JP6501293B2 - Remote control for gas appliances - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to remote controls for gas appliances.

  Conventionally, a remote controller for operating a gas appliance such as a water heater has been put to practical use. The remote controller is mainly attached to a kitchen, a bathroom, etc. For example, various operations such as power on / off, hot water temperature setting, bath filling, time setting, etc. by pressing a button provided on the front side Can be performed at remote locations remote from the gas appliance. The remote controller for this type of gas appliance is provided with various operation units in such a manner as to be exposed from the panel disposed on the front side to the outside of the device, and a specific structure of the operation unit is a button structure that can be pressed Is widely adopted.

  For example, in the technique of Patent Document 1, an operation unit 19 for setting reserved hot water supply and an operation unit 21 for setting a hot water temperature are provided on the front side of the apparatus, and external operations on these operation units 19 and 21 It is possible to input information. In this example, the operation units 19 and 21 are configured by the operation buttons 23 and 24, and pressing on these operation buttons 23 and 24 switches on and off the tact switches 25 and 26 provided on the rear side. It is possible.

  In the example of Patent Document 1, the operation buttons 23 and 24 are arranged in the opening formed in the main body of the front case A (see FIG. 9 of Patent Document 1). The operation buttons 23 and 24 are connected to the main body (outside portion of the opening area) of the front case A by a flexible and deformable connection portion, and the operation buttons 23 and 24 and the main body are integrated. . Then, as exemplified in FIG. 6 of Cited Reference 1 and the like, the operation buttons 23 and 24 both have a structure in which the back surface side protrudes toward the rear side, and at the time of pressing operation, the operated button The formed protrusion acts to push the tact switch (tact switch 25, 26) disposed on the rear side thereof.

  In the remote controller for gas appliances, such a button structure is widely adopted in consideration of user's operability and configuration merit etc. However, when the operation unit is made a button structure, too much force is applied too much It may be desirable to have a configuration that allows the user to perform the pressing operation smoothly without the need. In other words, it is necessary to prevent the button portion from having a rigid button structure that does not easily displace, and for that purpose, it is necessary to make the connecting portion connecting the button portion and the case main body flexible enough to some extent. In the configuration of Patent Document 1, in order to meet such a requirement, in the annular space between the outer peripheral edge of the button portion (operation buttons 23 and 24) and the inner peripheral edge of the opening formed in the case main body portion, The connecting portion is arranged in a curved structure along the circumferential direction of the annular space and in non-contact with the outer peripheral edge of the button portion (operation buttons 23 and 24) and the inner peripheral edge of the opening. In this configuration, in each of the connecting portions connecting the outer peripheral edge of the button portion (the operation buttons 23 and 24) and the case main portion, a length for causing bending is sufficiently secured. If the pressing operation is performed on the (operation buttons 23 and 24) with a certain amount of force, the connecting portion can be bent and deformed satisfactorily, and the contact operation on the rear side switches (tact switches 25 and 26) becomes possible. is there.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-122350

  By the way, in recent years, with the installation of energy saving mode, displaying of light and heat costs, etc., multi-functionalization and high functionalization of gas appliances are progressing, and a remote controller meeting such multifunctionalization and high functionalization is configured If it is going to be tried, there is a problem that it becomes difficult to adopt the above-mentioned button structure (structure which arranges a connecting part long around a button part made large to some extent).

  For example, with the multi-functionalization and sophistication of gas appliances, the number of buttons required for the remote controller increases, or the display space and other electronic components tend to increase, and it can be assigned to one operation button Space tends to be smaller. In addition, because downsizing is recommended due to factors such as installation space and manufacturing / management costs, remote controllers for gas appliances in recent years are forced to arrange smaller buttons more densely. There is a situation that it is easy.

  However, in a structure in which smaller button parts are arranged more densely, when one button part is operated, a part of the hand becomes easy to touch another adjacent button part, so unintended button parts are unconscious There is a problem that it is easy for the situation to be pushed in the middle. However, even in such a case, if the rigidity of the case part outside the button part (the part near the opening area in the case body part) is sufficiently ensured, the bending difficulty of this case part affects the adjacent button. Although it is easy to prevent the adjacent buttons from being greatly pressed, in the structure in which smaller button parts are arranged more densely, the distance between the opening areas for arranging the button parts becomes short, and between the opening areas It is difficult to absorb the pressing force only by this portion (the narrow case portion disposed between the opening regions) because the case portion disposed at the end becomes thin.

  As described above, when the buttons are downsized and densely configured with the existing configuration, when the operator presses the button portion intended by the operator, it becomes easy for a part of the finger to extend to the area of the adjacent button which is not intended. Since the frame (case portion) between the buttons is easily deformed and the adjacent buttons are easily displaced by the pressing operation, an unintended signal is easily input to the device.

  Further, in the configuration in which small buttons are arranged more densely, it is necessary to make the opening area (area in the opening formed in the case) which is the arrangement area of the button part as small as possible. It becomes difficult to arrange (that is, arrange such that a sufficient annular space is secured between the outer peripheral edge of the button portion and the inner peripheral edge of the opening), and the structure of the connecting portion as described in Patent Document 1 (ie, the button It becomes difficult to adopt a structure in which connecting portions are arranged long in an arc shape along the outer peripheral edge. That is, when smaller buttons are arranged more densely, it is difficult to secure a sufficient length of the connecting portion, and a hard button structure in which the button portion is difficult to be displaced tends to be a hard button structure. It is easy to perform pressing operation with a strong force. For this reason, when an operation to strongly press the intended button is performed and a part of the finger reaches the adjacent button at that time, the frame (case portion) between the buttons is easily deformed by receiving a strong force. As a result, it is more likely that the intended button and the adjacent button are pressed at the same time.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and in a remote control for gas appliances provided with push buttons on the front side, a plurality of push buttons can be easily arranged closer to each other, and either It is an object of the present invention to provide a configuration that can more reliably suppress a situation where an unintended adjacent button is pressed at the same time when the pressing button is pressed.

The invention according to claim 1 is a remote control formed by housing a circuit board in a case main body,
The case body includes a front panel covering a front side of the circuit board,
The front panel is provided with one or more pairs of openings in which two openings are formed adjacent to each other.
Inside each of the two openings in the opening pair, there are provided a push button that can be pressed backward, and a connecting part that connects the push button to the inner edge of the opening;
Between the two openings, there is provided a reinforcing portion which is provided with a projecting portion which protrudes on at least either the front side or the rear side and which is thicker than the connecting portion .
Between the two said openings in the said opening pair, the partition part which divides each opening area | region of two said openings is formed,
The said reinforcement part is characterized by having a reinforcement rib formed along the direction which cross | intersects the adjacent direction which two said opening parts adjoin in the said partition part.
The invention according to claim 3 is a remote control in which the circuit board is accommodated in the case main body,
The case body includes a front panel covering a front side of the circuit board,
The front panel is provided with one or more pairs of openings in which two openings are formed adjacent to each other.
Inside each of the two openings in the opening pair, there are provided a push button that can be pressed backward, and a connecting part that connects the push button to the inner edge of the opening;
Between the two openings, there is provided a reinforcing portion which is provided with a projecting portion which protrudes on at least either the front side or the rear side and which is thicker than the connecting portion.
A groove is formed between two of the openings in the pair of openings to form a communication area connecting the opening areas of the two openings.
The reinforcing portion is provided with a reinforcing protrusion which is disposed on both sides of the communication area of the groove portion and which is formed to project on at least one of a front side or a rear side.
A light emitting portion for emitting light on the front side is provided in a region between the two reinforcing protrusions in the opposing direction in which the two reinforcing protrusions face each other.

In the first and third aspects of the invention, in the front panel, one or more pairs of openings formed with two openings adjacent to each other are provided, and each of the two openings in the pair of openings is on the rear side. A pressable push button and a connecting portion for connecting the push button to the inner edge of the opening are provided. Further, between the two openings, there is provided a reinforcing portion which is provided with a projecting portion which protrudes to at least either the front side or the rear side and which is thicker than the connecting portion.
In this configuration, since the connecting portion connecting the press button and the inner edge of the opening is relatively thin, bending deformation easily occurs in the connecting portion, and each press button is favorably performed according to the pressing operation. It becomes easy to displace.
Furthermore, since a reinforcing portion having a projecting structure and a relatively thick structure is provided between the two openings in which each push button is disposed, an intermediate configured between the two push buttons. The rigidity of the part can be reliably increased. In this configuration, when a pressing operation is performed on any one of the pressing buttons, even if a part of the finger to be operated falls on the other pressing button, the pressing force is reliably received by the reinforcing portion. Since it is possible to reliably suppress the application of a strong pressing force to the other press button, it is easy to prevent even the unintended other press button from being pressed together.

According to the invention of claim 1, a partition part is formed between the two openings in the pair of openings to divide each opening area of the two openings, and in the partition, the two openings are adjacent to each other in the reinforcing part. It has the reinforcing rib formed along the direction which cross | intersects the adjacent direction.
In this configuration, the rigidity of the middle portion (partition) configured between the two push buttons can be more reliably enhanced without widening the space between the two opening regions. Further, since the reinforcing rib is formed along the direction crossing the adjacent direction in which the two openings adjoin, in that direction (the direction intersecting the adjacent direction), pressing is performed over the entire range in which the reinforcing rib is provided Force suppression effect will be obtained. Therefore, the pressing force is less likely to reach the unintended pressing button side.

In the invention of claim 2 , each connecting portion provided in each opening is connected to both sides of the partition.
According to this configuration, the partition portion provided between the opening regions can be used as the base end portion of both the connection portions, so that more efficient arrangement is possible. And since the common base end part (partition part) which connects both the connection parts is a structure of high rigidity, even if which push-down button is operated, it is attached to the displacement of a connection part and a base end part is It is possible to more reliably suppress the transmission of the force to the unintended region side without causing large deformation.

According to the invention of claim 3 , a groove is formed between the two openings in the pair of openings to form a communication area connecting each opening area of the two openings, and the reinforcement is formed on both sides of the communication area of the groove. And at least one of the front side and the rear side is provided with a reinforcing protrusion. And the light emission part which irradiates light in the front side is provided in the area | region between two reinforcement protrusion parts in the opposing direction where two reinforcement protrusion parts oppose.
In this configuration, it is possible to increase the rigidity of the portion disposed between the buttons while securing an area through which light from the light emitting unit can be transmitted between the two push buttons. In particular, if a light emitting unit is provided between two push buttons and a groove is provided so that the light can be emitted to the front side, a space must be provided between the two push buttons. Although there is a concern about the decrease, in this configuration, since the reinforcing protrusions are provided on both sides of the communication region constituted by the groove portion, a high rigidity portion is actively formed while constituting a space from which light can be derived. It can be intervened.

In the invention of claim 4, a recess is formed on the connection side end of the push button on the side provided with the connecting portion, toward the center side of the push button, and on both sides of the recess at the connection side end The convex part which becomes convex opposite to the direction in which the concave part is dented is formed. The connecting portion is located on the center side of the tips of the respective convex portions and has a predetermined position in the concave portion as a base end portion, and the opening portion does not contact with the distal end side of each of the convex portions. It extends to the inner edge side.
As described above, when the recessed portion is partially formed at the outer edge of the push button and the connecting portion is extended with the predetermined position in the recessed portion as the base end, the pressed portion is limited in the area within the limited opening. The connecting portion can be configured longer while securing a wider area of the button. In particular, since the connecting portion is configured to be more flexible, it is difficult to form a hard switch structure in which the push button is not easily deformed, and the operability of the push button can be further enhanced.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a remote control for a gas appliance according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a front view of the remote control of FIG. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing the remote control of FIG. 1 in an exploded manner. FIG. 4 is a front view illustrating the front panel of the remote control of FIG. FIG. 5 is a rear view of the front panel of FIG. 4; FIG. 6 is an enlarged view showing a part of FIG. 4 in an enlarged manner. FIG. 7 is an enlarged view showing the vicinity of the operation unit of FIG. 6 in a configuration in which a resin sheet is attached to the front panel. FIG. 8 is an enlarged view showing a part of FIG. 5 in an enlarged manner. FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B in FIG. FIG. 10 is an enlarged view showing a portion different from FIG. 6 in FIG. 11 is an enlarged view showing a portion different from FIG. 8 in FIG. FIG. 12 is a schematic sectional view taken along the line A-A of FIG. 13 (A) is a schematic cross-sectional view schematically showing a cross section taken along the line C-C in FIG. 10, and FIG. 13 (B) is a schematic cross-sectional view schematically showing a cross section taken along the line D-D in FIG. FIG. FIG. 14 is an enlarged view showing the vicinity of the operation unit of FIG. 10 in a configuration in which a resin sheet is attached to the front panel.

First Embodiment
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(Overall structure)
First, the overall structure of the remote control 1 will be described.
The remote control 1 is configured as a gas appliance remote controller for remotely operating a gas appliance (for example, a water heater), and is installed (for example, fixed) at a predetermined attachment point (for example, a wall surface) in a bathroom, a kitchen, etc. It is a thing. The remote control 1 has an appearance as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 and is mainly configured by parts as shown in FIG.

  In the present specification, the thickness direction of the remote control 1 is the front and back direction, and the direction orthogonal to the display outer surface (front surface 21) of the transmitting portion 7b provided on the front panel 7 shown in FIGS. It is in the front and back direction. Then, the side provided with the outer surface (the front surface 21) on the display side of the transmissive portion 7b is referred to as the front side, and the opposite side is referred to as the rear. Further, a predetermined direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction is the vertical direction, and the direction in which the push buttons 81a and 81b shown in FIGS. 4 and 6 face each other is the vertical direction. And, a direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction and the vertical direction is taken as the left-right direction. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 etc., the remote control 1 is configured in a rectangular shape in front view, and the longitudinal direction when the remote control 1 is viewed in front as in FIG. The short side direction when viewed from the front is the vertical direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the remote control 1 includes a case main body 3 configured in a box shape, and a cover case 9 mounted so as to partially cover the front side of the case main body 3 . The case body 3 includes a rear panel 5 constituting the rear side of the case body 3 and a front panel 7 fixed to the front side of the rear panel 5, and these are assembled to each other. A circuit board P (see FIG. 9, FIG. 3 and the like is not shown) is accommodated in the case body 3 and light emission is carried out on the circuit board P on the upper side in the case body 3 The display panel 11 is arranged. The circuit board P is configured as an electronic circuit board having a known structure provided with wiring and electronic components, and is disposed, for example, horizontally long in a configuration in which the thickness direction is the front-rear direction. The light emitting display panel 11 is configured as a known display device such as a liquid crystal display, for example, and configured to be able to display various information while emitting light at least on the front side. In FIG. 2 and FIG. 12, the light emitting display panel 11 housed inside the case main body 3 is conceptually shown by a two-dot chain line.

  The front panel 7 forming a part of the case main body 3 is made of, for example, a resin material or the like, and as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the cover case 9 in the mounted state (see FIGS. 1 and 2). And a transmitting portion 7b which is exposed to the outside in the mounted state. The front panel 7 is formed in a rectangular shape in a front view as shown in FIG. 4 and has a longitudinal form in which the left and right direction is the longitudinal direction, and as shown in FIG. 3, FIG. It has an open box-like configuration.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 12, the base portion 7a is a portion of the front panel 7 that constitutes parts other than the transmissive portion 7b, and the base portion 7a includes the operation portions 31, 32, and 33 as shown in FIG. , 34, 35, 36 are formed. The operation units 31 to 36 will be described in detail later. The transmissive portion 7b is a portion that protrudes forward relative to the front surface portion of the base portion 7a, and as shown in FIGS. 2 and 12, a box shape (a box whose rear side is open) for housing and covering the light emitting display panel 11. Form). The transmissive portion 7 b has, for example, transparency (transparency such as colorless transparency or colored transparency), and transmits the light emitted from the light emitting display panel 11 forward while protecting the light emitting display panel 11. It works to make it happen.

  The rear panel 5 is made of, for example, a resin material or the like, and as shown in FIG. 3, it has a rectangular shape in a front view and a box shape open on the front side, and as shown in FIG. The front side is covered by 7. Then, as shown in FIG. 1, the case main body 3 having an accommodation space inside thereof is configured by being coupled to the front panel 7. As shown in FIG. 3, the rear panel 5 includes a plate-like wall (rear wall) 72 and a peripheral wall rising from the wall 72 to the front side. An upper wall 71 extending in the left-right direction is formed at the upper end of the wall 72, and a lower wall 73 extending in the left-right direction is formed at the lower end of the wall 72. Sidewall portions 75 and 76 extending in the vertical direction are respectively formed. And by connecting these wall parts 71, 73, 75, 76, an annular peripheral wall part is constituted. Further, in the wall portion 72, a hole 79 for drawing out a wire or the like from the inside of the case main body 3 is formed.

  The front panel 7 and the rear panel 5 configured as described above are assembled to each other by known welding, coupling using a coupling member such as a screw, or the like, whereby a box-like case main body 3 is configured. Then, the case main body 3 is fixed to an attachment object (a wall of a bathroom, a kitchen or the like) by an attachment structure such as inserting a connecting member such as a screw into the holes 77 and 78 (FIG. 3). It has become.

  The cover case 9 has an appearance as shown in FIG. 3 and is entirely or almost entirely made of a resin material. The cover case 9 functions to cover the front side of the portion other than the transmitting portion 7b in the case main body 3. The cover case 9 is disposed at the opening 51 where the transmitting portion 7b can be inserted and on both left and right sides of the opening 51 A pair of covering parts (side covering parts) 53 and 54 and a lower covering part 57 covering a position lower than the position of the opening 51 are provided. Further, an upper frame portion 55 which constitutes the upper end portion of the opening 51 is provided so as to be bridged between the upper end portions of the pair of covering portions 53 and 54. In the example shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 and the like, the side switches 61 and 62 constitute the pair of covering portions 53 and 54, respectively, and the opening is formed by the side portions on the opening region side of the side switches 61 and 62. The left and right inner edges of 51 are formed, and the lower inner edges of the opening 51 are formed by the ends (upper ends) of the lower switches 64, 65, 66 on the opening area side. The cover case 9 thus configured can be assembled to the case main body 3 so as to insert the transmitting portion 7b into the opening 51, and the assembled state of the case main body 3 and the cover case 9 by the engagement structure. (FIGS. 1 and 2) are to be maintained. The lower side covering portion 57 is configured to be openable / closable or detachable, and when the lower side covering portion 57 retracts from the front side of the operation portions 31 to 36, the operation to these operation portions 31 to 36 becomes possible. Is configured as.

(Characteristic button structure)
Here, the button structure provided on the front panel 7 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the front panel 7 described above is provided with a plurality of opening pairs in which two openings are formed adjacent to each other. An operation unit is provided. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, in the region on the lower end side of the front panel 7, the operation parts 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36 are respectively formed to be aligned left and right. In addition, since the operation parts 31, 32, 35, and 36 are the same structures, in the following description, only the operation part 31 is demonstrated in detail. In addition, the operation unit 33 and the operation unit 34 have a symmetrical structure, and the other structure is the same. Therefore, the operation unit 33 will be mainly described. In FIG. 3 and other figures, in the front panel 7, portions outside the opening areas of the operation portions 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36 are shown as the main body portion 30, and partition portions 30a described later Are also part of the main unit 30. Further, in the front panel 7, as a portion inside the opening area (a portion other than the main body portion 30), a connecting portion, a push button, and the like described later are provided.

First, the operation unit 31 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the operation unit 31 is one of a plurality of operation units 31 to 36 arranged in the lateral direction, and is formed vertically at the base 7a of the front panel 7 as shown in FIG. Provided in the interior of each of the two openings 41a and 41b in the pair of openings 41a and 41b, the partition 30a formed between the two openings 41a and 41b, and the pair of openings 41a and 41b The configuration includes the described push buttons 81a and 81b and connecting portions 91a and 91b for connecting the push buttons 81a and 81b to the inner edge portions of the openings 41a and 41b, respectively.

  In actuality, the operation unit 31 is covered by the resin sheet 13 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, and configured to receive the operation force applied from the front side through the resin sheet 13. ing. The resin sheet 13 is attached to the front surface of the base portion 7a so as to cover a part of the base portion 7a (at least the peripheral portions of the operation portions 31 to 36 and the operation portions 31 to 36 in the base portion 7a) In the normal state as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the front side is covered by the lower side covering portion 57. FIG. 9 schematically shows a cross-sectional structure in the vicinity of the operation portion 31 in the base portion 7a, but in this figure, the resin sheet 13 attached to the base portion 7a is also shown. The sheet 13 is conceptually shown by a thick line. In the example of FIGS. 7 and 9, one resin sheet 13 covers the entire area of the operation unit 31 (that is, the entire area of the two openings 41 a and 41 b and the area of the partition 30 a). Covers the base 7 a except for the operation unit 31. Further, in the resin sheet 13, a figure indicating the positions of the push buttons 81a and 81b is shown at positions corresponding to the push buttons 81a and 81b, respectively. In FIG. 7, these figures are conceptually shown by cross hatching.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, each of the two openings 41a and 41b is configured such that the inner edge is substantially rectangular in a front view, and four corners of the inner edge are curved. Each of the two push buttons 81a and 81b is formed in a substantially rectangular shape in a front view and in a plate shape, and an end portion provided on the side of the partition portion 30a is in a concave shape. The push button 81a is arranged such that the outer edge is along the inner edge of the opening 41a. Then, in the region where the outer edge of the push button 81a is disposed along the inner edge of the opening 41a, a gap of substantially constant width is formed between the outer edge of the push button 81a and the inner edge of the opening 41a. There is. The same applies to the press button 81b, and the outer edge is arranged along the inner edge of the opening 41b. Then, in the area where the outer edge of the push button 81b is disposed along the inner edge of the opening 41b, a gap of substantially constant width is formed between the outer edge of the push button 81b and the inner edge of the opening 41b. There is.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, the connecting portion 91a is a portion configured to be flexible and deformable so as to connect the push button 81a to the inner edge (specifically, the lower end) of the opening 41a. Is narrower than the left and right width of the push button 81a. Further, the thickness of the connecting portion 91a is smaller than the thickness of the push button 81a. The connecting portion 91b is a portion that can be bent and deformed so as to connect the press button 81b to the inner edge (specifically, the upper end) of the opening 41b, and the left and right widths are the left and right of the press button 81b. The structure is narrower than the width. Further, the thickness of the connecting portion 91b is smaller than the thickness of the push button 81b. The two push buttons 81a and 81b are connected by the connecting portions 91a and 91b, thereby forming a cantilever structure extending from the partition portion 30a, and any button can be pressed and operated from the front side to the rear side. It has become.

  More specifically, a recess 93a recessed toward the center P1 side of the push button 81a is formed at the connection side end α1 of the push button 81a on the side where the connecting portion 91a is provided, and the connection side end α1 is formed. On both sides of the concave portion 93a, convex portions 95a and 96a which are convex in the opposite direction (downward) to the concave direction (upward) of the concave portion 93a are formed. The connecting portion 91a is positioned on the center side (the upper side away from the dividing portion 30a) relative to the tip of each of the convex portions 95a and 96a and has a predetermined position in the concave portion 93a as a base end. It does not contact with the tip side of the convex portions 95a and 96a, and extends to the inner edge side (specifically, the partition portion 30a side) of the opening 41a. The same applies to the push button 81b side, and a concave portion 93b concave toward the center P2 side of the push button 81b is formed in the connection side end α2 of the push button 81b on the side where the connecting portion 91b is provided. At the end portion α2, on both sides of the concave portion 93b, convex portions 95b and 96b which are convex in the opposite direction (upward) to the concave direction (downward) of the concave portion 93b are formed. The connecting portion 91b is located at a position closer to the center (lower side away from the dividing portion 30a) than the tip of each of the convex portions 95b and 96b, and a predetermined position in the concave portion 93b is a base end. It does not contact with the tip side of each convex part 95b, 96b, and is extended to the inner edge side (specifically, the partition part 30a side) of the opening 41b.

  The reinforcing portion 97 is a high-rigidity portion disposed between the two openings 41a and 41b, has a protruding portion that protrudes on at least one of the front side and the rear side, and is thicker than the connecting portions 91a and 91b. It is a structured part. In the example of FIG. 6, FIG. 8, and FIG. 9, the partition portion 30a functions as the reinforcing portion 97, and works to suppress an unintended pressing force on the button.

  The partitioning portion 30 a is formed between the two openings 41 a and 41 b of the opening pair 41 so as to partition the opening areas of the two openings 41 a and 41 b. The partition 30a extends in the left-right direction (lateral direction). For example, the minimum width of the partition 30a at the top and the bottom is smaller than the width at the left and the right of the connecting portions 91a and 91b. . And each connection part 91a, 91b mentioned above is connected with the form extended in the upper and lower sides at the upper and lower sides of this partition part 30a, respectively.

  As shown in FIGS. 6, 8, and 9, in the partition 30a, in the direction (specifically, the left-right direction) intersecting the adjacent direction (that is, the vertical direction) in which the two openings 41a and 41b are adjacent. Reinforcement ribs 97a and 97b are formed along the same. As shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 9, the reinforcing rib 97a is a rib-like portion that protrudes to the front side relative to the connecting portions 91a and 91b, and extends in the left-right direction from the left end to the right end of both openings 41a and 41b. It is configured in the form. The left and right sides of the reinforcing rib 97a are larger in the vertical width than the center side (for example, the portion where the connecting portions 91a and 91b are connected). As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the reinforcing rib 97b is a rib-like portion projecting rearward with respect to the connecting portions 91a and 91b, and as shown in FIG. 8, the left end portions of both openings 41a and 41b in the left-right direction. It is configured to extend in the left-right direction from the position to the right end position. As shown in FIG. 9, the amount of protrusion of the reinforcing rib 97b to the rear side (the size in the front-rear direction) is larger than the amount of protrusion of the reinforcing rib 97a to the front side (the size in the front-rear direction). The thickness is larger than the thickness 91a and 91b (the thickness in the front-rear direction).

  In the operation unit 31 configured in this manner, for example, when the pressing button 81a is pressed from the front side to the back side via the resin sheet 13, the connecting portion 91a is bent (elastically deformed) while being pressed. Is displaced rearward, and when the amount of displacement reaches a certain amount, a switch SW1 (for example, a tact switch or the like) is mounted on the circuit board P with a protrusion 99a (protrusion to the rear) formed on the push button 81a. The switch SW1 generates a predetermined signal by pressing the contact switch or the like. The same applies to the operation method for the push button 81 b and the operation corresponding to the operation (the operation of the protrusion 99 b pushing the switch SW 2, etc.).

  Here, characteristic effects of the operation unit 31 will be illustrated. The following effects can be similarly obtained by the operation units 32, 35, and 36.

  In the configuration of the operation unit 31, since the connecting portions 91a and 91b connecting the press buttons 81a and 81b and the inner edge portions of the openings 41a and 41b are relatively thin, bending deformation occurs in the connecting portions 91a and 91b. As a result, the respective push buttons 81a and 81b are easily displaced in response to the pressing operation.

  Furthermore, between the two openings 41a and 41b in which the respective push buttons 81a and 81b are disposed, a reinforcing portion 97 having a projecting structure and a relatively large thickness is provided, so that two push buttons are provided. The rigidity of the intermediate portion configured between 81a and 81b can be reliably increased. In this configuration, when a pressing operation is performed on any one of the pressing buttons 81a and 81b, even if a part of the finger to be operated falls on the other pressing button, the pressing force is assured by the reinforcing portion 97. Since it is possible to reliably suppress the application of a strong pressing force to the other press button, it is easy to prevent even the other unintended press button from being pressed together.

  Furthermore, a partition 30a is formed between the two openings 41a and 41b in the pair of openings 41 to partition the opening areas of the two openings 41a and 41b, and this partition 30a functions as a reinforcement 97. There is. Then, in the partition portion 30a, reinforcing ribs 97a and 97b are formed along a direction (specifically, the left and right direction) intersecting the adjacent direction (vertical direction) in which the two openings 41a and 41b are adjacent to each other. ing. In this configuration, the rigidity of the middle portion (partitioning portion 30a) configured between the two push buttons 81a and 81b can be more reliably enhanced without widening the space between the two opening regions. Further, since the reinforcing ribs 97a and 97b are formed along the direction intersecting the adjacent direction in which the two openings are adjacent, the reinforcing ribs 97a and 97b are provided in that direction (direction intersecting the adjacent direction). The suppression effect of the pressing force is obtained over the entire range. Therefore, the pressing force is less likely to reach the unintended pressing button side.

  Moreover, in the operation part 31, each connection part 91a, 91b is each connected with the both sides of the partition part 30a. According to this configuration, the partitioning portion 30a provided between the opening regions can be used as the base end portion of both the connecting portions 91a and 91b, so that more efficient arrangement can be achieved. Moreover, since the common base end portion (partitioning portion 30a) connecting both connecting portions 91a and 91b has a high rigidity structure, the connecting portions 91a and 91b can be operated even when any one of the push buttons 81a and 81b is operated. The proximal end portion is not significantly deformed due to the displacement of 91b, and it is possible to more reliably suppress the transmission of the force to the unintended region side.

  Further, in the operation unit 31, concave portions 93a, 93b recessed toward the center sides of the respective push buttons 81a, 81b are provided at the connection side end portions α1, α2 on the side where the connection portion is provided in the respective push buttons 81a, 81b. The respective convex portions are formed on both sides of the concave portions 93a and 93b at the connection side end portions α1 and α2 so as to be convex in the direction opposite to the concave direction of the concave portions. And each connection part 91a, 91b is a position which is the center side rather than the tip of a convex part, makes a predetermined position in a crevice a base end, and does not contact the tip side of a convex part, and is an opening. Extends to the inner edge of the As described above, when the recessed portion is partially formed at the outer edge of the push button and the connecting portion is extended with the predetermined position in the recessed portion as the base end, the pressed portion is limited in the area within the limited opening. The connecting portion can be configured longer while securing a wider area of the button. In particular, since the connecting portions 91a and 91b are configured to be more flexible, it is difficult to form a hard switch structure in which the push button is not easily deformed, and the operability of the push button can be further enhanced.

  Next, the structure of the operation units 33 and 34 will be described. In addition, since the operation unit 34 has a similar structure in which the operation unit 33 is reversed left and right (specifically, a structure in which the left and right directions are symmetrical with respect to a predetermined virtual surface γ (FIG. 4)). Hereinafter, the configuration of the operation unit 33 will be mainly described in detail.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 to 13, the operation unit 33 includes an opening pair 43 including two openings 43 a and 43 b formed at the top and bottom of the base 7 a of the front panel 7 and two openings 43 a and 43 b. The groove portion 103 formed between the two, the press buttons 83a and 83b provided inside the two openings 43a and 43b of the pair of openings 43, and the press buttons 83a and 83b are the inner edges of the openings 43a and 43b. It has the structure provided with the connection parts 101a and 101b each connected to a part.

  This operation portion 33 is actually covered with the above-described resin sheet 13 as shown in FIGS. 12 and 14, and configured to receive the operation force applied from the front side through the resin sheet 13. ing. FIG. 12 schematically shows the cross-sectional structure of the front panel 7. In this figure, the resin sheet 13 attached to the base portion 7a is also shown, and the resin sheet 13 is indicated by a thick line. Is shown conceptually. In the example of FIG. 12 and FIG. 14, one resin sheet 13 covers the entire area of the operation units 33 and 34 and further covers the entire periphery of the operation units 33 and 34 except for the operation units 33 and 34 in the base 7 a. It covers the part of In the resin sheet 13, figures showing the positions of the push buttons 83a, 83b, 84a, 84b are shown at positions corresponding to the push buttons 83a, 83b, 84a, 84b, respectively. In FIG. 14, these figures are conceptually shown by cross hatching.

  The inner edge of each of the two openings 43a and 43b is substantially rectangular in a front view, and four corners of the inner edge are curved. Each of the two push buttons 83a and 83b is configured in a substantially rectangular shape and a plate shape in a front view. The pressing button 83a is arranged such that the outer edge is along the inner edge of the opening 43a and the outer edge of the pressing button 83a is disposed along the inner edge of the opening 43a, the outer edge of the pressing button 83a and A gap of substantially constant width is formed between the inner edges of the opening 43a. The same applies to the press button 83b, and the outer edge is disposed along the inner edge of the opening 43b, and the outer edge of the press button 83b is disposed along the inner edge of the opening 43b. A gap of substantially constant width is formed between the outer edge and the inner edge of the opening 43b.

  The connecting portion 101a is a portion configured to be flexible and deformable so as to connect the push button 83a to the inner edge (specifically, the right end) of the opening 43a, and from the end in the left-right direction of the opening 43a It extends in the left-right direction. The upper and lower widths of the connecting portion 101a are smaller than the upper and lower widths of the push button 83a, and the thickness of the connecting portion 101a is smaller than the thickness of the push button 83a. The connecting portion 101b is a portion configured to be flexible and deformable so as to connect the push button 83b to the inner edge (specifically, the upper end) of the opening 43b, and from the end of the opening 43b in the left-right direction It extends in the left-right direction. The upper and lower widths of the connecting portion 101b are smaller than the upper and lower widths of the push button 83b, and the thickness of the connecting portion 101b is smaller than the thickness of the push button 83b. The two push buttons 83a and 83b are connected by the connecting portions 101a and 101b, thereby forming a cantilever structure extending with the left and right direction end of the opening as the base end, and both buttons are forward A pressing operation is possible from the side to the rear side.

  And also in this configuration, between the two openings 43a and 43b, there is provided a reinforcing portion which is provided with a projecting portion which protrudes to at least either the front side or the rear side and which is thicker than the connecting portions 101a and 101b. It is done. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, between the two openings 43a and 43b, a groove forming a communication area (space area) communicating each opening area of the two openings 43a and 43b. As shown in FIG. 11, rib-like reinforcing protrusions 107a are formed to project rearward and extend in the vertical direction on both sides of the communication area of the groove 103 (the inner edge of the groove 103). , 107 b are provided respectively.

  Then, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, light is irradiated to the front side in the region between the two reinforcing protrusions 107a and 107b in the opposing direction (left and right direction) in which the two reinforcing protrusions 107a and 107b face each other. A light emitting unit 133 is provided. The light emitting unit 133 is formed of, for example, a light emitting element (such as an LED element) having a chip structure, and is mounted on, for example, the circuit board P described above. In FIGS. 10 and 11, the light emitting unit 133 is conceptually illustrated by a two-dot chain line. At least a part (a part or all) of the light emitting part 133 may be provided in the groove part 103 (a position overlapping with the inner wall of the groove part 103 right and left), and at least a part (a part or all) It may be provided between the reinforcing protrusions 107a and 107b (a position where the reinforcing protrusions 107a and 107b overlap left and right). Alternatively, the front end portion of the light emitting unit 133 may be provided at a position behind the two reinforcing protrusions 107 a and 107 b.

  At a position adjacent to the operation unit 33, an operation unit 34 having the same structure as the operation unit 33 is provided. The operation unit 34 has a configuration in which the operation unit 33 is reversed left and right, and the opening 44 a is in close proximity to the opening 43 a in the left and right, and the opening 44 b is in proximity to the opening 43 b in the left and right . And the partition part between the opening 44a and the opening 43a is the common base end of the connecting part 101a and the connecting part 111a, and in the connecting part 111a, the push-down button 84a fits in the opening 44a. Are linked. In addition, the partition between the opening 44b and the opening 43b is the common base end of the connecting part 101b and the connecting part 111b, and the connecting part 111b is a push button 84b that fits in the opening 44a. Are linked. Furthermore, in the partition between the opening 44a and the opening 43a and the partition between the opening 44b and the opening 43b, the openings 43b and 44b from the upper end positions of the openings 43a and 44a in the vertical direction A vertically extending reinforcing rib 121 is provided to extend to the lower end position of The reinforcing rib 121 has a rib-like structure that protrudes rearward, and the thickness of the region where the reinforcing rib 121 is provided is larger than the thickness of the connecting portions 101a, 101b, 111a, and 111b. Even in this position, the pressing force is prevented from extending to other areas.

Here, the characteristic effects of the operation unit 33 will be described. The following effects can be similarly obtained by the operation unit 34.
Even in the configuration of the operation unit 33, since the connecting portions 101a and 101b connecting the respective push buttons 83a and 83b and the inner edge portions of the openings 43a and 43b are relatively thin and thin, the connecting portions 101a and 101b In this case, bending deformation easily occurs, and the respective push buttons 83a and 83b are easily displaced in response to the pressing operation. Furthermore, between the two openings 43a and 43b in which the push buttons 83a and 83b are disposed, reinforcing portions (reinforcing protrusions 107a and 107b) having a projecting structure and relatively thick are provided. As a result, the rigidity of the intermediate portion configured between the two push buttons 83a and 83b can be reliably increased. In this configuration, when a pressing operation is performed on either one of the pressing buttons 83a and 83b, the reinforcing portion (reinforcing protrusion portion 107a is formed even if a part of the finger to be operated is hooked on the other button. , 107b), the pressing force can be reliably received, and the application of the strong pressing force to the other button can be reliably suppressed. Therefore, it becomes easy to prevent that the unintended other button is pressed down together.

  Furthermore, in this configuration, it is possible to increase the rigidity of the portion disposed between the buttons while securing an area through which light from the light emitting unit 133 can be transmitted between the two push buttons 83a and 83b. In particular, when the light emitting portion 133 is provided between the two push buttons 83a and 83b in the left-right direction and the groove portion 103 is provided so that the light can be emitted to the front side, the two push buttons 83a and 83b are provided. A space must be provided between them, which may cause a decrease in rigidity. However, in the present configuration, since the reinforcing protrusions 107a and 107b are provided on both sides of the communication region formed by the groove portion 103, light can be extracted. It is possible to positively interpose a high rigidity portion while forming a space.

[Other embodiments]
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above with reference to the drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  In the above embodiment, six opening pairs are formed and six press button pairs are provided. However, the number of the opening pairs and the press button pairs is not limited to this number. For example, the set of the opening pair and the press button may be only one or a plurality other than six.

  In the above embodiment, the structure in which the pair of openings face each other vertically and the partitioning portion is provided between them (the structure of the operation portions 31, 32 and the like) is exemplified. However, the pair of openings and the pair of pressing buttons are May be provided with a structure in which a partition is provided between them. For example, a structure in which the operation unit 31 is rotated by 90 ° may be provided.

  In the above embodiment, the structure (the structure of the operation parts 33, 34, etc.) in which the pair of openings face each other vertically and the groove is provided therebetween is exemplified, but the pair of openings and the pair of push buttons are There may be provided a structure facing each other with a groove provided therebetween. For example, a structure may be provided in which the operating portions 33 and 34 are integrally rotated by 90 °.

  In the above embodiment, the cover (lower side covering portion 57) is provided on the front side of the pair of openings and the pair of push buttons, and an example is shown in which the cover is opened or removed when the button is operated. Such a cover may not be provided, and the pair of openings and the pair of push buttons may continue to be exposed when not operated.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Remote control for gas appliances 3 ... Case main body 7 ... Front panel 30a ... Partition part 41, 43, 44 ... Opening pair 81a, 81b, 83a, 83b, 84a, 84b ... Press button 91a, 91b, 101a, 101b, 111a, 111b ... Coupling part 93a, 93b ... Recess 95a, 95b, 96a, 96b ... Convex part 97 ... Reinforcement part 97a, 97b ... Reinforcement rib (protrusion part)
103, 113 ... groove 107a, 107b, 117a, 117b ... reinforcement projection (projection)
133, 134 ... light emitting portion α1, α2 ... connection side end P ... circuit board

Claims (4)

A remote control in which the circuit board is housed in the case body,
The case body includes a front panel covering a front side of the circuit board,
The front panel is provided with one or more pairs of openings in which two openings are formed adjacent to each other.
Inside each of the two openings in the opening pair, there are provided a push button that can be pressed backward, and a connecting part that connects the push button to the inner edge of the opening;
Between the two openings, there is provided a reinforcing portion which is provided with a projecting portion which protrudes on at least either the front side or the rear side and which is thicker than the connecting portion .
Between the two said openings in the said opening pair, the partition part which divides each opening area | region of two said openings is formed,
The remote control device for a gas appliance , wherein the reinforcing portion includes a reinforcing rib formed in a direction intersecting with an adjacent direction in which the two opening portions are adjacent in the partition portion . The remote control for gas appliance according to claim 1, wherein each of the connection parts provided in each of the openings is connected to both sides of the partition part . A remote control in which the circuit board is housed in the case body,
The case body includes a front panel covering a front side of the circuit board,
The front panel is provided with one or more pairs of openings in which two openings are formed adjacent to each other.
Inside each of the two openings in the opening pair, there are provided a push button that can be pressed backward, and a connecting part that connects the push button to the inner edge of the opening;
Between the two openings, there is provided a reinforcing portion which is provided with a projecting portion which protrudes on at least either the front side or the rear side and which is thicker than the connecting portion.
A groove is formed between two of the openings in the pair of openings to form a communication area connecting the opening areas of the two openings.
The reinforcing portion is provided with a reinforcing protrusion which is disposed on both sides of the communication area of the groove portion and which is formed to project on at least one of a front side or a rear side.
A remote control for a gas appliance, wherein a light emitting portion for emitting light on the front side is provided in a region between two reinforcing protrusions in an opposing direction in which the two reinforcing protrusions face each other . A recessed portion recessed toward the center side of the push button is formed at the connection side end of the push button on the side where the connection portion is provided, and the recessed portion is formed on both sides of the recessed portion at the connected side end A convex portion that is convex in the opposite direction to the concave direction is formed,
The connecting portion is a position closer to the center than the tip of each of the protrusions, and a predetermined position in the recess is a base end, and is not in contact with the tip of each of the protrusions. The remote control for a gas appliance according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , which extends to the inner edge side of the opening .

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