JPH051552U - Operating knob - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] To improve the feel of the push button and reduce the collision noise of the push button. [Structure] A push button 12 that can be pressed from the outside is made of a hard resin, and a surface of a portion of the push button 12 that is pressed from the outside is formed with a coating layer 20 made of a soft resin. Meat adjacent to the coating layer 20 of the push button 12 A soft resin block 21 that is continuous with the coating layer 20 is arranged in the thick portion.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to the structure of a resin operating knob, and more particularly to the structure of an operating knob that improves the feel of the push button and reduces the operating noise of the push button.

[0002]

[Prior Art]

 An operating knob is provided on the top of the shift lever for an automatic transmission of a car. The operation knob is used when the shift lever that sets the shift range is shifted to a desired position, and has a function of unlocking the shift position.

FIG. 6 shows an example of an operating knob in a conventional automatic transmission shift lever. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a knob insert as a main body of the operation portion. The knob insert 1 is made of a hard resin such as polyacetal. A storage hole 1a extending horizontally is formed in the knob insert 1, and a push button 2 is held in the storage hole 1a so that the push button 2 can be inserted and removed. The push button 2 is made of a hard resin such as polybutylene terephthalate. Of these, the thick portion of the push button 2 is insert-molded with a hard resin 6 such as polypropylene from the viewpoint of preventing shrinkage after resin molding.

The knob insert 1 is covered with a knob skin 3 made of a soft resin such as vinyl chloride. A hole 1b extending vertically is formed in the center of the knob insert 1, and a sleeve 4 is slidably held in the hole 1b. The top of the sleeve 4 is formed as a slope 4a, and the slope 4a is in contact with the pressing wall 2a of the push button 2. The sleeve 4 is biased upward by a compression coil spring 5 arranged in the hole 1b. The push button 2 can be pushed from the outside, and when the push button 2 is pushed in when the shift lock is released, the slope 4a is pushed by the pushing wall portion 2a, and the sleeve 4 is pushed downward. There is.

[0005]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, the operation knob as shown in FIG. 6 has the following problems. (A) Since the push button 2 needs to have mechanical strength and is made of a hard resin, the touch feeling at the time of operation is inferior to that of the soft resin which is the knob skin 3. In addition, the hard and soft resins do not match in color and luster, and the push button looks worse than the knob skin. (B) If the push button 2 is made of a resin having a low friction coefficient in which mineral oil is mixed with polybutylene terephthalate in order to improve the slidability of the push button, a weld with a striped pattern appears on the surface of the push button 2, It becomes difficult to color it into a desired color. Therefore, in order to maintain the aesthetic appearance of the push button 2, there is a problem that the slidability of the push button 2 must be sacrificed. (C) Since the push button 2 is biased outward by the spring force of the compression spring 5, it is pushed back by the spring force of the compression spring 5 when the shift operation of the shift lever is completed. At this time, the wall surface 2b of the push button 2 facing the pressing wall 2a collides with the sleeve 4, and a collision sound is generated. Since this collision sound is generated at each shift operation, there is also a problem that it gives passengers an uncomfortable feeling.

As a prior art relating to an operation knob in a shift lever for an automatic transmission of an automobile, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 62-71722 is known. In the case of this shift knob, the push button is configured to be covered by the soft cover, but the soft cover is deformed each time the push button is operated, so there is a problem in durability. Further, in this case, the number of steps for assembling the push button and the soft cover is increased, and it is very difficult to integrally form the push button and the soft cover. It should be noted that the above-mentioned conventional technology has a problem of operating knobs in a shift lever for an automatic transmission of an automobile, but the uncomfortable feeling of a push button and the generation of operating noise are not limited to automobiles, and other devices such as home electric appliances. And so on.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an operation knob that can improve the feel of the push button and reduce the operating noise of the push button, focusing on the above problems.

[0008]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 According to the present invention, there is provided an operation knob according to the present invention, wherein the operation knob is arranged so as to be able to move in and out of an operation portion main body, is biased outward by a biasing means, and has a push button that can be pushed from the outside. The push button is made of a hard resin, the surface of the portion pressed from the outside of the push button is formed into a coating layer made of a soft resin, and the thick portion of the push button adjacent to the coating layer is formed of a soft resin continuous with the coating layer. It consists of resin blocks arranged.

[0009]

[Action]

 In the operation knob having such a structure, the push button is made of hard resin, so that the external force acting on the push button is reliably transmitted to the other. Since the surface of the portion of the push button that is pressed from the outside is composed of the coating layer made of soft resin, the feel of the push button during operation is improved. In addition, since the soft resin block, which is the same member as the coating layer, is placed in the thick portion of the push button, the amount of shrinkage after molding is greatly suppressed compared to the case of molding with only hard resin, and the occurrence of sink marks. Is prevented. Here, since the soft resin block has a soundproof function and suppresses the propagation of shock waves, the operating noise generated by the collision between the push button and the operation section body is reduced.

[0010]

【Example】

 Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the operating knob according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 to 5 show an embodiment of the present invention, particularly when applied to a shift lever for an automatic transmission of an automobile. In FIG. 3, an operating knob 10 is provided on the top of the shift lever 9. The operation knob 10 has a knob insert 11 as an operation section main body which is connected to the shift lever 9 via a screw 18.

The knob insert 11 is made of polyacetal as a hard resin. The knob insert 11 is formed with a storage hole 11a extending horizontally and having a substantially quadrangular cross section. The knob insert 11 is formed with a mounting hole 11b into which the shift lever 9 is inserted. The upper end of the mounting hole 11b opens into the storage hole 11a. A push button 12 for unlocking the shift lock of the shift lever 9 is arranged in the storage hole 11a so that the push button 12 can be inserted and removed.

The push button 12 is made of a resin having a low friction coefficient in which mineral oil is mixed with polybutylene terephthalate as a hard resin. The push button 12 has a substantially rectangular planar shape. One of the push buttons 12 normally projects from the storage hole 11a and is pushed in the storage hole 11a direction only when the shift lock of the shift lever 9 is released. The other of the push buttons 12 is always stored in the storage hole 11a. On the other side of the push button 12, lightweight holes 12a and 12b and a pressing wall portion 12c as a mechanical interlocking portion are formed. The cross-sectional shape of the pressing wall portion 12c is substantially a semicylindrical shape, and the frictional resistance with the sleeve 13 described later is small.

A sleeve 13 is slidably held in the mounting hole 11 b of the knob insert 11. The sleeve 13 is made of, for example, a hard resin, and has a top portion formed on the slope 13a. A rod 14 extending downward is connected to the lower end of the sleeve 13. A compression coil spring 15 as an urging means is arranged on the outer circumference of the rod 14 located in the mounting hole 11b of the knob insert 11. The upper end of the compression coil spring 15 is fixed in the fixing groove 13b at the lower end of the sleeve 13. The lower end of the compression coil spring 15 is in contact with a guide 16 fitted inside the shift lever 9. As a result, the sleeve 13 is biased upward by the spring force of the compression coil spring 15.

The top portion of the sleeve 13 is inserted into the insertion hole 12d of the push button 12 that constitutes the pressing wall portion 12c, and the slope 13a of the sleeve 13 is in slidable contact with the pressing wall portion 12c. The push button 12 is biased by the pressing force of the sleeve 13 in a direction in which one of the push buttons 12 projects from the storage hole 11a. When one side of the push button 12 is completely projected from the storage hole 11a by the urging force, the stopper wall 12e facing the pressing wall portion 12c of the push button 12 comes into contact with the side surface 13c of the sleeve 13. When the stopper wall 12e and the side surface 13c are in contact with each other, the outward protrusion of the push button 12 is restricted.

The outer circumference of the knob insert 11 is covered with a knob skin 16 except for the opening of the storage hole 11 a. The knob skin 16 is made of vinyl chloride as a soft resin. The knob skin 16 is resin-molded by insert molding after the knob insert 11 is molded.

The surface of the portion of the push button 12 projecting from the storage hole 11 a is made of vinyl chloride as a soft resin, like the knob skin 16. In this embodiment, the surface of the push button 12 protruding from the storage hole 11a is formed with a coating layer 20 made of vinyl chloride having a predetermined thickness. A thick portion 12f is formed between the outer end of the push button 12 and the lightweight hole 12a, and a plurality of soft resin blocks 21 are arranged in the thick portion 12a. The lower portion of the soft resin block 21 is not partitioned by the thick portion 12f so that it can be integrally molded with the coating layer 20. The cover layer 20 and the soft resin block 21 are integrally molded by setting the push button 12 in a molding die, performing mold matching, and then pouring the soft resin. As a result, the front surface side and the back surface side of the push button 12 are simultaneously filled with the soft resin, and the coating layer 20 and the soft resin mass 21 are simultaneously molded into a predetermined shape.

Next, the operation of the above-mentioned operation knob will be described. When shifting the shift lever 9 to a predetermined position, the driver pushes the push button 12 to release the shift lock. In the state where the push button 12 is pressed, as shown in FIG. 4, the sleeve 13 is pushed down by the contact between the push wall portion 12c of the push button 12 and the slope 13a of the sleeve 13. Along with this, the rod 14 that interlocks with the sleeve 13 is also pushed down, and the shift lock of the shift lever 9 is released.

Here, since the portion of the push button 12 pressed by the driver is composed of the coating layer 20 made of vinyl chloride as the soft resin having a predetermined thickness, it is more touchable than the case of the hard resin. The feeling can be improved. Since the covering layer 20 is made of the same material as the knob skin 16, the color and luster are matched and the aesthetic appearance is improved. Further, since the portion of the push button 12 excluding the soft resin portion is made of a hard resin having a low friction coefficient in which polybutylene terephthalate is mixed with mineral oil, the sliding resistance between the housing hole 11a and the sleeve 13 is reduced. It becomes possible. Therefore, the push button 12 can be smoothly moved in and out, and the feeling of the shift operation can be improved.

When the shift lever 10 is positioned at a predetermined position by the shift operation, the driver releases the push button 12, and the push button 12 is pushed up by the urging force of the compression coil spring 15 as shown in FIG. It is pushed back outward by the sleeve 13. The sleeve 13 is pushed up by the compression coil spring 15, and the outward movement of the push button 12 is stopped when the side surface 13c of the sleeve 13 and the stopper wall 12e of the push button 12 collide with each other. When the side surface 13c of the sleeve 13 collides with the stopper wall 12e of the push button 12, a shock wave propagates outward through the push button 12, but the push button 12 is provided with a soft resin block 21 having a soundproof function. Therefore, the propagation of the generated shock wave is suppressed by the soft resin block 21, and the operating noise when the push button 12 returns is greatly reduced.

Further, the thick portion 12f is formed in the vicinity of the portion pressed from the outside of the push button 12, but since the soft resin block 21 is arranged in this portion, it is possible to form the thick resin portion 12f after molding the hard resin alone. The amount of shrinkage is greatly suppressed, and the occurrence of so-called sink marks is also prevented.

It should be noted that although the present embodiment has been described as being applied to the operation knob of the automatic shifting gearshift lever of an automobile, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, various electric appliances (home appliances, audio equipment, OA) can be used. It can be applied to operation knobs for devices).

[0022]

[Effect of the device]

 As described above, the operation knob according to the present invention has the following effects. (A) Since the surface of the portion pressed from the outside of the push button is formed in the coating layer made of the soft resin, the touch feeling can be improved as compared with the hard resin. (B) Since the soft resin block that is continuous with the coating layer and has a soundproof function is arranged in the thick portion adjacent to the coating layer of the push button, the shock wave generated by the collision when the push button is pushed back by the biasing means is generated. Propagation can be suppressed, and the collision noise when the push button is returned can be significantly reduced. (C) By arranging the soft resin block in the thick portion of the push button, the shrinkage amount after molding is significantly suppressed as compared with the case where only the hard resin is molded, and the occurrence of sink marks can be prevented. (D) It becomes possible to simultaneously mold the covering layer of the push button and the soft resin block arranged in the thick portion, and it is possible to improve the productivity.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where a push button of a manipulation knob according to an embodiment of the present invention has been completely returned, and FIG.
It is sectional drawing which follows the line.

2 is a sectional view of the operating knob of FIG.
It is sectional drawing which follows the -B line.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the operating knob of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a push button of the operation knob of FIG. 1 is pushed in.

5 is a cross-sectional view showing a return state of the push button in the operation knob of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a conventional operation knob.

[Explanation of symbols]

 9 Shift Lever 10 Knob for Operation 11 Knob Insert as Operation Main Body 12 Push Button 12e Thick Part 13 Sleeve 15 Compression Coil Spring as Biasing Means 16 Knob Skin 20 Coating Layer 21 Soft Resin Block

Claims (1)

[Claims for utility model registration] 1. An operation knob, which is arranged so as to be able to move in and out of an operation portion main body, is biased outward by a biasing means, and has a push button that can be pushed in from the outside, The push button is made of a hard resin, the surface of the portion pressed from the outside of the push button is formed into a coating layer made of a soft resin, and the thick portion of the push button adjacent to the coating layer is formed of a soft resin continuous with the coating layer. A knob for operation, which is characterized by arranging a resin block.