JP6476911B2 - Dial structure and electronic device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a dial structure such as a mode dial in a camera, and an electronic device provided with the dial structure.

A digital camera is generally equipped with a mode dial (see Patent Document 1 etc.) for switching and selecting a shooting mode, and there is, for example, a mode dial 11 as shown in FIG.
FIG. 6 shows a conventional mode dial structure. As shown, a groove member 12 having a click groove 12a for generating a click feeling is adhered to the mode dial 11. As shown in FIG. The mode dial 11 is axially attached to the case 1 at the upper portion of the camera body, and is rotatably fixed by the screw 15 via the pressing member 13 and the plate spring 14. The appearance panel 2 is engaged with the case 1.
Then, when the mode dial 11 is turned, the ball 17 pressed by the coil spring 16 enters the click groove 12 a provided in the rotation direction of the groove member 12, whereby a click feeling is obtained.
The sliding portion 14a of the flat spring 14 contacts the copper foil surface of the substrate 3 with a constant load to obtain a switch function by the electrical connection and the copper foil pattern.

In such a conventional mode dial structure, when assembling the mode dial 11, the coil spring 16 is placed on the case 1, then the ball 17 is placed, and the mode dial 11 to which the groove member 12 is adhered is covered from above. There is a problem that the ball 17 or the like is easily dropped at the time of assembly because it is stopped by the screw 15 from the inside, and it is difficult to assemble.
And since the click force required by a specification is different, it was necessary to change the spring force of the coil spring 16 for every model.

Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a mode dial structure in which a click ball and a coil spring, a spring retainer thereof, and a pressing member at the center thereof are assembled from the inside to a case on which a mode dial is placed.
As described above, assembling is facilitated by assembling the click ball and coil spring, the spring retainer, and the pressing member from the inside of the case on which the mode dial is placed.

Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2004-146163 JP, 2006-66147, A

  However, it has hitherto been impossible to change the spring force of the coil spring for each model in response to the click required by the specifications.

  An object of the present invention is to make it possible to change the spring force for each model in response to the click required by the specification.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is
A structure in which a click feeling is generated when the dial is rotatably assembled to the case, and the dial is click-stopped,
A groove member having a click groove in conjunction with the rotation of the dial;
A ball entering the click groove when the dial is rotated;
A spring biasing the ball in a direction to enter the click groove;
And a spring presser screwed to the dial via a presser member .
The spring retainer is provided with spring retainers having different heights for at least two kinds for changing the magnitude of the biasing force of the spring.

  According to the present invention, since it is possible to select the click force that matches the specification, the number of parts can be reduced overall.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of an embodiment of a mode dial structure to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of an assembled state of the mode dial structure of FIG. 1, showing a state in which a height of a spring pressing portion is high. It is the figure which similarly showed the state of the height of a spring retainer part in the middle. It is the figure which similarly showed the state in which the height of the spring holding | maintenance part was low. 1 is a perspective view of a camera showing a configuration of an embodiment of an electronic device to which the present invention is applied. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the conventional mode dial structure.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
(Embodiment)
1 and 2 show the configuration of an embodiment of a mode dial structure to which the present invention is applied. 1 is a case, 3 is a substrate, 11 is a mode dial, 12 is a groove member, 13 is a pressing member, 14 is A leaf spring, 15 is a screw, 16 is a coil spring, 17 is a ball, and 18 is a spring retainer.

As shown, a groove member 12 having a click groove 12 a for generating a click feeling is engaged with the mode dial 11.
The mode dial 11 is rotatably assembled to the case 1 by the shaft portion via the groove member 12 and is rotatably fixed by the screw 15 via the pressing member 13 and the plate spring 14.
Then, when the mode dial 11 is turned, the ball 17 pressed by the coil spring 16 enters the click groove 12 a provided in the rotation direction of the groove member 12, whereby a click feeling is obtained.
Further, the sliding portion 14 a of the flat spring 14 contacts the copper foil surface of the substrate 3 with a constant load to obtain a switch function by the electrical connection and the copper foil pattern.

When assembling the mode dial 11, after covering the mode dial 11 to which the groove member 12 is adhered to the case 1 from above, insert the ball 17 and the coil spring 16 into the through hole 1a from the inside of the case 1 The spring presser 18, the presser 13 at its center, and the plate spring 14 at its lower surface are assembled.
Then, by screwing together the pressing member 13 and the central portion of the plate spring 14 with the shaft portion of the mode dial 11 with the screw 15, the ball 17 and the like can be easily assembled without dropping.

As shown in FIG. 1, the spring retainer 18 is provided with three spring retainers 18a, 18b, and 18c having different heights, and the click force can be changed depending on the use location.
For this reason, it is not necessary to change the spring force of the coil spring 16 for each model, and by changing the mounting direction of the spring retainer 18, it is possible to select the click force suitable for each specification. You can reduce the score.

  FIG. 2 shows a state in which the coil spring 16 is positioned at the spring holding portion 18a having a high height, and FIG. 3 shows a state in which the coil spring 16 is positioned at the spring holding portion 18b having an intermediate height. 4 shows a state in which the coil spring 16 is positioned at the spring holding portion 18c having a low height.

  As described above, according to the mode dial structure of the embodiment, the ball 17 for the click and the coil spring 16, the spring retainer 18 and the pressing member 13 at the center thereof are assembled from the inside of the case 1 on which the mode dial 11 is mounted. It becomes easy to assemble.

  Then, by changing the mounting direction of the spring retainer 18, the coil spring 16 can be positioned on the three spring retainers 18a, 18b and 18c having different heights, so that the click force meeting each specification can be selected. Therefore, the number of parts can be reduced overall.

(Modification)
Note that a part of the outer periphery of the spring retainer 18 may be exposed in the form of a lever to the outside of the case 1, and the photographer may rotate.
In that case, in order to make the rotational movement of the spring retainer 18 smooth, the spring retainers 18a, 18b and 18c of the spring retainer 18 are not clear depressions as shown, but are not shown but with gentle depressions and slopes. Do.

(Other modifications)
Although the mode dial of the camera is used in the above embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be a dial of another electronic device such as a mobile phone equipped with a camera.
Further, the shapes and the like of the components of the dial structure are also arbitrary, and it is needless to say that other specific detailed structures and the like can be appropriately changed.

Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the scope of the invention described in the claims and the scope of equivalents thereof Including.
In the following, the invention described in the claims initially attached to the request for this application is appended.
The item numbers of the claims described in the appendix are as in the claims attached at the beginning of the application for this application.
[Supplementary Note]
<Claim 1>
A structure in which a click feeling is generated when the dial is rotatably assembled to the case, and the dial is click-stopped,
A groove member interlocking with the dial and having a click groove;
A ball entering the click groove when the dial is rotated;
A spring biasing the ball in a direction to enter the click groove;
And a spring retainer for pressing the spring.
A dial structure characterized in that in the spring retainer, spring retainers having different heights for at least two kinds for changing the magnitude of the biasing force of the spring are provided.
<Claim 2>
While rotatably assembling the dial and the groove member to a case,
The dial structure according to claim 1, wherein the ball, the spring and the spring retainer are assembled from the side opposite to the dial with respect to the case.
<Claim 3>
The dial structure according to claim 1, wherein the ball and the spring are inserted into a through hole formed in the case.
<Claim 4>
The dial structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the spring retainer is screwed to the dial via a pressing member.
<Claim 5>
5. The biasing force of the spring is changed by positioning the ball at any of the spring presser portions having different heights by rotating the spring presser. The dial structure according to one item.
<Claim 6>
An electronic device comprising the dial structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5 in the case.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS 1 case 1a through hole 2 appearance panel 3 substrate 11 dial 12 groove member 12a click groove 13 pressing member 14 plate spring 14a sliding portion 15 screw 16 coil spring 17 ball 18 spring retainer 18a, 18b, 18c spring retainer

Claims (5)

A structure in which a click feeling is generated when the dial is rotatably assembled to the case, and the dial is click-stopped,
A groove member having a click groove in conjunction with the rotation of the dial;
A ball entering the click groove when the dial is rotated;
A spring biasing the ball in a direction to enter the click groove;
And a spring presser screwed to the dial via a presser member .
A dial structure characterized in that in the spring retainer, spring retainers having different heights for at least two kinds for changing the magnitude of the biasing force of the spring are provided. While rotatably assembling the dial and the groove member to a case,
The dial structure according to claim 1, wherein the ball, the spring and the spring retainer are assembled from the side opposite to the dial with respect to the case.   The dial structure according to claim 1, wherein the ball and the spring are inserted into a through hole formed in the case. 4. The biasing force of the spring is changed by positioning the ball at any one of spring holding portions having different heights by rotating the spring holding member. The dial structure according to one item . An electronic device comprising the dial structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4 in the case.

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