JP5098728B2 - Rotary operating device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a rotary operation device having an electronic component provided with a rotation mechanism and an operation knob connected to the electronic component.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, electronic devices such as audio devices and air conditioners have been provided with a rotary operation device that receives a rotation operation performed by a user for adjusting volume and air volume. The rotary operation device is provided with an electronic component having a rotation mechanism such as a rotary encoder and a rotary switch, and an operation knob operated by a user. The operation knob is formed with a shaft hole, and the rotation shaft of the electronic component is inserted into and connected to the shaft hole, whereby the rotation shaft rotates in conjunction with the operation knob.

  Conventionally, such a rotary operation device has had problems such as rattling of an operation knob due to a shape error or an assembly error, and an increase in operation load. In order to solve such a problem, for example, Patent Document 1 proposes to provide a spring that presses the outer peripheral portion outwardly in contact with the outer peripheral portion inner wall of the knob (operation knob) to prevent wobbling of the knob. ing. Further, in Patent Document 2, the operation knob is provided with a rotation axis deviation reduction means for reducing the deviation of the rotation axis of the electronic component, thereby preventing damage to the electronic component due to excessive pressing on the rotation axis. It has been proposed.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-233311 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-1000026

  However, in the prior art, no consideration is given to the deviation of the electronic component with respect to the operation knob. Therefore, with the conventional technology, it is impossible to eliminate the load caused by the deviation of the electronic component with respect to the operation knob, and it is difficult to greatly improve the operability of the operation knob.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a rotary operation device that can be rotated more smoothly.

Rotary operation device of the present invention, an electronic component having a shaft rotatable, an operation knob having a shaft hole in which the shaft is inserted, the support and the electronic component of the operation knob while being secured to the fixed body A support member to be coupled ; a first elastic body that is provided between the support member and the operation knob; and that absorbs a deviation of the operation knob from the support member; and is provided between the electronic component and the support member, A second elastic body allowing movement of the electronic component in a direction to reduce a load caused by deviation of the electronic component with respect to the operation knob, and a motor having a rotation shaft coupled to the shaft of the electronic component, And a motor for rotating the operation knob via the shaft of the electronic component .

  In a preferred aspect, the apparatus further comprises a connection fitting including a plate connected to the shaft of the electronic component, and a connection member that connects the plate and the support member, and the second elastic body includes: It is interposed between the shaft of the electronic component and the plate. In this case, it is further desirable to have a rigid body that prevents excessive elastic deformation of the second elastic body at the stage of assembling the shaft of the electronic component to the plate.

  In another preferred aspect, the first elastic body is a plurality of leaf springs that are evenly arranged around the shaft hole and press the operation knob. In this case, the operation knob is a boss portion formed to protrude toward the back side, and has a boss portion in which the shaft hole is formed at an end thereof. It is desirable that the plurality of leaf springs are arranged uniformly around the boss portion and press the boss portion.

  According to the present invention, the first elastic body that absorbs the deviation of the operation knob with respect to the support member and the movement to the electronic component in a direction that reduces the load caused by the deviation of the electronic component with respect to the operation knob are allowed. Since the second elastic body is provided, an undesirable load caused by a deviation between the members is reduced. As a result, the operation knob can be rotated more smoothly.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a rotary operation device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic exploded perspective view of the rotary operation device.

  The rotary operation device is an operation device that is mounted on an electronic device such as an audio device and is used for operations such as volume control. The operation knob 12, the electronic component unit 16 connected to the operation knob 12, the operation knob The support unit 14 which supports 12 is provided.

  The operation knob 12 is a part that is picked and operated by a user, and includes a substantially columnar main body 20 and a boss 22 that stands from the center of the back surface of the main body 20. A shaft hole 24 into which a detection shaft 66 of a rotary encoder 60 described later is inserted is formed in the boss portion 22. The detection shaft 66 inserted into the shaft hole 24 is fixed by a fixing pin 26 inserted into the shaft hole 24 through a screw hole formed on the side surface of the boss portion 22.

  An annular recess 28 is formed at the base of the boss portion 22. The presence of the annular recess 28 results in the formation of a thin skirt 29 at the end of the main body 20 on the back side. Further, a guide body 34 to be described later is inserted into the annular recess 28 so that the base of the boss portion 22 is sandwiched by a plurality of guide pieces 52.

  The support unit 14 is a unit that supports the operation knob 12 while being fixed to the operation panel 100 that is a fixing member. The support unit 14 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic exploded perspective view of the support unit 14.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the support unit 14 includes a base disk 30, a mounting bracket 32, and a guide body 34. Four small holes 40a, 40b, and 40c into which connection bolts 56 (see FIG. 1) for screwing and fastening each other are inserted or screwed are formed in the three members 30, 32, and 34, respectively. The three members 30, 32, and 34 are each formed with four large holes 38a, 38b, and 38c for connecting a connecting bracket 70, which will be described later, with connecting bolts 90 (see FIG. 5).

  The base disk 30 is a substantially disk-shaped member, and a through hole 36a that allows passage of a boss portion 22 of the operation knob 12 and a guide cylinder 50 described later is formed in the center thereof. An annular rib 42 is formed on the periphery of the base disk 30 so as to cover the outer periphery of the skirt 29 of the operation knob 12.

  The mounting bracket 32 is a metal fitting for attaching the support unit 14 to the operation panel 100 and includes three foot portions 46 protruding forward (on the base disk 30 side). Each foot 46 is formed with a connection hole 48 through which a connection bolt 54 (see FIG. 1) is inserted. When the connection bolt 54 is screwed and fastened to the operation panel 100 in the state of being inserted into the connection hole 48, the mounting bracket 32, and thus the entire support unit 14, is fixed to the operation panel 100. A through hole 36 b that allows passage of the boss portion 22 of the operation knob 12 and the guide tube 50 is also formed in the center of the mounting bracket 32.

  The guide body 34 is made of a material having moderate elasticity such as resin, and includes a substantially disc-shaped main body 49 and a guide tube 50 protruding forward from the main body 49. The guide cylinder 50 has a shape in which a plurality of longitudinal slits are formed in a cylindrical member, and includes a plurality of guide pieces 52 arranged in a circle. The inner diameter of the distal end portion of the guide cylinder 50 is slightly smaller than the root outer diameter of the boss portion 22 of the operation knob 12 in an unloaded state. Each guide piece 52 functions as a first elastic body that absorbs a deviation interposed between the operation knob 12 and the support unit 14 and has a thin plate shape that is long in the axial direction. Since each cantilever is supported, each guide piece 52 can function as a leaf spring that is appropriately bent.

  The guide tube 50 having such a configuration is inserted into the annular recess 28 of the operation knob 12 through the mounting bracket 32 and the through holes 36 a and 36 b formed in the base disk 30. The boss portion 22 of the operation knob 12 is positioned inside the guide tube 50 inserted up to the annular recess 28. Here, as described above, the inner diameter of the guide tube 50 is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the boss portion 22 in the no-load state. Therefore, when the boss portion 22 is positioned inside the guide tube 50, each guide piece 52 is elastically deformed in a direction to increase the inner diameter of the guide tube 50. In other words, the boss portion 22 of the operation knob 12 is pressed by the guide piece 52 over the entire periphery thereof. By pressing evenly from the entire periphery, the deviation or assembly error of the operation knob 12 with respect to the support unit 14 is corrected, and wobbling or the like during operation of the operation knob 12 is prevented. As a result, the operation knob 12 can be rotated more smoothly.

  In this embodiment, an elastic body other than the guide piece 52 may be used as long as it is interposed between the operation knob 12 and the support unit 14 and can absorb the deviation between the two. For example, in the present embodiment, a leaf spring (guide piece 52) that presses the base of the boss portion 22 in the center direction is used, but a leaf spring that presses the hem portion 29 outward may be used. Further, instead of the leaf spring, rubber, spring, sponge, or the like may be used as the first elastic body.

  Next, the electronic component unit 16 will be described. FIG. 4 is a schematic exploded perspective view around the electronic component unit 16. FIG. 5 is a view showing a state where the electronic component unit 16 is attached, and is a top view of the rotary operation device. 2, 4 and 5, illustration of the motor 62 and the substrate 64 is omitted for convenience of explanation.

  The electronic component unit 16 is a unit obtained by fixing a rotary encoder 60 and a motor 62 on a substrate 64. The rotary encoder 60 is an electronic component that detects the amount of rotation of the operation knob 12 and has a detection shaft 66 that is D-cut as shown in FIG. As described above, the detection shaft 66 is inserted and fixed in the shaft hole 24 of the operation knob 12 and rotates in conjunction with the operation knob 12. A male screw portion 68 into which a connection nut 86 described later is screwed is formed at the base of the detection shaft 66 (the end near the main body portion of the rotary encoder 60).

  The motor 62 is an electronic component that functions as a drive source when the operation knob 12 is electrically driven. That is, the rotary operation device according to the present embodiment can perform not only manual operation of the operation knob 12 but also electric operation. When a user instructs operation of the operation knob 12 through a remote controller or the like, a control unit (not shown) of the electronic device electrically drives (rotates) the operation knob 12. The motor 62 functions as a drive source for this electric drive. The rotation shaft of the motor 62 is connected to the detection shaft 66 of the rotary encoder 60 through a gear and a coupling (not shown), and in conjunction with the rotation of the motor 62, the detection shaft 66, and thus the detection shaft 66. The operation knob 12 connected to can be rotated.

  The electronic component unit 16 is connected to the support unit 14 via a connection bracket 70. The connection bracket 70 includes a rectangular plate 72 and four connection columns 74 that are formed to protrude forward (on the support unit 14 side) from the rectangular plate 72. Each connecting column 74 is formed with a screw hole 76. The connecting pillar 74 can reach the back surface of the base disk 30 through the large holes 38 b and 38 c formed in the guide body 34 and the mounting bracket 32. And the volt | bolt inserted from the large hole 38a of the front side of the base disk 30 is screwed by the screw hole of the connection pillar 74, and the connection bracket 70 is connected with the support unit 14 (refer FIG. 5).

  The rectangular plate 72 is a flat plate having a passage hole 78 formed at the center thereof. The passage hole 78 is a hole through which the male screw portion 68 of the detection shaft 66 of the rotary encoder 60 is inserted, and the diameter thereof is sufficiently larger than the outer diameter of the male screw portion 68 of the detection shaft 66. However, a collar 80 and an elastic cylinder 82 are interposed between the passage hole 78 and the male screw portion 68.

  The collar 80 is a cylinder made of a rigid material such as steel, and the inner diameter thereof is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the male screw portion 68 of the rotary encoder 60. Further, the total length (the length in the axial direction) is sufficiently smaller than the total length of the male screw portion 68. The collar 80 is attached to the male screw portion 68 in order to prevent excessive deformation of the elastic cylinder 82, which will be described in detail later.

  The elastic cylinder 82 is a cylindrical member made of a highly elastic material such as rubber, and functions as a second elastic body that allows the position variation of the electronic component unit 16 relative to the support unit 14. The total length of the elastic cylinder 82 is the same as or slightly larger than the total length of the collar 80. On the outer surface of the elastic cylinder 82, an engagement groove 82a for engaging the periphery of the passage hole 78 of the rectangular plate 72 is formed.

  The fastening procedure of the rotary encoder 60 (and thus the electronic component unit 16) to the rectangular plate 72 is as follows. First, the elastic cylinder 82 is mounted in the passage hole 78 in advance so that the periphery of the passage hole 78 fits into the engagement groove 82a of the elastic cylinder 82. Further, the collar 80 is passed through the male screw portion 68 of the rotary encoder 60. When the attaching operation of the elastic cylinder 82 and the collar 80 is completed, the detection shaft 66 of the rotary encoder 60 is subsequently passed through the passage hole 78. In this state, the washer 84 and the connecting nut 86 are passed through the detection shaft 66 from the front end of the detection shaft 66. Then, the connection nut 86 is screwed into the male screw portion 68 of the detection shaft 66 so that the elastic cylinder 82 and the collar 80 are sandwiched between the encoder 60 main body and the connection nut 86, and the process is completed. When the connection nut 86 advances to a predetermined position, the connection nut 86 contacts the collar 80, and further advancement is hindered. Thereby, the excessive press of the elastic cylinder 82 by the connection nut 86 can be prevented, and it is prevented that the elasticity of the elastic cylinder 82 accompanying a press is impaired.

  As is clear from the above description, the electronic component unit 16 is connected to the support unit 14 (fixing member) via the connection bracket 70, but an elastic body, that is, between the electronic component unit 16 and the connection bracket 70, that is, An elastic cylinder 82 is interposed. The reason why the elastic cylinder 82 is interposed is as follows.

  Conventionally, the electronic component unit 16 is often fixed to the support unit 14, that is, connected to the support unit 14 without interposing an elastic body. In other words, conventionally, the position of the electronic component unit 16 is often fixed. In this case, there is a problem that an undesirable load is generated on the detection shaft 66 of the rotary encoder 60 due to a deviation of the electronic component unit 16 with respect to the operation knob 12. Specifically, for example, if the central axis of the rotary encoder 60 is displaced from the rotation center of the operation knob 12, the detection shaft 66 connected to the operation knob 12 is rotated with the rotation of the operation knob 12. The tip position is about to change. However, since the main body of the rotary encoder 60 is fixed to the support unit 14 and is fixed in position, an undesirable load is generated between the main body and the detection shaft 66. Such an undesirable load not only reduces the smoothness when the operation knob 12 is rotated, but also causes damage to the rotary encoder 60.

  Such an undesirable load also becomes a factor that hinders the electric operation of the operation knob 12. That is, in the case of a user's manual operation, a sufficient operation load (an operation load corresponding to the user's gripping force) can be secured, so that the operation knob 12 can be rotated even if a slight load occurs. On the other hand, in the case of electric drive using the motor 62 as a drive source, the operation load of the operation knob 12 depends on the output torque of the motor 62 and cannot be excessively improved. Therefore, when the operation load of the operation knob 12 exceeds the output torque of the motor 62 specified in advance due to an undesirable load, the operation knob 12 cannot be electrically driven. Of course, it is conceivable to use a high-output motor 62, but such a high-output motor 62 has problems such as high cost, large size, and large power consumption, and cannot be easily used. Furthermore, even when the high-power motor 62 is used, the coupling or the like that connects the rotation shaft of the motor 62 and the detection shaft 66 of the rotary encoder 60 often cannot withstand high loads, and the output of the motor 62 is low. In many cases, the signal is not transmitted to the detection shaft 66 of the encoder 60. That is, in a configuration in which an undesirable load is generated on the detection shaft 66 of the rotary encoder 60 due to a deviation of the electronic component unit 16 with respect to the operation knob 12, the electric operation of the operation knob 12 using the motor 62 as a driving source is performed. It was difficult to perform stably.

  In the present embodiment, in order to solve such a problem, an elastic cylinder 82 is interposed between the electronic component unit 16 and the connection bracket 70. By interposing the elastic cylinder 82, even if a load is applied to the rotary encoder 60 (electronic component unit 16) due to a deviation of the electronic component unit 16 with respect to the operation knob 12, the load is eliminated. The position of the electronic component unit 16 can be changed in the direction in which it moves. That is, the position variation of the electronic component unit 16 with respect to the support unit 14 is allowed. As a result, the operation knob 12 can be rotated more smoothly than in the conventional case where the position of the electronic component unit 16 is fixed. As a result, the electric operation of the operation knob 12 via a remote controller or the like can be performed reliably. Further, when the guide piece 52 absorbs the deviation interposed between the operation knob 12 and the support unit 14 as in this embodiment, the wobbling of the operation knob 12 with respect to the support unit 14 is suppressed. Therefore, a configuration that allows the position variation of the electronic component unit 16 is required, but in the present embodiment, this is realized by providing the elastic cylindrical body 82.

  In the present embodiment, the second elastic body (elastic cylinder 82) is interposed between the connection bracket 70 and the detection shaft 66 of the encoder 60, but the position variation of the electronic component unit 16 is allowed. If it is, an elastic body may be provided in another place. For example, although four connecting columns 74 are provided in the connecting bracket 70, an elastic body may be interposed between each connecting column 74 and the support unit 14. In this case, the position variation of the connection bracket 70 is allowed. As a result, the position variation of the electronic component unit 16 connected to the connection bracket 70 is allowed.

  As is apparent from the above description, in this embodiment, the first elastic body (guide piece 52) that absorbs the deviation of the operation knob 12 with respect to the support unit 14 and the first elastic body 16 that absorbs the deviation of the electronic component unit 16 with respect to the operation knob 12 are used. And two elastic bodies. As a result, a smoother turning operation is possible as compared with the prior art.

  In this embodiment, the case where the rotary encoder 60 is used as an electronic component has been described as an example. However, if the electronic component has a rotation mechanism, other components such as a rotary switch and a rotation shaft are used. A variable resistor, a variable capacitor, or the like may be used. In this embodiment, the base disk 30 and the mounting bracket 32 are separate members, but may be integrally formed. Further, the base disk 30 and the mounting bracket 32 may also be formed of resin and integrally formed with the guide body 34. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the guide piece 52, that is, the first elastic body is attached to the support unit 14 side, but the first elastic body is fixed to the operation knob 12 or integrally formed with the operation knob 12. Also good. Furthermore, as a matter of course, the first elastic body may be provided on both the support unit 14 and the operation knob 12.

It is sectional drawing of the rotary type operating device which is embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic exploded perspective view of a rotary operation device. It is a schematic exploded perspective view of a support unit. It is a schematic exploded perspective view of the periphery of an electronic component unit. It is a top view of a rotary operation device.

Explanation of symbols

  12 Operation knob, 14 Support unit, 16 Electronic component unit, 22 Boss part, 24 Shaft hole, 30 Base disk, 32 Mounting bracket, 34 Guide body, 52 Guide piece, 60 Rotary encoder, 62 Motor, 64 Substrate, 66 Detection shaft , 68 Male thread part, 70 Connection bracket, 80 Collar, 82 Elastic cylinder, 86 Connection nut, 100 Operation panel.

Claims (5)

An electronic component having a rotatable shaft;
An operation knob having a shaft hole into which the shaft is inserted;
A support member fixed to a fixed body and supporting the operation knob and to which the electronic component is connected ;
A first elastic body that is provided between the support member and the operation knob and absorbs a deviation of the operation knob from the support member;
A second elastic body provided between the electronic component and a support member and allowing movement of the electronic component in a direction to reduce a load caused by deviation of the electronic component with respect to the operation knob;
A rotating shaft of the motor connected to the shaft of the electronic component, the motor turning the operation knob via the shaft of the electronic component;
A rotary type operating device comprising: The rotary operation device according to claim 1, further comprising:
A plate that is connected to the shaft of the electronic component, and a connecting member that connects the plate and the support member;
The second elastic body is interposed between the shaft of the electronic component and the plate.
A rotary operation device characterized by that. The rotary operation device according to claim 2, further comprising:
A rotary operation device having a rigid body that prevents excessive elastic deformation of the second elastic body in the stage of assembling the shaft of the electronic component to the plate. The rotary operation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The rotary type operating device is characterized in that the first elastic body is a plurality of leaf springs that are uniformly arranged around the shaft hole and press the operating knob. The rotary operation device according to claim 4 ,
The operation knob is a boss portion formed to protrude toward the back side, and has a boss portion in which the shaft hole is formed at an end thereof.
The rotary type operating device is characterized in that the first elastic body is a plurality of leaf springs that are evenly arranged around the boss portion and press the boss portion.

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