 62 is separated from the fixed contact 63. At the same time, the stem 61 is pushed up to the original height position. Therefore, the actuator 5 is pushed up through the stem 61, and when the upper surface 51a of the flange 51 comes into contact with the receiving portion 21b of the guide tube 21, the upward movement of the actuator 5 is restricted. Return to the original height position (see FIG. 2). At this time, the upper surface 51a of the collar part 51 abuts against the receiving part 21b by the elastic restoring force of the leaf spring 62, but it is harsh because the grease 7 is interposed between the upper surface 51a of the collar part 51 and the receiving part 21b. There is no risk of collision noise. Further, as the actuator 5 is pushed up, the operation knob 4 decreases the tilt angle, and when the upward movement of the actuator 5 is restricted by the receiving portion 21b, the operation knob 4 returns to the original horizontal posture (FIG. 2). Return to Browse.

  In this embodiment, in order to prevent the operation knob 4 from rattling at the horizontal position of the operation knob 4, the operation knob 4 is moved downward from the resilient force of the return means provided on the switch element 6. Therefore, a clearance of about 0.1 mm is ensured between the upper surface 51a of the flange 51 and the receiving portion 21b of the guide tube 21. With such a structure, when an arbitrary actuator 5 is moved downward as the operation knob 4 is tilted, for example, when the actuator 5 on the right side of FIG. The other actuator 5 (the left side in FIG. 3) moves slightly upward by the amount of the gap by moving away from the drive protrusion 42 of the operation knob 4. Therefore, when the operation knob 4 returns to the horizontal position by removing the operation force, the upper surface 51a of the flange portion 51 of the right actuator 5 is received by the receiving portion 21b after the drive protrusion 42 comes into contact with the upper end of the left actuator 5. Will abut. At this time, since the grease 7 is interposed in the gap as described above, even if the upper surface 51a of the flange 51 collides with the receiving portion 21b due to the upward force of the right actuator 5, the gap between the two The collision noise can be prevented by the grease 7 interposed between the two. Moreover, since the grease 7 has a function of reducing the rising speed of the actuator 5 in addition to a function of preventing the collision sound between the upper surface 51a of the collar 51 and the receiving part 21b, the operation knob 4 is returned to the horizontal position. In this position, the return speed of the operation knob 4 is braked by the grease 7 of the right actuator 5, thereby reducing the collision sound in which the drive protrusion 42 contacts the upper end of the left actuator 5. That is, the grease 7 interposed between the upper surface 51a of the flange portion 51 of one actuator 5 and the receiving portion 21b among the pair of actuators 5 facing each other with the swing center of the operation knob 4 interposed therebetween is the actuator 5. In addition to the reduction in the collision sound of the receiving portion 21b, this also contributes to the reduction in the collision sound between the upper end of the other actuator 5 and the drive protrusion 42 of the operation knob 4.

  If the upper surface 51a of the flange 51 and the receiving portion 21b of the guide cylinder 21 are in contact with each other at the horizontal position of the operation knob 4 without applying preload, for example, the actuator 5 on the right side in FIG. Accordingly, after the upper surface 51a of the collar portion 51 and the receiving portion 21b abut or at the same time, the upper end of the actuator 5 on the left side of the figure and the driving projection 42 abut. Since the brake is applied to the return speed of the operation knob 4 for the same reason as described above, the collision sound between the upper end of the actuator 5 and the drive protrusion 42 can be reduced.

  As described above, in the seesaw switch according to the present embodiment, the upper surface 51a of the flange portion 51 of the actuator 5 abuts on the receiving portion 21b of the guide tube 21 of the casing 1 when the actuator 5 is automatically restored. However, even if the upper surface 51a collides with the receiving portion 21b of the casing 1, both 51a, Generation of unpleasant collision noise can be suppressed by the silencing effect of the grease 7 interposed between 21b. Moreover, the operation | work which apply | coats the grease 7 to the collar part 51 of the actuator 5 is easy, and since it is not necessary to incorporate a buffer member separately, it is a muffler measure advantageous in terms of cost. Further, since the leakage of the grease 7 can be prevented by the peripheral wall 52 erected on the flange portion 51 of the actuator 5, there is no possibility that the leaked grease adheres to the contact portion and the reliability is not deteriorated, and the sound is silenced for a long time. The effect is easy to maintain. In addition, a concave groove 51b is formed on the upper surface 51a of the flange 51 of the actuator 5, and this concave groove 51b functions as a grease reservoir, so that it is easy to improve the silencing effect and lengthen the period.

  In the above embodiment, the actuator 5 is configured to press and drive the leaf spring 62 serving as a movable contact and a return means via the stem 61. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the movable contact and the return means may be separate, the return means may be an elastic member such as rubber, and the stem may be omitted. It goes without saying that the same effect can be obtained by applying the present invention even if the operation knob is a seesaw switch that can be tilted only in two directions.

  In the above embodiment, the flange 51 is provided at the lower end of the actuator 5, and the switch element 6 is driven by the lower surface of the flange 51, but the flange 51 is located in the casing 1. You may form in the intermediate part of the actuator 5. FIG.

  In the above-described embodiment, the peripheral wall 52 is provided in an annular shape on the outer peripheral edge of the flange portion 51. However, a flange portion is further provided on the outer side, and as a result, a peripheral wall is formed in the intermediate portion of the flange portion. May be. In addition, the flange 51 is not limited to a circle as long as it surrounds the receiving portion 21b, and may have a square shape when seen in a plan view.

  In the above embodiment, the lower end of the guide cylinder 21 that guides the actuator 5 functions as the receiving portion 21b. However, the diameter of the lower portion of the through hole 21a is sufficiently small so that the actuator 5 does not contact. By increasing the size, the guide tube may be prevented from having a guide function, and the lower end of the guide tube may function as a receiving portion.

  In the above embodiment, the return means provided on the switch element 6 elastically biases the actuator 5 upward. However, the return means may be provided separately from the switch element 6. Further, as the switch element 6, for example, other types such as a rubber switch in which a movable contact is provided on a rubber rubber can be used.

It is a top view of a seesaw switch according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing at the time of non-operation of this seesaw switch. It is sectional drawing at the time of operation of this seesaw switch. It is the B section enlarged view of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Casing 2 Upper case 4 Operation knob 5 Actuator 6 Switch element 7 Grease 21 Guide cylinder 21a Through-hole 21b Receiving part 51 Gutter part 51a Upper surface 51b Groove 52 Peripheral wall 62 Leaf spring (movable contact, return means)
63 Fixed contact

Claims (2)

An operation knob that is swingably supported and tilted during operation, an actuator that is inserted into a through hole of the casing so as to be movable up and down and pressed by the operation knob during operation, and is disposed below the actuator and is operated during operation. A movable contact that is driven to be pressed by the actuator; a fixed contact that is slidably opposed to the movable contact; and a return means that elastically biases the actuator upward. A seesaw switch provided with a projecting receiving portion for restricting the upward movement of the actuator,
A flange portion larger than the receiving portion is provided at a portion of the actuator located in the casing, and a peripheral wall is erected so as to surround the receiving portion at the flange portion located outside the receiving portion, and the receiving portion. Between the outer wall and the upper surface of the flange portion surrounded by the peripheral wall, and the height of the peripheral wall is lower than the protruding amount of the receiving portion, and the peripheral wall is not in contact with the casing A seesaw switch characterized in that the upper surface faces the receiving part so as to be able to come into contact with and separate from the receiving part.   The seesaw switch according to claim 1, wherein a groove is formed in the upper surface of the flange portion.

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