JP5299701B2 - Operating device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an operation unit capable of appropriately accomplishing a structure, where a light-emitting part is provided on a wall part of a housing, in such a simple structure as to reduce manufacturing costs. <P>SOLUTION: An operation unit A includes: a light-transmitting part which is provided on a wall part 11 of a housing 1 and functions as a light-emitting part by emitting light advancing from a light source provided inside the housing 1 to the outside of the housing 1; a light-shielding part 5 for blocking the advancement of light to an area other than the light-transmitting part 12; and a projection 6 which is protruded from a rear side of the wall part 11 and has a notched part 60 in a base end part. The light-shielding part 5 has an inserting hole 51 through which the projection 6 is inserted, and a plurality of slits 52a are provided at an edge of the inserting hole 51, thereby forming a cantilevered lock piece 53 of which the distal end side can be bent in a height direction of the projection 6 with a flexible restoration force, and the locking piece 53 enters the notched part 60 of the projection 6 and can be locked at its edge. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an operating device suitable for use as a remote controller for a hot water supply device or other devices.

  A conventional operation device for a hot water supply apparatus has a configuration in which a plurality of operation switches are provided on a surface portion of a housing in which a control circuit is accommodated, as described in Patent Documents 1 to 3, for example. It is common. In such an operation device, a light source using an LED or the like is often provided corresponding to the operation switch from the viewpoint of making the operation switch ON / OFF distinction and improving operability. It is. However, if the light source is provided on the surface of the housing, the light source and the control circuit in the housing may be separated from each other and it may be difficult to connect them. In addition, from the viewpoint of design and the like, when it is desired to planarize the surface portion of the housing, it is not always easy to provide the light source with a simple structure so that the surface portion of the housing is not uneven.

  As a means for solving this problem, the light source is not provided on the surface of the housing, but is provided inside the housing, and the light traveling from the light source is applied to the wall of the housing. It is conceivable to provide a light transmission part for transmitting light outside the housing. Further, in the case of adopting such means, a light shielding member is provided in the housing so that the light from the light source can be prevented from traveling unnecessarily to the outside of the housing by traveling to a place other than the light transmitting portion. It is desirable to provide However, the light shielding member needs to be accurately positioned at a predetermined position so that the path of light can be appropriately regulated. In addition, it is desired that the positioning structure of the light shielding member is as simple as possible, and the manufacturing cost thereof is reduced.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 05-99433 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 05-103383 JP-A-10-112890

  The present invention has been conceived under the circumstances as described above, and appropriately realizes a structure in which a light emitting portion is provided on a wall portion of a housing by a simple structure capable of reducing manufacturing costs. An object of the present invention is to provide an operating device that can do this.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention takes the following technical means.

  An operating device provided by the present invention is an operating device including a housing that accommodates a control circuit therein, and is provided on a wall portion of the housing and provided in the housing. A light transmissive portion that functions as a light emitting portion by emitting light emitted from the light source to the outside of the housing, and is disposed on the back side of the wall portion and accommodated in the housing, and emits light from the light source. A light-shielding member having an aperture that squeezes the emitted light and travels to the light-transmitting portion, and a protrusion that protrudes from the back surface of the wall portion and has a notch formed at a proximal end portion in the vicinity of the back surface of the wall portion. The light shielding member has an insertion hole through which the protrusion is inserted, and a plurality of cuts are provided at the edge of the insertion hole, so that the tip side is positioned higher than the protrusion. Cantilever that can be bent with elastic restoring force in the vertical direction Of which the locking piece is formed, the locking piece is characterized in that enters the lockably the notch on the edge of the notch of the projection.

  According to such a configuration, a structure in which the light emitting unit is provided on the wall portion of the housing is appropriately realized without directly attaching the light source to the wall portion of the housing. The light blocking member prevents light from traveling unnecessarily to places other than the light transmitting portion as the light emitting portion, but the insertion hole provided in the light blocking member is provided in the wall portion of the housing. Since the protrusion is inserted and the locking piece formed on the light shielding member enters the notch formed in the base end portion of the protrusion and engages with the edge, With this structure, the light shielding member can be properly positioned. In this positioning structure, it is possible not only to restrict the movement of the light shielding member in the surface direction of the wall (direction perpendicular to the height direction of the protrusion), but also to move the light shielding member in the height direction of the protrusion. Can also be regulated. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate the necessity of adhering the light shielding member to the housing using, for example, a double-sided adhesive tape. The protrusions can be easily formed by, for example, resin molding integrally with the housing, while the locking pieces of the light shielding member are formed by providing a plurality of cuts in the light shielding member. Therefore, its formation is easy. Therefore, the overall manufacturing cost can be reduced. Further, since the locking piece of the light shielding member can be bent with an elastic restoring force, when the protrusion is inserted into the insertion hole of the light shielding member, the locking piece is bent and deformed. Thus, it is possible to prevent this locking piece from interfering with the operation of inserting the protrusion. Therefore, the workability of assembling the light shielding member is good.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the edge of the insertion hole of the light shielding member is provided with an additional cut so that the tip side is accompanied by an elastic restoring force in the height direction of the protrusion. A cantilevered pressing piece that can be bent is further formed, and this pressing piece is in contact with the side surface of the base end portion of the protrusion in a state of bending deformation.

  According to such a configuration, the pressing piece of the light shielding member presses the side surface of the base end portion of the projection by elastic restoring force, and the side surface opposite to the side surface of the projection and the light shielding member by this pressing force. It is possible to press-contact the edge of the insertion hole. Therefore, by such an action, the light shielding member and the protrusion are not easily displaced in the direction in which the pressing piece presses the protrusion and the opposite direction, which is more preferable for accurate positioning of the light shielding member. Become.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the protrusion is interposed between a pair of separation target parts provided in a control board that is housed in the housing and constructs the control circuit, and the pair of separations. It is comprised as a partition wall which partitions off between object parts.

  According to such a configuration, since the projection used for positioning of the light shielding member is also used as a partition wall that partitions between a predetermined pair of separation target parts, the configuration is reasonable. Apart from the protrusions, it is possible to eliminate the need to provide a dedicated partition wall.

  Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

It is an external appearance perspective view which shows an example of the operating device which concerns on this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view of the operating device shown in FIG. It is III-III principal part sectional drawing of FIG. It is a top view which shows an example of the electrostatic capacitance sensor used in the operating device shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a main part enlarged view showing a positional relationship between the capacitance sensor shown in FIG. 4 and a light transmission part provided in the operation device of FIG. 1. It is VI-VI principal part sectional drawing of FIG. (A) is VIIa-VIIa principal part sectional drawing of FIG. 1, (b) is VIIb-VIIb principal part sectional drawing of FIG. It is a partial cross section perspective view which shows the relationship between the housing | casing of the operating device shown in FIG. 1, and a light shielding member. It is IX-IX principal part sectional drawing of FIG.7 (b). It is principal part sectional drawing which shows an effect | action when the light shielding member is assembled | attached to a housing | casing in the operating device shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

  1 to 5 show an example of an operating device to which the present invention is applied. The operating device A of this embodiment is for remote operation of a hot water supply device (not shown), for example, and is used in a state where it is attached to a wall surface of a kitchen or the like and connected to the main controller of the hot water supply device.

  1 and 2, the operation device A includes a housing 1, electrostatic switch operation units SW <b> 0 to SW <b> 3 formed on the front side of the front wall 11 of the housing 1, and a light emitting unit. A plurality of light transmitting portions 12 (12A to 12C), protrusions 6 provided on the housing 1, light shielding member 5, capacitance sensor 4, control board 2 for constructing the control circuit 2A, and display portion for data display 3 is provided.

  The housing 1 has a flat, substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and has a housing body 10 having a front wall portion 11. The housing body 10 is made of synthetic resin. In the present embodiment, the back plate portion 19 is attached to the back side of the housing main body portion 10, but the housing 1 is attached to a wall surface of a kitchen or the like without including the back plate portion 19. It can also be a structure.

  The control board 2 is mounted with various electrical / electronic components that construct a predetermined control circuit 2A, and is housed in the housing 1 and fixed using screws or the like. The display unit 3 for data display is for switching and displaying data such as a hot water supply temperature and time as appropriate, and is configured using, for example, a fluorescent display tube, a liquid crystal panel, or an organic EL panel. The display unit 3 is mounted on the control board 2 and is disposed so as to face the window 18 provided on the front wall 11 of the housing 1, and the surface thereof is covered by the translucent cover body 17. It has been broken.

  The electrostatic capacitance sensor 4 is for forming the electrostatic switch operation portions SW0 to SW3, and is bonded to the back side of the front wall portion 11 of the housing 1, for example, as shown in FIG. As clearly shown in FIG. 4, the capacitance sensor 4 includes a light-transmitting and flexible synthetic resin insulating sheet 40, a plurality of electrode portions E <b> 0 to E <b> 4, and a plurality connected thereto. The lead wire portion 41 has a configuration in which a pattern is formed using copper or the like. An end portion 41 a of each lead wire portion 41 is connected to a terminal portion 29 (see FIG. 2) of the control board 2, and energization to the capacitance sensor 4 is performed via the terminal portion 29. The control circuit 2A determines whether or not a switch operation has been performed based on changes in capacitance in the vicinity of the electrode portions E0 to E3. Of the front side of the front wall portion 11, the front regions of the electrode portions E0 to E3 are electrostatic switch operation portions SW0 to SW3. The electrode portion E4 is for preventing malfunction, and the front area of the electrode portion E4 does not correspond to an electrostatic switch operation portion. For example, the electrostatic switch operation unit SW0 corresponds to an operation switch, the electrostatic switch operation unit SW1 corresponds to a menu switch, and the electrostatic switch operation units SW2 and SW3 correspond to increase / decrease change switches. Of the surface portion of the front wall portion 11, characters such as “operation” and “MENU” are printed and displayed on the electrostatic switch operation portions SW0 and SW1. On the other hand, such a print display is not provided for the electrostatic switch operation units SW2 and SW3.

  The plurality of light transmission portions 12 (12A to 12C) are portions for indicating the positions and functions of the electrostatic switch operation portions SW1 to SW3, and a plurality of portions of the front wall portion 11 of the housing 1 are partially thinned portions. It is comprised by doing. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of recesses 15 a are formed on the back surface side of the front wall portion 11, so that a plurality of locations on the front wall portion 11 have a thin portion with a thin thickness t <b> 1. The thin portion corresponds to the light transmission portion 12. A plurality of light sources 7 such as LEDs are mounted on the control board 2, and light can be individually advanced from the light sources 7 toward the respective light transmitting portions 12. The light transmission unit 12 transmits the traveling light to the front surface of the housing 1. For this reason, the light transmission part 12 appears to shine (emits light) from the front of the housing 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the light transmitting portion 12 has a circular ring shape when viewed from the front, or a shape in which a symbol “+” or “−” is provided in the circular ring, but is not limited thereto. Not long.

  As shown in FIG. 5, preferably, the light emitting units 12 </ b> A to 12 </ b> C and the electrode units E <b> 1 to E <b> 3 of the capacitance sensor 4 are provided so as not to overlap each other when viewed from the front. More specifically, the electrode parts E1 to E3 are formed in a ring shape located around each of the light emitting parts 12A to 12C in a front view. In the configuration shown in the figure, as a means for increasing the total area of the electrode portion and increasing the electrostatic switch sensitivity, an island connected to the inside of the electrode portions E1 to E3 via a narrow lead wire portion 42 is used. Electrode portions E1 ′ to E3 ′ are provided. Preferably, these island electrode portions E1 'to E3' are also formed in a shape that avoids overlap with the light emitting portions 12A to 12C. According to such a configuration, the light traveling from the light source 7 to the light emitting parts 12A to 12C is prevented from being blocked by the electrode parts E1 to E3, E1 ′ to E3 ′, and the light emission luminance of the light emitting parts 12A to 12C is low. It can be avoided.

  The protrusion 6 protrudes from the back surface of the front wall portion 11 of the housing 1 toward the back surface side of the housing 1, and is integrally molded with the front wall portion 11. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the protrusion 6 is a part that functions as a partition wall that prevents the end portions 80 of the electrical wiring 8 connected to the control board 2 from contacting each other and short-circuiting. As will be described later, it also functions as a positioning projection for the light shielding member 5. More specifically, the control board 2 is provided with a pair of terminal portions 20, and end portions 80 of the electrical wiring 8 are connected to these terminal portions 20 using the screw bodies 21. The electrical wiring 8 is used for connection to the main controller of the hot water supply device described above, and is pulled out to the outside of the housing 1 through, for example, an opening 19 a provided in the back plate portion 19 of the housing 1. . The protrusions 6 are inserted into the slits 28 provided in the control board 2 and partition between the end portions 80 of the electrical wiring 8. As a result, even if the electric wiring 8 is pulled in various directions, it is appropriately prevented that the end portions 80 are in contact with each other to cause an electrical short circuit. The end part 80 of the electrical wiring 8 corresponds to an example of a pair of separation target parts referred to in the present invention.

  A notch 60 is opened at the proximal end of the projection 6 near the front wall 11 of the housing 1. The notch 60 is located in the middle of the protrusion 6 in the width direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 7), and two portions at both ends in the width direction of the base end of the protrusion 6 are connected to the front wall 11. Yes. According to such a configuration, the proximal end portion of the protrusion 6 has flexibility, and the distal end side can be elastically deformed in the direction of the arrow N1 in FIG. Therefore, even when the protrusion 6 is pressed in contact with the end 80 of the electric wiring 8, the protrusion 6 is appropriately elastically deformed in the pressing direction to prevent the protrusion 6 from being damaged. Effect is obtained.

  The light shielding member 5 is configured using, for example, a resin sheet having excellent light shielding properties of black or a dark color close thereto. As shown well in FIG. 8, the light shielding member 5 includes a plurality of apertures 50 for transmitting light, an insertion hole 51 for inserting the projection 6, and a plurality of holes formed at the edge of the insertion hole 51. It has notches 52 a and 52 b, a locking piece 53 formed by the plurality of notches 52 a and 52 b, a pair of pressing pieces 54, and an upright portion 55 located around the light shielding member 5. The standing portion 55 is a portion for accommodating the light shielding member 5 along the side wall when the light shielding member 5 is accommodated in the housing 1. For example, the light shielding member 5 is manufactured using a substantially rectangular resin sheet. In this case, the resin sheet can be formed by cutting the four corners of the sheet and bending the peripheral edge of the resin sheet. The plurality of apertures 50 are portions for causing light to travel toward the light transmitting portion 12. The plurality of cuts 52 a and 52 b are provided so as to be substantially parallel to each other as shown in the enlarged view of the main part of FIG. 8, and both are provided so that one end thereof is connected to the insertion hole 51. Yes.

  The locking piece 53 of the light shielding member 5 is a portion for entering the cutout portion 60 of the protrusion 6, and is partially separated from the other portions of the light shielding member 5 through the pair of cuts 52 a and the insertion holes 51. Cantilevered. The locking piece 53 can be bent with an elastic restoring force in the thickness direction of the light shielding member 5 as shown by an arrow N3 with the base end portion (part of the imaginary line L1) as the center. It is. Each pressing piece 54 is a part for contacting the side surface of the protrusion 6 to press the side surface, and a part of the pressing piece 54 is separated from the other part of the light shielding member 5 through the notches 52a and 52b and the insertion hole 51. Cantilevered. The pressing piece 54 can be bent with an elastic restoring force in the thickness direction of the light shielding member 5 as indicated by an arrow N4 with the base end portion (part of the imaginary line L2) as the center. is there.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the light shielding member 5 is accommodated in the housing 1 and attached to an arrangement in which the aperture 50 faces the light transmitting portion 12. In this attachment, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the projection 6 is inserted into the insertion hole 51. In FIG. 6, the protrusion 6 is not inserted into the capacitance sensor 4. However, when the capacitance sensor 4 is formed in a relatively large size and may interfere with the protrusion 6, What is necessary is just to set it as the structure by which the protrusion 6 was penetrated also to the electrostatic capacitance sensor 4. FIG. As clearly shown in the enlarged view of the main part of FIG. 6, the locking piece 53 enters the cutout portion 60 of the protrusion 6, and the locking piece 53 is connected to the cutout portion 60. It can be locked to the edges 60a and 60b (see also FIG. 7B). As shown in FIG. 9, each pressing piece 54 of the light shielding member 5 is in contact with the side surface of the non-notched portion of the base end portion of the protrusion 6 in a state where bending deformation occurs. Therefore, the pressing piece 54 presses one side surface of the projection 6 in the direction of the arrow N2, and presses the edge portion 51a of the insertion hole 51 and the other side surface of the projection 6.

  Next, the operation of the operation device A will be described.

  First, electrostatic switch operation portions SW0 to SW3 are formed on the front surface side of the front wall portion 11 of the housing 1, and these formation regions can be flat or have no unevenness. is there. Therefore, unlike the case where many concavo-convex operation switches are provided densely, this operation device A can be finished in a good appearance with a simple appearance and a stylish appearance. The surface of the part 11 becomes difficult to get dirty. Further, even if dirt is generated, the dirt is easily removed by cleaning. Further, the projection 6 is integrally molded with the resin on the front wall portion 11, but a notch 60 is provided at the base end portion of the projection 6 so that the projection 6 and the front wall portion 11 are directly connected to each other. The volume of the connected part is reduced. For this reason, the effect which can make it difficult to produce the sink mark resulting from presence of the processus | protrusion 6 on the surface of the front wall part 11 at the time of these resin molding is also acquired.

  Although the electrostatic switch operation units SW2 and SW3 are not provided with a character display indicating their positions and functions, the positions and functions can be recognized by the user by causing the light transmitting units 12B and 12C to shine. The electrostatic switch operation unit SW1 can recognize the position by the character display of “MENU”. However, by illuminating the light transmitting unit 12A, the position can be clearly recognized by the user. In addition, it is possible to give specific information to the user by causing the light transmitting portion 12 to shine at an appropriate timing.

  In the operation device A, the electrostatic switch operation units SW0 to SW3 are configured by providing the capacitance sensor 4 in the housing 1, and the light transmission unit 12 as the light emitting unit is a front wall of the housing 1. It is formed by providing the concave part 15a in the part 11, and the housing | casing 1 itself plays the role similar to the main structural member of a touch panel. Therefore, the configuration is reasonable, and the manufacturing cost can be significantly reduced as compared with a case where a touch panel including a set of contactless switches, display means, and the like is incorporated in the housing 1.

  The light shielding member 5 stops the light emitted from the light source 7 and advances the light toward the light transmitting portion 12 through the aperture 50. For this reason, the light from the light source 7 can be prevented from leaking from the other part of the front wall portion 11 to the outside of the housing 1. When the entire front wall portion 11 is relatively thin and the color thereof is white or a color close thereto, light is transmitted through a portion other than the light transmission portion 12 of the front wall portion 11 with a small amount, Although there exists a possibility that the wide area | region of the front wall part 11 may look bright, the light shielding member 5 prevents such a possibility appropriately.

  As described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, the locking piece 53 of the light shielding member 5 enters the notch 60 of the projection 6 and is locked to the edges 60 a and 60 b. The member 5 is appropriately prevented from being displaced in the direction in which the member 5 is engaged with the edges 60a and 60b. In particular, the action of the locking piece 53 locking to the edge portion 60 a effectively restricts the light shielding member 5 from being displaced to the back side of the housing 1. Further, the action of the locking piece 53 locking to the edge 60 b effectively restricts the movement of the light shielding member 5 in the direction intersecting the height direction of the protrusion 6. On the other hand, since the locking piece 53 can be bent and deformed with an elastic restoring force, as shown in FIG. 10, the light shielding member 5 is inserted into the housing 1 while the projection 6 is inserted into the insertion hole 51. When assembling, the locking piece 53 can be bent along the side surface of the protrusion 6. Therefore, the presence of the locking piece 53 does not hinder the assembling work of the light shielding member 5. Further, when the light shielding member 5 is further moved closer to the front wall portion 11 than the position indicated by reference numeral n1 in the same figure, the locking piece 53 in the bent state enters the notch portion 60 and vigorously enters the front wall. At that time, a sound is generated. Therefore, by hearing this sound, the operator can confirm that the locking piece 53 has entered the notch 60 properly, and the effect of preventing poor assembly can be obtained.

  As described with reference to FIG. 9, the pressing piece 54 of the light shielding member 5 presses one side surface of the projection 6 in the direction of the arrow N <b> 2 and presses the edge portion 51 a of the insertion hole 51 and the other side surface of the projection 6. Let By such an action, the light shielding member 5 is not easily displaced in the direction of the arrow N2 and the opposite direction, and the light shielding member 5 can be positioned and fixed more appropriately. For this reason, it is possible to eliminate the need to use, for example, a double-sided adhesive tape for the purpose of fixing the light shielding member 5.

  The light shielding member 5 is formed by processing a resin sheet, for example, and its raw material is inexpensive. Further, since the locking piece 53 and the pressing piece 54 are formed by providing the light shielding member 5 with a plurality of cuts 52a and 52b, the formation is easy and the processing cost is low. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost of the light shielding member 5 and appropriately suppress the cost increase of the entire operation device A.

  The present invention is not limited to the contents of the embodiment described above. The specific configuration of each part of the operating device according to the present invention can be modified in various ways.

  The light shielding member can be formed using a member other than the resin sheet. It is also possible to provide a plurality of notches at the base end of the protrusion provided on the housing. In such a case, a configuration in which a plurality of locking pieces are provided on the light shielding member correspondingly to this, You can also In addition, the protrusion does not necessarily have to be configured to insulate and separate the end portion of the electric wiring.

  The light transmission part as a light emission part as used in the field of this invention may not be the thin part provided in the wall part of a housing | casing. For example, it may be configured as a through-hole provided in the wall portion of the housing, and this portion may appear bright by allowing light to pass through the through-hole. As described above, the shape of the light transmitting portion is not limited to a circular ring shape.

  The operation switches do not necessarily have to be electrostatic, and all the operation switches may be, for example, push buttons. The operation device according to the present invention is for remote operation or remote operation of various devices and equipment (for example, water treatment devices such as cogeneration systems, heat pumps, air conditioners, water softeners, etc.) other than for hot water supply devices. It can comprise as an operating device other than.

Claims (3)

An operating device having a housing for accommodating a control circuit therein,
A light transmitting portion that is provided on the wall of the housing and that emits light emitted from a light source provided inside the housing to the outside of the housing to function as a light emitting portion;
A light-shielding member that is housed in the housing and is arranged on the back side of the wall portion, and having an aperture that narrows the light emitted from the light source and advances the light to the light transmission portion;
A protrusion that protrudes from the back surface of the wall portion, and a notch portion is formed at a proximal end portion in the vicinity of the back surface of the wall portion, and
The light-shielding member has an insertion hole through which the protrusion is inserted, and an edge of the insertion hole is provided with a plurality of cuts, so that the distal end side is elastically restored in the height direction of the protrusion. A cantilevered locking piece that can be bent along with is formed,
The operating device is characterized in that the locking piece enters the cutout portion so as to be locked to an edge portion of the cutout portion of the protrusion. A cantilever-shaped press capable of bending the tip side in the height direction of the protrusion with an elastic restoring force by providing an additional cut at the edge of the insertion hole of the light shielding member A piece is further formed,
The operating device according to claim 1, wherein the pressing piece is in contact with a side surface of a base end portion of the protrusion in a state where bending deformation occurs. The projection is interposed between a pair of separation target parts provided on a control board that is housed in the housing and constructs the control circuit, and serves as a partition wall that partitions the pair of separation target parts. The operating device according to claim 1, wherein the operating device is configured.

Images