JP6060379B2 - Rotating electronic components - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a rotary operation type electronic component used in an input operation unit of various electronic devices.

  In an input operation unit of various electronic devices, many rotary operation type electronic components are used for setting and adjusting various functions.

  A conventional rotary operation type electronic component will be described below with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a conventional rotary operation type electronic component, FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view thereof, and FIG. 7 is a plan view of the contact brush.

  As shown in the figure, in the conventional rotary operation type electronic component, the shaft portion of the operation shaft 2 rotatably held from the main body portion 1 protrudes upward. The main body 1 is configured by mounting a bearing 4 above a case 3 made of insulating resin. The bearing 4 includes an annular cylindrical portion 4A protruding upward, and a flange portion 4B substantially the same shape as the upper surface of the case 3 is provided at the base portion of the cylindrical portion 4A. The flange portion 4B is provided on the upper surface of the case 3. It is arranged.

  The case 3 has a recess that is substantially circular in top view and opens upward, and a fixed contact 5 formed in a predetermined contact pattern for the encoder is formed on the bottom of the recess.

  The operation shaft 2 is made of an insulating resin, and the shaft portion of the operation shaft 2 is rotatably held by the inner wall of the cylindrical portion 4A of the bearing 4 and protrudes upward from the cylindrical portion 4A. The flange portion 2A provided below the shaft portion of the operation shaft 2 is accommodated in the recess of the case 3, and the lower surface of the flange portion 2A is opposed to the bottom surface of the recess of the case 3 with a predetermined dimension.

  An elastic sheet metal contact brush 7 is disposed on the lower surface of the flange portion 2A of the operation shaft 2. In the contact brush 7, a plurality of protrusions 2B protruding downward from the lower surface of the flange portion 2A are inserted into a plurality of caulking holes 7B and 7C provided in a substantially annular flat plate portion 7A at a predetermined angular pitch. Then, the tip of the projection 2B is caulked to fix it to the lower surface of the flange 2A of the operation shaft 2.

  In the contact brush 7, a plurality of a pair of arm portions 7D extending from the flat plate portion 7A with a predetermined width are arranged at a predetermined angular pitch.

  The arm portion 7D is bent downward from its base portion, and a contact 7E formed at the tip portion thereof is in elastic contact with a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the concave portion of the case 3. That is, the arm portion 7D of the contact brush 7 bent downward is slightly bent upward by the contact 7E at the tip thereof being in elastic contact with the bottom surface of the recess.

  Radial unevenness is formed on the upper surface of the flange portion 2A of the operation shaft 2, and when the operation shaft 2 is rotated by elastic contact with the click spring 6 fixed by caulking below the bearing 4, a predetermined value is obtained. Click moderation according to the rotation angle is obtained.

  When the shaft portion of the operation shaft 2 is rotated, the contact brush 7 fixed to the lower surface of the flange portion 2A rotates together, and the contact 7E of the contact brush 7 slides on the bottom surface of the recess of the case 3. Then, according to the rotation operation of the operation shaft 2, the contact 7 </ b> E of the contact brush 7 is brought into and out of contact with the fixed contact 5 disposed on the bottom surface of the recess, whereby predetermined conduction is made to the fixed contact 5. A predetermined output signal can be obtained from the terminal 9 derived from the side surface.

  As described above, in the conventional rotary operation type electronic component, the contact 7E of the contact brush 7 that is caulked and fixed to the lower surface of the flange portion 2A is in elastic contact with the bottom surface of the concave portion of the case 3, and according to the rotation operation of the operation shaft 2. Then, it slides on the bottom surface of the recess to come in contact with and separate from the fixed contact 5.

  As prior art document information related to the invention of this application, for example, Patent Document 1 is known.

JP 11-273504 A

  However, in the conventional rotary operation type electronic component, if the caulking and fixing of the contact brush 7 is insufficient, a gap is generated between the flat plate portion 7A and the lower surface of the flange portion 2A. Due to the reaction force from 7D, the position of the flat plate part 7A around the caulking holes 7B and 7C may be deformed and the elastic contact pressure of the contactor 7E may become unstable. It was necessary to be.

  The present invention solves such a conventional problem, and provides a rotary operation type electronic component capable of suppressing deformation of a flat portion of a contact brush and suppressing variation in elastic contact pressure of the contact. For the purpose.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following configuration.

The present invention is a case made of insulating resin having a fixed contact on the bottom surface of the recess of the upper opening, a bearing disposed in the case, an operation shaft having a shaft portion that is inserted through the bearing and protrudes upward , A rotary operation-type electronic component having a contact brush that slides on the bottom surface of the recess by rotating the shaft portion and contacts and separates from the fixed contact, wherein the contact brush is a thin plate provided with an arm portion. The rotary plate-type electronic component is characterized in that a reinforcing portion projecting in an annular shape or an arc shape with a predetermined width is formed on the flat plate portion. .

  If it is this, it has the effect | action that the intensity | strength of the flat plate part of a contact brush can be ensured, and a deformation | transformation of a flat plate part is suppressed.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an advantageous effect that it is possible to provide a rotary operation type electronic component in which deformation of the flat portion of the contact brush is suppressed and variation in the contact pressure of the contact is suppressed.

Sectional drawing of the rotation operation type electronic component by one embodiment of this invention Exploded perspective view Top view of the contact brush The top view of the contact brush of the rotary operation type electronic component by the other form of this invention Sectional view of a conventional rotary operation type electronic component Exploded perspective view Top view of the contact brush

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the part of the structure same as the structure demonstrated in the term of the prior art, and detailed description is simplified.

(Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a rotary operation type electronic component according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view thereof, and FIG. 3 is a plan view of the contact brush.

  As shown in the figure, in the embodiment, like the conventional one, the shaft portion of the operation shaft 2 from the main body portion 1 formed by mounting the bearing 4 above the case 3 made of insulating resin. Protrudes upward. The bearing 4 includes an annular cylindrical portion 4A protruding upward, and a flange portion 4B substantially the same shape as the upper surface of the case 3 is provided at the base portion of the cylindrical portion 4A. The flange portion 4B is provided on the upper surface of the case 3. It is arranged. The operation shaft 2 has a shaft portion rotatably supported by the inner wall of the cylindrical portion 4A of the bearing 4 and protrudes upward from the cylindrical portion 4A.

  The case 3 has a concave portion that is substantially circular in top view and opens upward. The flange portion 2A provided below the operation shaft 2 is accommodated in the concave portion, and the lower surface of the flange portion 2A and the bottom surface of the concave portion of the case 3 are formed. Opposing with a predetermined dimension. A fixed contact 5 formed in a predetermined contact pattern for the encoder is formed on the bottom surface of the recess.

  In the embodiment, the unevenness formed on the upper surface of the flange portion 2A of the operation shaft 2 is in elastic contact with the click spring 6 that is caulked and fixed to the bearing 4, so that the operation shaft 2 is rotated. A click moderation according to a predetermined rotation angle is obtained.

  An elastic sheet metal contact brush 17 is disposed on the lower surface of the flange portion 2 </ b> A below the operation shaft 2.

  The contact brush 17 has a plurality of caulking holes 17B and 17C provided in a substantially annular flat plate portion 17A at a predetermined angular pitch, and projecting portions 2B projecting downward formed in the flange portion 2A. The operation shaft 2 is fixed to the lower surface of the flange portion 2A by caulking.

  Further, the contact brush 17 has a pair of arm portions 17D extending in a circumferential direction with a predetermined width from the flat plate portion 17A, and the pair of arm portions 17D is positioned so as to surround the flat plate portion 17A from the outside. A plurality of them are provided and arranged at a predetermined angular pitch.

  The arm portion 17D of the contact brush 17 is bent downward from the base portion thereof, and a contact 17E formed at the tip portion of the arm portion 17D is in elastic contact with the bottom surface of the recess of the case 3. Note that the arm portion 17D of the contact brush 17 bent downward is bent slightly upward because the contact 17E at the tip thereof is in elastic contact with the bottom surface of the recess.

  Here, the contact brush 17 described above is different from the conventional one in that an embossed portion 17F is formed on the flat plate portion 17A so as to protrude in an arc shape with a predetermined width. As shown in FIG. 3 and the like, the embossed portion 17F has an arc shape in a top view with a predetermined width at a position of the flat plate portion 17A slightly outside from the inner periphery of the flat plate portion 17A formed in a substantially annular shape. It protrudes downward. Furthermore, a plurality of embossed portions 17F are arranged on the same circumference at a predetermined angular pitch. The embossed portion 17F corresponds to a reinforcing portion in claims.

  If the protrusion dimension of the embossed portion 17F is set within the range of the thickness of the sheet metal forming the contact brush 17, the contact brush 17 is not required when the embossed portion 17F is formed by press working or the like. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a significant deformation.

  When the shaft portion of the operation shaft 2 is rotated, the contact brush 17 fixed to the lower surface of the flange portion 2A rotates together, and the contact 17E slides on the bottom surface of the recess of the case 3. As a result, according to the rotation operation of the operation shaft 2, the contact 17E of the contact brush 17 is brought into and out of contact with the fixed contact 5 disposed on the bottom surface of the recess, whereby the predetermined contact with the fixed contact 5 is made. A predetermined output signal can be obtained from the terminal 9 derived from the side surface of FIG.

  In this embodiment, the embossed portion 17F is formed on the flat plate portion 17A of the contact brush 17, thereby preventing the flat plate portion 17A from being lifted from the flange portion 2A.

  That is, by forming the embossed portion 17F on the flat plate portion 17A, the contact brush 17 has higher rigidity than the conventional one, and the contact 17E at the tip of the arm portion 17D is in elastic contact with the bottom surface of the recess of the case 3. Even if the reaction force is transmitted from the arm portion 17D to the flat plate portion 17A, the flat plate portion 17A can be configured to be difficult to be deformed in the direction of rising from the flange portion 2A.

  As described above, the contact brush 17 having the above configuration can be configured such that the deformation of the flat plate portion 17A is suppressed, so that the deformation of the flat plate portion 17A of the contact brush 17 is suppressed even if the caulking is insufficient. It is possible to suppress the variation in the elastic contact pressure of the contact 17E and maintain a stable contact pressure between the contact 17E and the bottom surface of the recess of the case 3.

  As described above, according to the embodiment, the embossed portion 17F provided on the flat plate portion 17A increases the rigidity of the flat plate portion 17A, and prevents the flat plate portion 17A from being deformed in the direction of being lifted from the lower surface of the flange portion 2A. Thus, the elastic contact pressure of the contact 17E is prevented from becoming unstable. As a result, it is possible to obtain a rotary operation type electronic component that suppresses variations in the elastic contact pressure of the contact 17E.

  The shape and quantity of the embossed part are not limited to the above-described shapes, and a plurality of elliptical embosses arranged in a top view are arranged in a circumferential shape, or the embossed part is constituted by one annular shape. May be. In addition, the cross-sectional shape may be a U shape, a V shape, or the like.

  Further, the embossed portion as a reinforcing portion has been mainly described above at a position slightly outside from the inner peripheral edge of the flat plate portion 17A formed in a substantially annular shape, but as shown in FIG. The reinforcing portion may be provided on the inner peripheral edge of the flat plate portion 17A.

  FIG. 4 is a plan view of a contact brush of a rotary operation type electronic component according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the contact brush 27 has a processed portion 27F as a reinforcing portion in the flat plate portion 17A. It is arranged at the periphery.

  In the contact brush 27, the flat plate portion 17A is provided with caulking holes 17B and 17C, and the contact 17E is formed at the tip of an arm portion 17D extending from the flat plate portion 17A. Since this is the same as the contact brush 17 described above, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

  The processed portion 27F provided on the contact brush 27 is formed in a cylindrical shape so as to project the inner peripheral edge slightly upward along the inner peripheral edge of the flat plate portion 17A. Thereby, the rigidity of the flat plate portion 17A can be improved.

  Further, the processed portion is not limited to the one protruding in a cylindrical shape along the inner periphery of the flat plate portion, and a plurality of processed portions protruding in an arc shape are provided along the inner periphery of the flat plate portion. Also good. Furthermore, the projecting direction may be formed so as to project downward, or by combining these ideas, a plurality of arcuate items may be appropriately projected in the vertical direction.

  In addition, what is formed by the idea mentioned above is good also as what was comprised in the outer edge part of 17 A of flat plate parts.

  In addition, when the rotary operation type electronic component is configured using the above-described contact brush, in a combined state, a predetermined portion is provided so that the protruding portion of the contact brush that protrudes from the lower surface of the flange portion of the operation shaft does not interfere. The shape of the component parts may be designed as appropriate.

  In the above description, the processing portion is provided by protrudingly formed. However, the processing portion may be configured by work hardening with a press or the like without changing the shape.

  In addition, by forming the reinforcing portion such as the embossed portion described above, the contact brush can be improved in rigidity of the flat plate portion as compared with the conventional one, so that the predetermined rigidity of the flat plate portion is maintained. Thus, the width in the radial direction of the flat plate portion can be set to a small one, and that amount can be added to the width dimension of the base of the arm portion instead to make a large size setting. In other words, since the width of the base of the arm portion can be set larger without increasing the outer size of the contact brush in top view, the spring characteristics of the arm portion can be improved compared to the conventional one, and stable contact can be achieved. The pressure can be maintained, which is useful.

  In the above description, an example in which the operation shaft 2 is rotated to function as an encoder has been described, but a configuration in which a variable resistor or the like functions may be used.

  In addition, the above description has been made on a rotary operation type electronic component that can only be rotated, but in addition to rotating the operation shaft, a switch mechanism that can be pressed downward is provided. The idea of the present invention may be applied.

  In addition, if the contact brush is circular when viewed from above, the configuration of the plurality of arm portions is symmetric, and it is desirable that the contact pressure of each contact becomes uniform, which is desirable. May be configured by a so-called horseshoe shape in which a part thereof is cut in the radial direction, or may be configured by arranging a plurality of arcuate contact brushes formed at a predetermined angle on the same circumference. .

  The rotary operation type electronic component according to the present invention can be a device in which the deformation of the flat portion of the contact brush can be suppressed, and the rotation operation type electronic component in which the variation in the contact pressure of the contactor is suppressed can be provided. Useful for input operation unit.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body part 2 Operation shaft 2A Flange part 2B Protrusion part 3 Case 4 Bearing 4A Cylindrical part 4B collar part 5 Fixed contact 6 Click spring 9 Terminal 17 Contact brush 17A Flat plate part 17B, 17C Caulking hole 17D Arm part 17E Contactor 17F Embossing part 27F Machining part

Claims (1)

A case made of insulating resin having a fixed contact on the bottom surface of the concave portion of the upper opening; a bearing disposed in the case; an operating shaft having a shaft portion inserted through the bearing and projecting upward ; A rotating operation type electronic component having a contact brush that slides on the bottom surface of the recess by rotating operation and contacts and separates from the fixed contact, wherein the contact brush is a thin flat plate portion provided with an arm portion. A rotating operation type electronic component, wherein the flat plate portion is formed with a reinforcing portion projecting in an annular shape or an arc shape with a predetermined width .

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