JPH0317386Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] <<Industrial Application Field>> This invention relates to a multi-directional changeover switch used for attitude control of electric remote control mirrors for automobiles, etc.

<<Prior Art>> In an electric remote control mirror for an automobile, the mirror can be tilted in four directions (front, rear, left, and right) to adjust its posture so that the driver can obtain an optimal rear view. This adjustment is performed using a multi-directional switch located near the driver's seat.

The present applicant previously proposed an idea for such a multi-directional switch in U.S. Pat. No. 60-79190. The spherical part of the operating lever is provided with a plurality of radially extending spring receiving rods, and the part of the housing that receives the upper part of this spherical part is located on both sides of each spring receiving rod, so that the operating lever is in the neutral position. The present invention is characterized in that it is provided with a stopper whose lower surface is located substantially in the same plane as the lower surface of each spring receiving rod when the spring receiving rod is in the position.

When the operating lever is tilted, the spring receiving rod on the tilted side presses the compression coil spring, but on the opposite side, the spring receiving rod fits between the stoppers, so the upper end of the compression coil spring presses against the stopper. It doesn't move as it hits the bottom surface. When the operating lever is loosened, the restoring force of the compression coil spring pushes the spring receiving rods that come into contact with it and attempts to return to the neutral position, causing each spring receiving rod to fit between the stoppers and their bottom surfaces to match. A neutral state is maintained in the position.

<<Problems to be solved by the invention>> However, in the above-mentioned prior invention, there was a problem in that the operating lever was sometimes unstable in some directions. This is because the end surface of the compression coil spring that contacts the spring receiving rod at the bottom of the operating lever has a closed end that has been treated with a glider.
It was found that this problem occurs when one of the spring receiving rods gets stuck in the stepped part.

In addition, when operating the control lever, there was a feeling of grinding, and it was found that this was because the two movable pieces arranged in a cross shape were in surface contact with each other.

Therefore, the object of this invention is to provide a multi-directional changeover switch that has improved operational stability and tactility.

《Means for solving the problem》 The multi-directional switch according to this invention eliminates the harsh feeling. ” should be corrected as follows.
"The multi-directional switch according to this invention has an operating knob at the top, a spherical part in the middle, and a plurality of spring receiving rods extending radially from the spherical part, and the operating lever has an operating knob. a housing having a guide member for receiving an upper part of the spherical part and supporting a lower part of the spherical part therein; a compression coil spring interposed between each spring receiving rod of the operating lever and the guide member; , a multi-directional changeover switch comprising a movable piece provided in the housing and selectively connected to a fixed contact in the housing by tilting the operation lever from a neutral position, the movable piece is composed of a first movable piece and a second movable piece, and the 11th movable piece is formed downward in a substantially U-shape, has projecting edges on both sides of its horizontal upper surface, and has a projection on its lower surface that connects to the fixed contact. A movable contact is provided for connection, and the second movable piece is formed upward in a substantially U-shape, and another movable contact that contacts the fixed contact is provided on the lower surface of the second movable piece, and the second movable piece is connected to the first movable piece. The second movable piece is placed on top and facing each other in a cross shape,
The height between the bottom surface of the first movable piece and the second
The heights from the bottom surface to the top surface of the movable pieces are made equal, and the height from the bottom surface of the first movable piece to the top surface of the horizontal part is made larger than the thickness from the bottom surface of the second movable piece to the top surface of the horizontal part, so that The first and second movable pieces arranged in a letter shape do not come into contact with each other when they are movable, and the positions are opposite to the upper end of the compression spring in the housing and correspond to both sides of each of the spring receiving rods. are respectively provided to regulate the position of the spring receiving rod in the rotational direction, and
a stopper whose lower surface is located substantially in the same plane as the lower surface of each of the spring receiving rods when the operating lever is in the neutral position, the stopper being between the upper end of the compression coil spring and the spring receiving rod of the operating lever; It is characterized by having a flat washer interposed therein.

<<Operation>> Under such a configuration, the present invention provides a movable piece that is selectively connected to a fixed contact in the housing by tilting the operation lever from a neutral position, and a first movable piece and a second movable piece. The first movable piece is formed downward in a substantially U-shape, and has protruding edges on both sides of its horizontal upper surface, and has a movable contact connected to the fixed contact on its lower surface, and The second movable piece is formed in an upward substantially U-shape,
Another movable contact that contacts the fixed contact is provided on the lower surface thereof, and is arranged in a cross shape facing each other with the first movable piece on top and the second movable piece on the bottom, and the first movable piece The height from the bottom of the first movable piece to the above-mentioned protrusion is equal to the height from the bottom of the second movable piece to the top, and the height from the bottom of the first movable piece to the bottom of its horizontal part is set from the bottom of the second movable piece. The thickness is larger than the top surface of the horizontal part so that the two movable pieces do not come into contact with each other when they are moved, and the first movable piece and the second movable piece do not come into surface contact when they move. As a result, when operating the operating lever, it is possible to prevent the operator from feeling a harsh operating sensation and ensure smooth operation, which prevents malfunctions.
Also, facing the upper end of the compression spring in the housing,
and are provided at positions corresponding to both sides of each of the spring receiving rods to regulate the rotational position of the spring receiving rods, and when the operating lever is in the neutral position, the lower surface of each of the spring receiving rods is The lever is equipped with a stopper located in almost the same plane as the lower surface, and the plurality of spring receiving rods of the operation lever that receive the compression coil spring in the housing are controlled from both sides by the stopper provided in the housing, and the operation When the lever is in its neutral position, the lower surface of the stopper and the lower surface of the spring receiving rod are located on almost the same plane, so when the operating lever is tilted, only the compression coil spring portion on the tilted side is bent. , the tilting operation can be performed with a small force, and when the tilting operation force is weakened, the operating lever returns to the neutral position due to the restoring force of the deflected spring, and the spring receiving rod enters between the stoppers. , its neutral position is reliably maintained, and furthermore, as a result of the configuration in which a flat washer is interposed between the upper end of the compression coil spring and the spring receiving rod of the operating lever, the spring receiving rod of the lower part of the operating lever is Even if the end surface of the compression coil spring that comes into contact is a closed end treated with a glider, one of the spring receiving rods can be prevented from getting into the stepped portion, resulting in stable operation of the operating lever.

<<Embodiment>> FIG. 1 is a plan view of a mirror attitude control switch for an electric remote control for an automobile showing an embodiment of this invention, and FIG. 2 is a front view thereof. The housing 1 has locking protrusions 111 and elastic claws 112 on its sides, and is attached to a predetermined panel opening by these. At the top of the housing 1, there are a selection switch 2 for selecting the left and right mirrors and a switch 4 for tilting the mirror back and forth and left and right.
A direction changeover switch 3 is provided.

The left/right selection switch 2 is as shown in FIG.
A slider 22 is provided in the housing 1 so as to be slidable by an operation knob 21, a movable piece 24 is provided at the lower end of the slider 22 and is biased by a compression coil spring 23, and a movable piece 24 is selectively provided. The insulating plate 25 has a fixed contact connected to the insulating plate 25. The slider 22 has a hole 26 and a ball 27.
In combination with this, a sense of moderation is created. Note that numerals 28 and 29 indicate wiring codes.

As shown in FIG. 4, the four-way switch 3 includes an operating knob 31 at the top, an operating lever 33 having a spherical part 32 in the middle, and a conical part 34a that supports the spherical part 32 together with the housing 1. a guide member 34 fixed to the inner wall of the housing 1; a sliding member 35 driven by the lower end 33a of the operating lever 33; 1 movable piece 36
and a second movable piece 37, and these movable pieces 36, 3
The printed circuit board 38 has a fixed contact selectively connected to a movable contact provided on the lower surface of the 7. Reference numerals 39 and 40 indicate wiring codes.

Portions 1a and 34b of the housing 1 and the guide member 34 that support the spherical portion 32 are each formed in a shape that follows the curved surface of the spherical portion 32, and the spherical portion 32 is supported by these and rotates around its center O. It is becoming possible to move.

As shown in FIG. 5, the spherical portion 32 is provided with four spring receiving rods 41 at equal intervals in the radial direction, and a compression coil spring 42 is inserted between the spring receiving rods 41 and the guide member 34. Flat washers 4 on top edge
It is inserted through 3. The sliding member 35 has hemispherical protrusions 35a at the four corners of the upper surface of a rectangular plate, and a lower end 33a of the operating lever 33 in the center thereof.
It has a tapered hole 35b into which is inserted. Further, the lower peripheral edge of the rectangular plate is provided with a projecting edge 35c having a semicircular cross section, and the four inner corners thereof are provided with legs 35d extending downward.

The first movable piece 36 is formed in a substantially U-shape facing downward, and a protruding edge 36a having a semicircular cross section is formed on both sides of its horizontal upper surface, and a movable contact is provided on its vertical lower surface. The second movable piece 37 is formed in an upwardly facing substantially U-shape, and is provided with another movable contact on its lower surface. The height a from the bottom surface of the first movable piece 36 to the protruding edge 36a is equal to the height b from the bottom surface to the top surface of the second movable piece 37. Also, the height c from the bottom surface of the first movable piece 36 to the bottom surface of its horizontal part is:
It is larger than the thickness d from the bottom surface of the second movable piece 37 to the upper surface of the horizontal portion.

The first movable piece 36 and the second movable piece 37 are arranged in a cross shape with their U-shaped parts facing each other, and the sliding member 35 is mounted on each of the legs 35.
The first and second movable pieces 36 and 37 are placed so as to be visible from between d, and then the guide member 34 is placed on top of them.
is covered. The actual assembly order is the reverse of this, starting from the back side of the housing 1 with the operating lever 33, washer 43, compression coil spring 42, guide member 34,
Sliding member 35, first movable piece 36, second movable piece 3
7. Assemble the printed circuit board 38 in this order.

On the upper back surface of the housing 1, eight stoppers 101 are provided at positions facing the upper end of the compression coil spring 42 and corresponding to both sides of each spring receiving rod 41, as shown in FIG. It is provided. The lower surface of each stopper 101 is set to be substantially flush with the lower surface of each spring receiving rod 41 when the operating lever 33 is located at the neutral position. Therefore, when the operating lever 33 is in the neutral position, the upper end of the compression coil spring 42 is connected to the lower surface of each stopper 101 and each spring receiving rod 4.
1, each spring receiving rod 41 is placed between a pair of adjacent stoppers 101, and the rotational position of the operating lever 33 is regulated.

Next, the operation of this four-way changeover switch 3 will be explained. As shown in FIG. 7, if the operation knob 31 is now turned to the left, the operation lever 33 will move to the spherical part 3.
The sliding member 35 tilts to the left around the center O of 2.
is pushed to the right, and its leg 35d is moved to the second movable piece 3.
Press 7 and the movable contact on the bottom will connect to printed circuit board 3.
selectively connected to fixed contacts on 8. At this time, the four spring receiving rods 41 of the operating lever 33 are
The positions are stable because they are each received by flat washers 43, and the upper surface of the sliding member 35 and the guide member 34 are brought into point contact by the projections 35a, and the lower surface of the sliding member 35 and the first movable piece 36 are in contact with each other. The projecting edges 35c and 36a provide point contact, and since the first movable piece 36 and the second movable piece 37 are not in contact, their movement becomes smooth.

Also, among the spring receiving rods 41 of the operating lever 33, the spring receiving rod 4 on the side where the operating lever 33 is tilted
1 protrudes from the lower surface 102 of the stopper 101 and presses the upper end of the compression coil spring 42 via the flat washer 43, whereas the spring receiving rod 41a on the opposite side enters between the stoppers 101a on the opposite side. Therefore, the upper end of the compression coil spring 42 remains in contact with the lower surface 102a of the stopper 101a via the flat washer 43. Therefore,
The tilting operation of the operating lever 33 by the operating knob 31 is light because it is not necessary to bend the entire compression coil spring 42. Next, when the pressing force on the operating knob 31 is weakened, the deflected spring 4
Due to the restoring force of 2, the spring receiving rod 41 is pressed upward, and the operating lever 33 rotates clockwise in the figure around the center O of the spherical portion 32.
When the lower surface of the stopper 101 coincides with the lower surface 102 of the stopper 101, the pressing force of the spring 42 becomes uniform, and the operating lever 33 returns to the neutral position and is held at that position.

For reference, FIG. 8 shows a contact connection diagram of the multi-directional changeover switch, and FIG. 9 shows a circuit diagram thereof.

In the above embodiment, an example in which this invention is configured as a four-way changeover switch is shown, but this invention can be applied to various multi-way changeover switches having two or more directions.

<<Effects of the invention>> As described above, the multi-directional switch according to this invention has a flat washer interposed between the spring receiving rod of the operating lever and the compression coil spring, so the operating lever is stabilized, and the two movable pieces Since they do not touch each other when moving, the movement is smooth. In addition, the position of the plurality of spring receiving rods of the operating lever that receives the compression coil springs in the housing is regulated from both sides by a stopper provided in the housing, and when the operating lever is in the neutral position, the lower surface of the stopper and the lower surface of the spring receiving rod are are located in almost the same plane, so when the control lever is tilted,
Only the compression coil spring part on the tilted side bends,
Tilting operation can be performed with small force. Further, when the tilting operation force is weakened, the operating lever returns to the neutral position due to the restoring force of the deflected spring, and the spring receiving rod enters between the stoppers, so that the neutral position is reliably maintained.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a plan view of an electric remote control mirror attitude control switch for automobiles showing an embodiment of this invention, Fig. 2 is a front view of the switch shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a line taken along the - line in Fig. 1. 4 is a sectional view taken along - in FIG. 1, FIG. 5 is a partially exploded perspective view of the switch shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the housing of the switch shown in FIG. 1. 7th
This figure is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the multi-directional changeover switch shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 8 is a contact connection diagram of the switch shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 9 is a circuit diagram thereof. 1...Housing, 2...Right/left selection switch,
3...Multi-directional selector switch, 31...Operation knob,
32...Spherical part, 33...Operation lever, 34...
Guide member, 35...Sliding member, 36...First movable piece, 37...Second movable piece, 38...Printed circuit board, 39, 40...Wiring cord, 41...Spring receiving rod, 42... Compression coil spring, 43... flat washer, 101... stopper.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] an operating lever having an operating knob at the top, a spherical section at the middle, and a plurality of spring receiving rods extending radially from the spherical section; a housing including a guide member supporting a lower portion of the spherical portion; a compression coil spring interposed between each spring receiving rod of the operating lever and the guide member; A multi-directional selector switch comprising a movable piece selectively connected to a fixed contact in the housing by a tilting operation from a neutral position on an operating lever, the movable piece comprising:
Consisting of a first movable piece and a second movable piece, the first movable piece is formed downward in a substantially U-shape, has projecting edges on both sides of its horizontal upper surface, and is connected to the fixed contact on its lower surface. A movable contact is provided, and the second movable piece is formed in an upward substantially U-shape,
Another movable contact that contacts the fixed contact is provided on its lower surface, and a second movable piece is provided on the first movable piece.
The movable pieces are arranged in a cross shape facing each other with the movable pieces facing downward, and the height from the bottom surface of the first movable piece between the projecting edges is made equal to the height from the bottom surface to the top surface of the second movable piece, The height from the bottom surface of the first movable piece to the bottom surface of its horizontal portion is greater than the thickness from the bottom surface of the second movable piece to the top surface of the horizontal portion, and the first and second movable pieces arranged in the shape of a cross are They are arranged so that they do not come into contact with each other when they are movable, and are provided at positions facing the upper end of the compression spring in the housing and corresponding to both sides of each of the spring receiving rods, so as to prevent the rotational direction of the spring receiving rods from coming into contact with each other. a stopper whose lower surface is located in substantially the same plane as the lower surface of each of the spring receiving rods when the operating lever is in the neutral position; A multi-directional switch characterized by having a flat washer interposed between the spring receiving rod and the spring receiving rod.