JP5641859B2 - Dial-type switch - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a dial type switch.

  Conventionally, dial switches used for temperature control of car air conditioners are provided with a pointer (positioner) that can emit light so that the turning position of the turning knob can be determined even at night. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the dial switch.
As shown in this figure, the dial type switch 200 includes a substantially cylindrical housing 202 whose front end opening is closed by a lid member 201, a funnel-shaped light guide ring 203 and a light source 204 provided inside the housing 202. And an annular rotating knob 205 provided rotatably on the outer peripheral side of the lid member 201. The rotary knob 205 has a lens member 206 inside a predetermined position on the circumference, and a portion located in front of the lens member 206 is a light-transmitting portion 205a that is thinly laser-cut and painted. ing.

  With such a configuration, in the dial switch 200, the light from the light source 204 is guided by the light guide ring 203 and enters the lens member 206 through the opening 202 a of the housing 202, and then from the front surface of the lens member 206. The light is emitted and transmitted through the light transmitting portion 205a of the rotating knob 205. Thus, the translucent part 205a can emit light as a pointer part.

JP 2010-97713 A

  However, in the structure of the dial switch 200 described above, the pointer portion (translucent portion 205a) can be formed only on the front surface of the rotary knob 205 for the following two reasons. It was difficult to emit light over a wide range over the peripheral surface.

  First, in order to form the translucent portion 205a from the front surface to the peripheral surface of the rotating knob 205, the front surface and the peripheral surface of the rotating knob 205 including the corner portions must be laser-cut. It is not easy to change the laser irradiation direction at the time of cutting, and the processing step of the rotary knob 205 becomes complicated.

  Second, in order to make the peripheral surface of the rotary knob 205 emit light, the outer peripheral wall of the rotary knob 205 is formed thin so that the lens member 206 faces the vicinity of the peripheral surface of the rotary knob 205 that should emit light. At the same time, the lens member 206 must be formed larger in the outer diameter direction of the rotation knob 205. On the other hand, the rotation knob 205 must be inserted at a predetermined depth or more to the back side of the instrument panel 300 while covering the rear part of the lens member 206 so as not to leak light to the outside through a gap with the instrument panel 300 to which the dial switch 200 is attached. I must. Therefore, if it is going to respond to these requests simultaneously, the diameter of the turning knob 205 must be increased, and the mating dimensions with the instrument panel 300 will be changed.

  This invention is made in view of the said situation, and makes it a subject to provide the dial type switch which can light-emit a pointer | guide part over a wide range from the front surface of a rotation knob to a surrounding surface.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention described in claim 1 includes a light source and a cylindrical rotation knob having a pointer portion that emits light by light from the light source, and the rotation knob is exposed. In a dial-type switch that is attached to the panel in a state, performs a predetermined switch operation by turning around the central axis of the turning knob, and can discriminate the turning position of the turning knob by the pointer part,
The turning knob is
A lens member serving as the pointer portion elongated in the front-rear direction along the central axis direction of the rotation knob, a first cylindrical member, and a second cylindrical member;
The first cylindrical member is
Rutotomoni to expose the front portion of the lens member to the front and side, and a notch for holding the rear end portion of the lens member from the outer side,
A beam portion that covers the front side of the rear end portion of the inner peripheral surface of the lens member while exposing the rear end portion of the inner peripheral surface to the inner peripheral side,
Have
The second cylindrical member is
A lens cover that covers the rear surface of the lens member;
An extension part extending rearward from the lens cover part and inserted inside the panel;
Have
In the lens covering portion and is engaged Rukoto of the notch rear portion and the second cylindrical member of said first cylindrical member, of the rear end portion of the lens member, exposing said beam portion A portion other than the inner peripheral surface is covered .

The invention according to claim 2 is the dial switch according to claim 1,
An opening that is disposed concentrically with the rotation knob on the inner peripheral side of the rotation knob and that opens over substantially the entire circumference at a portion located on the inner peripheral side of the rear end portion of the lens member. A cylindrical housing having,
The light source is disposed concentrically with the housing inside the housing and guides light from the light source forward, and the front end portion is disposed on the inner peripheral side of the opening to guide the light. A cylindrical light guide member having a reflection surface at the front end portion for reflecting light toward the opening;
Equipped with a,
The light source is disposed behind the light guide member and on the central axis of the light guide member, and radiates light forward.

The invention according to claim 3 is the dial switch according to claim 1 or 2,
It is mounted on a vehicle.

According to the present invention, since the exposed lens member is used as the pointer portion instead of the translucent portion of the rotating knob that emits light by the lens member as in the prior art, laser cutting for forming the translucent portion is unnecessary. It can be.
The rotating knob holds the lens member and covers the first cylindrical member that covers the inner peripheral surface of the lens member; and the rear end of the first cylindrical member covers the rear surface of the lens member and the lens. A second cylindrical member extending rearward of the member, and unlike the conventional case where the lens member is held inside by an integral rotation knob and the rear portion thereof is covered, the lens is formed by the first cylindrical member. While holding the member exposed to the front and the side, the rear portion of the second cylindrical member can be inserted into the panel (instrument panel) while covering the rear surface of the lens member with the second cylindrical member. As a result, even if the lens member is formed larger in the outer diameter direction than in the past, light leakage from the gap between the rotating knob and the panel (instrument panel) can be prevented without increasing the diameter of the rotating knob. Can be prevented.
Accordingly, the lens member can be suitably exposed to the front and side, and as a result, the pointer portion can emit light over a wide range from the front surface to the peripheral surface of the rotating knob.

It is a front view in the in-vehicle state of the dial type switch in an embodiment. It is a disassembled perspective view of the principal part of a dial type switch. It is sectional drawing in the AA of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the optical path in a dial type switch. It is a sectional side view of the conventional dial type switch.

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

FIG. 1 is a front view of the dial switch 1 according to the present embodiment in a vehicle-mounted state, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a main part of the dial switch 1, and FIG. It is sectional drawing in a line.
The dial switch 1 is a switch unit that is mounted on a vehicle and performs a predetermined switch operation, and includes a cylindrical rotating knob 2 exposed from an instrument panel (instrument panel) 100, as shown in FIG. Yes.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the rotation knob 2 is configured to be rotatable around a central axis Ax along the front-rear direction, and includes a lens member 21, a first cylindrical member 22, and a second cylinder. A member 23 and a ring member 24 are provided.
Among these, the lens member 21 is formed long in the front-rear direction along the central axis Ax direction, and is held by the first cylindrical member 22. More specifically, the lens member 21 is formed such that the front portion is larger than the rear portion in the outer diameter direction of the rotary knob 2, and the front portion is forward and sideward (the outer diameter direction of the rotary knob 2). It is held in an exposed state. A tapered surface that is inclined forward toward the outer diameter direction is formed at the rear end portion of the lens member 21, and the tapered surface is used for internally reflecting light from the light guide member 10 to be described later. The reflecting surface 21a is configured. The lens member 21 is made of a diffusing material that diffuses light. As will be described later, the lens member 21 emits light upon receiving light from the LED 8 and functions as a pointer portion (positioner) for determining the rotation position of the rotation knob 2.

  The first cylindrical member 22 is a thin-walled cylindrical member that is formed to have the same length in the front-rear direction as the lens member 21. The first cylindrical member 22 has a notch 22a for holding the lens member 21 at the front of a predetermined portion on the circumference while exposing the front of the lens member 21 forward and sideward. A beam portion 22b that covers the inner peripheral surface of the lens member 21 is formed on the inner peripheral side of the cutout portion 22a. However, the beam portion 22b is formed only on the front side of the rear end portion of the lens member 21, and the rear end portion of the lens member 21 is exposed to the inner peripheral side.

  The second cylindrical member 23 is a thin-walled cylindrical member formed to have the same outer diameter as the first cylindrical member 22, and is locked to the rear end portion of the first cylindrical member 22 so as to cover the rear surface of the lens member 21. Has been. The second cylindrical member 23 is formed to have a predetermined length in the front-rear direction so as to extend rearward of the lens member 21, and a substantially second half portion is inserted into the instrument panel 100 over a predetermined length.

  The ring member 24 is brought into contact with the front end surface of the first cylindrical member 22 and is locked to the second cylindrical member 23 so as to sandwich the first cylindrical member 22 back and forth. A concave portion 24a is formed in a portion of the peripheral surface of the ring member 24 where the lens member 21 is located. The lens member 21 is fitted into the concave portion 24a so that the front surface of the lens member 21 is exposed forward.

  A cylindrical housing 3 that is long in the front-rear direction is disposed concentrically with the rotation knob 2 on the inner peripheral side of the rotation knob 2. The housing 3 has an opening 3 a that opens in the circumferential direction over substantially the entire circumference at a portion located on the inner peripheral side of the rear end portion of the lens member 21. Further, the front opening of the housing 3 is closed by the lid member 4.

  The rear end portion of the housing 3 is fixed to a substrate 5 erected so as to be orthogonal to the central axis Ax. The rear surface of the substrate 5 is covered with a cover 6, and is fixed to the instrument panel 100 via a case 7 attached to the outer periphery of the cover 6. On the substrate 5, an LED (light emitting diode) 8 whose optical axis coincides with the central axis Ax is mounted on the central axis Ax so as to irradiate light forward. An encoder unit 9 is mounted on the substrate 5 on the outer peripheral side of the housing 3. The encoder unit 9 has a sliding portion (not shown) that can rotate about the central axis Ax, and the sliding portion is connected to the rear end portion of the second cylindrical member 23 of the rotating knob 2. Thus, the rotation position (rotation angle) of the rotation knob 2 can be detected. And based on the rotation angle which the encoder unit 9 detected, predetermined | prescribed switch operation | movement is performed through the control mechanism which is not shown in figure.

  A substantially cylindrical light guide member 10 disposed concentrically with the housing 3 is disposed inside the housing 3. The light guide member 10 is disposed at a middle position in the front-rear direction of the housing 3 such that the front end portion is located on the inner peripheral side of the opening 3 a of the housing 3. The light guide member 10 guides light from the LED 8 forward and makes it enter the lens member 21 through the opening 3a. Therefore, the outer peripheral surface of the rear half of the light guide member 10 constitutes a tapered first reflecting surface 10a that spreads forward so that the light from the LED 8 can be suitably guided, and the first reflecting surface 10a The light from the LED 8 is internally reflected forward. Further, the inner peripheral surface of the front end portion of the light guide member 10 forms a tapered second reflecting surface 10b that spreads forward, and the light guided from the rear portion in the light guide member 10 is the second reflecting surface. 10b is internally reflected toward the outer periphery toward the opening 3a.

  In the dial switch 1 having the above configuration, as shown in FIG. 4, the light emitted from the LED 8 is incident on the light guide member 10 at the circumferential position where the lens member 21 is located, and the first reflecting surface 10 a. Is internally reflected forward, and is internally reflected by the second reflecting surface 10b in the outer peripheral direction. This light is emitted from the light guide member 10 and passes through the opening 3a of the housing 3, and then enters the rear end of the lens member 21 and is internally reflected forward by the reflecting surface 21a. The lens member 21 emits light from the upper surface. At this time, since the lens member 21 is formed of a diffusing material, the entire lens member 21 emits light.

According to the dial switch 1 described above, since the exposed lens member 21 is used as the pointer portion instead of the translucent portion of the rotating knob that emits light by the lens member as in the prior art, the translucent portion is formed. It is possible to eliminate the need for laser cutting.
Further, the rotation knob 2 is engaged with the first cylindrical member 22 that covers the inner peripheral surface of the lens member 21 while holding the lens member 21, and the rear end portion of the first cylindrical member 22. And a second cylindrical member 23 that covers the rear surface and extends rearward of the lens member 21, so that the lens member is held inside by an integral rotation knob and the rear portion is covered. In contrast, the first cylindrical member 22 holds the lens member 21 while being exposed forward and sideward, and at the same time, the second cylindrical member 23 covers the rear surface of the lens member 21 while the rear portion of the second cylindrical member 23 is covered with the instrument panel 100. Can be inserted into. As a result, even if the lens member 21 is formed larger in the outer diameter direction than in the past, light leakage from the gap between the rotating knob 2 and the instrument panel 100 without increasing the diameter of the rotating knob 2. Can be prevented.
Therefore, the lens member 21 can be suitably exposed to the front and side, and as a result, the pointer portion can emit light over a wide range from the front surface to the peripheral surface of the rotary knob 2.

  In addition, the housing 3 has an opening 3 a that opens over the entire circumference at a portion located on the inner peripheral side of the rear end portion of the lens member 21, and the cylindrical light guide member 10 is concentric with the housing 3. The first cylindrical member 22 has the rear end portion of the lens member 21 exposed to the inner peripheral side, and has a second reflecting surface 10b at the front end portion located on the inner peripheral side of the opening 3a. The LED 8 is disposed behind the light guide member 10 and on the central axis of the light guide member 10 to irradiate light forward, that is, the optical path from the LED 8 to the lens member 21 is almost all. It becomes the same in the circumferential direction position. Therefore, even when the circumferential position of the lens member 21 changes with the rotation of the rotary knob 2, the lens member 21 can emit light without changing its luminance.

  In addition, since the second cylindrical member 23 of the rotary knob 2 is inserted into the instrument panel 100 over a predetermined length, the dust can enter the interior from the gap between the second cylindrical member 23 and the instrument panel 100. , Light leakage from the gap to the outside can be prevented.

  It should be noted that the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the above-described embodiment, and of course can be modified or improved as appropriate.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the opening 3 a of the housing 3 is formed over substantially the entire circumference, but the circumferential position at which the lens member 21 moves in accordance with the rotation of the rotation knob 2. It may be formed over substantially the entire range.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Dial type switch 2 Turning knob 3 Housing 3a Opening part 8 LED (light source)
10 Light guide member 10a First reflection surface 10b Second reflection surface (reflection surface)
21 Lens member 21a Reflecting surface 22 First cylindrical member 22a Notch 23 Second cylindrical member Ax Central axis

Claims (3)

A light source and a cylindrical rotating knob having a pointer portion that emits light by the light from the light source, and is attached to the panel in a state where the rotating knob is exposed, around a central axis of the rotating knob. In the dial type switch that performs a predetermined switch operation by turning and can determine the turning position of the turning knob by the pointer part,
The turning knob is
A lens member serving as the pointer portion elongated in the front-rear direction along the central axis direction of the rotation knob, a first cylindrical member, and a second cylindrical member;
The first cylindrical member is
Rutotomoni to expose the front portion of the lens member to the front and side, and a notch for holding the rear end portion of the lens member from the outer side,
A beam portion that covers the front side of the rear end portion of the inner peripheral surface of the lens member while exposing the rear end portion of the inner peripheral surface to the inner peripheral side,
Have
The second cylindrical member is
A lens cover that covers the rear surface of the lens member;
An extension part extending rearward from the lens cover part and inserted inside the panel;
Have
In the lens covering portion and is engaged Rukoto of the notch rear portion and the second cylindrical member of said first cylindrical member, of the rear end portion of the lens member, exposing said beam portion A dial switch characterized by covering a portion other than the inner peripheral surface . An opening that is disposed concentrically with the rotation knob on the inner peripheral side of the rotation knob and that opens over substantially the entire circumference at a portion located on the inner peripheral side of the rear end portion of the lens member. A cylindrical housing having,
The light source is disposed concentrically with the housing inside the housing and guides light from the light source forward, and the front end portion is disposed on the inner peripheral side of the opening to guide the light. A cylindrical light guide member having a reflection surface at the front end portion for reflecting light toward the opening;
Equipped with a,
The dial switch according to claim 1, wherein the light source is disposed behind the light guide member and on a central axis of the light guide member, and emits light forward.   The dial type switch according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the dial type switch is mounted on a vehicle.

Images