JPH0922642A - Multidirectional changeover switch - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a variable multidirectional changeover switch that can be miniaturized because of simple constitution and a small number of part items and can be operated in plural directions at the same time using one switch knob. SOLUTION: This multidirectional changeover switch S comprises a slide switch portion S1 and a rotary switch portion S2 integrally incorporated therein. The slide switch portion S1 is so designed that when a switch knob 21 held in a neutral position is moved by a return spring 24, a sliding terminal 27 slides on a sliding circuit substrate 14 to turn the switch of a circuit pattern 7 on and off. The rotary switch portion S2 is so designed that when the switch knob 21 is rotated, a rotating shaft 6 connected thereto by a rotary spring 25 is rotated, causing a rotary terminal 18 attached to the rotary shaft 6 to slide on a rotary circuit substrate 12 to turn the switch of a circuit pattern 5 on and off.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a multidirectional switch, and more particularly to a multidirectional switch in which a slide switch portion and a rotary switch portion can be operated by a single knob.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A multidirectional switch of this type is used, for example, as a power seat switch of an automobile, and the seat is operated in the forward / backward direction, the up / down direction, and the forward tilt by operating the switch.
It is operated to tilt backward.

As such a power seat switch,
For example, there is a structure as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 10940/1992.

In the conventional power seat switch described above, a sliding contact piece is attached to each of three movable plates which are operated in two directions by a knob, and the sliding contact piece is slidably brought into contact with a fixed contact of a base in six directions. The switch is switched.

[0005]

The conventional power seat switch as described above requires a large number of movable plates and moderation mechanisms depending on the number of contacts, because all the switch switches have a slide switch structure. Since the number of parts is large and the configuration becomes complicated, it is impossible to operate the contacts in that direction at the same time when the slide operation is performed in a certain direction, and it is impossible to operate the contacts in other directions at the same time.

This means that, for example, in the operation of the power seat, it is not possible to adjust the front inclination or the rear inclination at the same time while adjusting the overall height (vertical direction) of the seat. Therefore, in the conventional power seat switch, it is necessary to adjust the entire height again after adjusting the front inclination or the rear inclination of the seat. The present invention has been made by paying attention to the above points, and has a simple structure, a small number of parts, and a small size, and a switch knob can be operated in a plurality of directions at the same time. The purpose is to provide a switch.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention according to claim 1 has a switch knob held in a neutral position by a return spring, and a sliding terminal attached to the switch knob. A slide switch portion including a slide circuit board on which a circuit pattern that is turned on and off by sliding of the slide terminal is formed, a rotating shaft connected to the switch knob via a rotating spring, and the rotating shaft. The rotary switch section comprises: the attached rotary terminal; and the rotary circuit board on which a circuit pattern that is turned on and off by rotation of the rotary terminal is formed.

Therefore, in the invention according to claim 1, when the switch knob is moved up and down and left and right, the sliding terminal slides on the sliding circuit board, the switch in the moving direction is turned on, and the switch on the opposite side is turned on. Turns off.

When the switch knob is rotated, the rotation is transmitted to the rotary terminal via the rotation spring, the contacts of the rotary circuit board are short-circuited to be switched on, and the switch is turned off at other positions.

Since the slide switch section and the rotary switch section operate independently of each other, for example, after moving the switch knob, it is possible to simultaneously operate the equipment at a plurality of locations by rotating the switch knob while maintaining the moved state. Further, when the operating force is released, the switch knob returns to the neutral position by the return spring and is switched off.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the multidirectional switch according to the first aspect, wherein the slide circuit board is provided on an upper surface of the cylindrical board mounting member, and the rotary circuit board is provided on a lower surface thereof. Each of them is attached, and the rotating shaft 6 is rotatably attached to a substantially central portion of the substrate attaching member.

Therefore, according to the second aspect of the present invention, the slide circuit board and the rotary circuit board are compactly housed in the upper and lower surfaces of the cylindrical board mounting member.

The invention according to claim 3 is the multidirectional switch according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the return spring is interposed between the switch knob and the slide circuit board, The rotating spring is arranged inside the return spring, and the upper end is fixed to the switch knob and the lower end is fixed to the rotating shaft.

Therefore, in the third aspect of the invention, since the return spring and the rotation spring are assembled in a multiple structure, the vibration transmitted from the switch knob and / or the board mounting member (and the rotation shaft) is described above. It is possible to prevent the contact failure due to vibration by absorbing with the multiple structure, and to make the connecting structure between the switch knob and the board mounting member (and the rotating shaft) compact due to the multiple structure.

Furthermore, a fourth aspect of the present invention is the multidirectional switch according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein each circuit pattern of the slide circuit board and the rotary circuit board comprises: It is characterized in that it is composed of a circular inner contact point and a plurality of outer contact points provided on the outer periphery of this inner contact point-symmetrically.

Therefore, in the invention according to the fourth aspect, the switch is turned on / off by short-circuiting or opening the circular inner contact and the plurality of outer contacts provided on the outer periphery of the point contact.
Therefore, a changeover switch having an arbitrary number of multidirectional contacts can be configured depending on the number of outer contacts.

Since the invention according to claims 1 to 4 has the above-mentioned structure, it has the following operation.

[0018]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on embodiments shown in the drawings.

1 to 4 show a multidirectional switch S as an embodiment. A cylindrical lower case 1 having an upper opening is fitted with a cylindrical upper case 2 having a lower opening to form a housing 3. A connector connection window 32 and a mounting piece 33 are provided on a side portion of the upper case 2.

A cylindrical board mounting member 4 is fitted inside the lower case 1, and a rotary shaft 6 is inserted into a boss portion 4a of the board mounting member 4. A large diameter portion 6a is formed at the lower end of the rotary shaft 6, and a protrusion 6b formed on the lower surface of the large diameter portion 6a is rotatably supported in the receiving hole 10 of the lower case 1.

A disk-shaped rotary circuit board 12 having a circuit pattern 5 formed on the lower surface of the board mounting member 4 is provided below the board mounting member 4.
However, disc-shaped slide circuit boards 14 each having a circuit pattern 7 formed on the upper surface thereof are fixed to the upper portion. A nut 20 is screwed into the boss portion 4a to press and fix the slide circuit board 14.

Circuit pattern 5 of rotary circuit board 12
Is a circular inner contact 15 as shown in FIGS.
And four outer contacts 16 formed point-symmetrically around the inner contact 15 and four circuit conductors 17 connected to the outer contact 16.

Circuit pattern 7 of slide circuit board 14
Is a circular inner contact 28 as shown in FIG. 4, and four outer contacts 2 formed around the inner contact 28 in point symmetry.
9 and four circuit conductors 3 connected to the outer contacts 29
It consists of 0.

On the lower surface of the large-diameter portion 6a of the rotary shaft 6, a pair of rotary terminals 18 made of leaf springs are attached. Convex contact portions 18a, 18b are formed at two points at the tip of the rotary terminal 18, the inner contact portion 18a being the inner contact 15 of the circuit pattern 11, and the outer contact portion 18b being the outer side of the circuit pattern 5. The contacts 16 are brought into contact with each other.

A cylindrical switch knob 21 having a lower opening is provided above the rotary shaft 6. This switch knob 21
A convex portion 22 is formed on the lower surface of the upper part of the spring, and a return spring 2 composed of a coil spring is provided between the outer periphery of the convex portion 22 and the nut 20.
4 is installed. Inside the return spring 24,
A rotation spring 25 composed of a coil spring is arranged.
The upper end of the rotating spring 25 is fixed to the convex portion 22, and the lower end is fixed to the upper portion of the rotary shaft 6 protruding upward from the boss portion 4a of the board mounting member 4.

A cylindrical body 26 is fixed to the inner circumference of the switch knob 21, and a sliding terminal 27 composed of four leaf springs is attached to the lower end of the cylindrical body 26. At the tip of this sliding terminal 27, there are two convex contact portions 27.
a and 27b are formed, and the inner contact portion 27a contacts the inner contact 28 of the circuit pattern 7, and the outer contact portion 27b contacts the outer contact 29 of the circuit pattern 7.

The multidirectional switch S operates as follows.

First, the operation of the slide switch section S1 will be described. Since the switch knob 21 is supported by the return spring 24 and the rotation spring 25, it can be moved in any direction. Therefore, when the switch knob 21 is moved to the right (A direction) in FIG. 1, the sliding terminal 27 also moves to the right as shown in FIG. 2, and the contact portions 27a and 27b of the sliding terminal 27 slide. Slide to the right on the circuit board 14 to
The inner contact 28 and the outer contact 29 in the B direction are short-circuited to be switched on, and at the same time, the inner contact 28 and the outer contact 29 in the B direction are opened to be switched off.

When the switch knob 21 is moved to the left (direction B) in FIG. 1, the direction B in FIG. 4 is switched on and the direction A is switched off, contrary to the above. The same applies when the switch knob 21 is moved up and down (CD direction in FIGS. 1 and 4), the switch on the moved side is turned on, and the switch on the opposite side is turned off.

The movement of the switch knob 21 causes the return spring 24 and the rotation spring 25 to tilt in that direction as shown in FIG. 2. When the switch knob 21 is released, the return force of the return spring 24 causes the return spring 24 to rotate. Return to the neutral position of 1.

Next, the operation of the rotary switch section S2 will be described. When the switch knob 21 is rotated in the neutral position of FIG. 1, the rotary shaft 6 is rotated via the rotation spring 25, and the rotary terminal 18 is rotated. Rotary terminal 1
When the contact portions 18a and 18b of 8 and 18 are located at E, F or G and H in FIG. 3, the inner contact 15 and the outer contact 16 are short-circuited to be switched on, and at other positions, they are switched off.

The rotating force of the switch knob 21 is the spring 2 for rotation.
Since it is transmitted to the rotary shaft 6 by 5, the rotary operation is possible even while the slide switch S1 is in operation, and even if the slide terminal 27 rotates during the operation of the slide switch S1, the outer terminal 29 is rotated in the circumferential direction. Since it has a predetermined width, the ON state of the slide switch S1 is maintained. Therefore, the rotary switch section S2 and the slide switch section S1 can operate independently of each other.

When the multidirectional switch S is used for a power seat switch of an automobile, the multidirectional switch S is attached to the side of the seat 31 as shown in FIG.
By operating the switch knob 21 in the left-right direction (A-B direction in FIGS. 4 and 5), the front and rear of the seat 31 can be adjusted, and in the up-down direction (C-D direction in FIGS. 4 and 5). The height of the entire seat can be adjusted. If the switch knob 21 is turned to the right, the seat 31 can be tilted forward, and if it is turned to the left, the seat can be tilted backward.

As described above, by incorporating the slide switch S1 and the rotary switch S2 into one body, the multidirectional switch S can be downsized with a simple structure, and the number of parts can be reduced and the assemblability can be improved. Also, 1
Both the slide switch section S1 and the rotary switch section S2 can be operated by one switch knob 21, and the operability is also improved.

Further, due to the bending of the rotating spring 25, the rotation can be transmitted to the rotary shaft 6 regardless of the position of the switch knob 21, and the rotary switch section S2 can be operated even while the slide switch section S1 is operating. That is, the slide switch section S1 and the rotary switch section S2 can be operated independently of each other, which is advantageous when it is necessary to simultaneously operate a plurality of devices.

The slide circuit board 14 and the rotary circuit board 12 are both circular inner contacts 28, 15
And a plurality of outer contact points 2 provided around the outer periphery of the point contact
Since the switch contacts 9 and 16 are formed, a changeover switch having an arbitrary number of multidirectional contacts can be formed depending on the number of outer contacts.

Further, a return spring 24 and a rotation spring 25
Since the and are assembled in a multiple structure, the vibration transmitted from the switch knob 21 and / or the board mounting member 4 (and the rotating shaft 6) is absorbed by the multiple structure to prevent a contact failure due to the vibration and to ensure a reliable operation. Of the switch knob 21 and the board mounting member 4 due to the multiple structure.
(And the rotation shaft 6) and the connecting structure can be made compact to reduce the size of the entire switch.

Further, the multidirectional switch of the present invention is not limited to the power seat switch and can be used for any equipment which requires multidirectional switching.

[0039]

As described above in detail, according to the first aspect of the invention, the slide switch portion and the rotary switch portion are integrally incorporated, so that the size can be reduced with a simple structure and the number of parts can be reduced. Less assembly is also possible. Further, both the slide switch section and the rotary switch section can be operated with one switch knob, and operability is also improved.

Further, due to the bending of the rotating spring, the rotation can be transmitted to the rotary shaft regardless of the position of the switch knob, and the rotary switch portion can be operated even while the slide switch portion is operating. That is, the slide switch section and the rotary switch section can be operated independently of each other, which is advantageous when it is necessary to simultaneously operate a plurality of devices.

According to the second aspect of the invention, since the slide circuit board and the rotary circuit board are mounted on the upper and lower surfaces of the cylindrical board mounting member, each circuit board can be compactly housed. As a result, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 1, it is possible to further reduce the size of the entire switch.

According to the third aspect of the invention, since the return spring and the rotating spring are assembled in a multiple structure, the vibration transmitted from the switch knob and / or the board mounting member (and the rotating shaft). Can be absorbed by the multiple structure to prevent contact failure due to vibration, and the multiple structure can make the connecting structure between the switch knob and the board mounting member (and the rotating shaft) compact. In addition to the effect of the invention described in Item 1 or 2, it is possible to improve the reliability of operation and further reduce the size.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the switch is turned on and off by short-circuiting and opening the circular inner contact and a plurality of outer contacts provided on the outer periphery thereof. A switch having an arbitrary number of multi-directional contacts can be constructed by the number of multi-directional switches, and as a result, in addition to the effect of the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the multi-directional switch having more variety. Can be provided.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional side view showing an embodiment of a multidirectional switch of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional side view of an operating state of the multidirectional switch according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a rotary circuit board and a rotary terminal used in the multidirectional switch of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the multidirectional switch of one embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example in which the multidirectional switch of one embodiment is applied to a power seat of an automobile.

[Explanation of symbols]

 4 board mounting member 5 circuit pattern 6 rotary shaft 7 circuit pattern 12 rotary circuit board 14 slide circuit board 15 inner contact 16 outer contact 18 rotary terminal 21 switch knob 24 return spring 25 rotation spring 27 slide terminal 28 inner Contact point 29 Outer contact point S Multi-direction selector switch S1 Slide switch section S2 Rotary switch section

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A slide circuit formed with a switch knob held at a neutral position by a return spring, a slide terminal attached to the switch knob, and a circuit pattern which is turned on and off by sliding the slide terminal. A slide switch part including a substrate, a rotary shaft connected to the switch knob via a rotary spring, a rotary terminal attached to the rotary shaft, and a circuit that is turned on / off by rotation of the rotary terminal. A multi-directional selector switch, comprising: a rotary circuit board having a pattern-formed rotary circuit board; 2. A circuit board for slide is mounted on an upper surface of a cylindrical board mounting member, and a circuit board for rotary is mounted on a lower surface of the cylindrical board mounting member, and the rotary shaft is rotated at a substantially central portion of the board mounting member. The multidirectional switch according to claim 1, wherein the multidirectional switch is mounted freely. 3. The return spring is interposed between the switch knob and the slide circuit board, the rotation spring is disposed inside the return spring, and the upper end is the switch knob.
3. The multidirectional switch according to claim 1, wherein the lower ends are fixed to the rotary shaft. 4. Each circuit pattern of the slide circuit board and the rotary circuit board is composed of a circular inner contact point and a plurality of outer contact points provided on the outer periphery of the inner contact point-symmetrically. The multidirectional switch according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: