JPH09304818A - Click device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance assembling work efficiency and to make possible adjusting click intensity. SOLUTION: A sphere take-in housing part 4 is provided with a sphere take-in hole 6. A female screw 8 is formed on the end part of the sphere take-in hole 6 of an opposite side of a click plate 106, and a male screw member 10 is screwed on the female screw 8. A coil spring 110 and a sphere 108 are housed in the sphere take-in hole 6, and one end of the coil spring 110 is abutted on the tip of the male screw member 10, and the other end is abutted on the sphere 108, and the sphere 108 energized in the central direction of the click plate 106. The sphere 108 is exposed from the end part of the sphere take-in hole 6 of the opposite side of the female screw 8, and is abutted on the outer peripheral side part 122 of the clock plate 106 to press the outer peripheral side part 122. The periphery of the sphere take-in housing part 4 is assembled by inserting the sphere 108 and the coil spring 110 into the sphere take-in hole 6 from the opposite side in the state that the click plate 106 is attached, and screwing the male screw member 10 on the female screw 8.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a click device having a variable click force.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Click devices that give a click feeling when a dial is rotated are widely used in various devices and equipment. For example, in a camera, an electronic dial equipped with a click device is used to adjust shooting parameters such as shutter speed and aperture.

4 and 5 are a plan view and a front view showing an example of such a conventional electronic dial. The electronic dial 102 includes an operation dial 104 and a click plate 1.
06, code plate 107, sphere 108, coil spring 110
It is configured to include such. The operation dial 104 has a disc shape, and a shaft 114 serving as a rotation center is formed at the center of the operation dial 104.
It is rotatably mounted in the housing 116 via a shaft 114. A part of the operation dial 104 projects outside the housing 116 from the side surface 118 of the housing 116. The housing 116 is fixed to the camera body (not shown) with its side surface 118 being substantially flush with the outer surface of the camera case (not shown). Therefore, a part of the operation dial 104 projects outward from the camera case, and the user of the camera puts his / her finger on the projecting portion to rotate the operation dial 104.

The tip portion 1 of the shaft 114 of the operation dial 104
As shown in FIG. 5, the reference numeral 20 is formed in a narrow width so as to protrude from the bottom of the housing 116, and the disc-shaped click plate 106 and the code plate 107 are fixed to the position by the screws 114A, and the operation dial 104 and the click plate 106, The code plate 107 is adapted to rotate integrally. A plurality of recesses 124 are formed on the outer peripheral side 122 of the click plate 106 at regular intervals in the circumferential direction. The sphere 108 is accommodated in a sphere-accommodating housing portion 112 that is bulged at the bottom of the housing 116, and is in contact with the outer peripheral side portion 122 of the click plate 106. In the spherical body housing portion 112, a spherical body housing hole 126 extending in the radial direction of the click plate 106 is formed in a predetermined depth with a uniform inner diameter slightly larger than that of the spherical body 108. The coil spring 110 and the sphere 108 are housed. One end of the coil spring 110 abuts on the inner part of the sphere accommodating hole 126, and the other end abuts on the sphere 108, which urges the sphere 108 toward the center of the click plate 106. The outer peripheral side portion 122 of 106 is pressed.

A conductive pattern 130 is formed on the surface of the code plate 107 opposite to the click plate 106.
The conductive pattern 130 includes a circular center portion 130A,
A first outer peripheral portion 130B extending outward in the radial direction at equal intervals in the circumferential direction from the outer periphery of the central portion 130A;
The second outer peripheral portion 130C is bent from the tip of the outer peripheral portion 130B and then extends outward in the radial direction. Also,
An electrical contact piece 131 is provided on the bottom of the housing 116 so as to contact the conductive pattern 130. The electrical contact piece 131 has first, second, and third electrical contact pieces 131A, 131B, and 131C whose tip ends pierce the central portion 130A, the first outer peripheral portion 130B, and the second outer peripheral portion 130C, respectively.
It is composed of When the operation dial 104 is operated and rotated, the first electric contact piece 131A and the second electric contact piece 131A are rotated according to the rotation.
The contact piece 131B is connected at a predetermined angle, while the first electric contact piece 131A and the third electric contact piece 131C are also connected at another predetermined angle. Then, the rotation angle of the operation dial 104 in which the first electric contact piece 131A and the second electric contact piece 131B are connected to each other, and the first electric contact piece 131A
Since there is a difference between the rotation angle of the operation dial 104 that brings the third electric contact piece 131C into the connected state, these two types of signals of the connected state generated are sent to, for example, a microprocessor installed in the camera. By inputting, the rotation direction and the rotation amount of the operation dial 104 are detected.

When the operation dial 104 is operated and rotated, the operation dial 104 and the click plate 106 are integrally rotated, and the spherical body 108 and the recess 1 of the click plate 106 are rotated.
Each time 24 and 24 match, the user of the camera is given a click feeling.

[0007]

By the way, when assembling such an electronic dial 102, first, the coil spring 110 is first inserted into the spherical body housing hole 126 of the spherical body housing portion 112, and then the spherical body 108 is inserted. Then, the click plate 106 and the code plate 107 are arranged and screws 114A
The work of fixing the operation dial 104 to the shaft 114 is performed. However, at the time of assembly, the sphere 108 is urged by the coil spring 110 in the direction of popping out of the sphere housing hole 126, and therefore the sphere 108 is urged toward the sphere housing hole 1.
It was difficult to store the sphere inside the container 26, and the sphere 108 often dropped, resulting in a decrease in work efficiency. Further, since the strength of the click feeling (hereinafter also referred to as the click force) is mainly determined by the strength of the coil spring 110, it is usually impossible for the user of the camera to adjust the click force according to his or her preference. is there. The present invention has been devised in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a click device that can be efficiently assembled and that can adjust the click force.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a rotatable operation dial, and a click plate which rotates integrally with the operation dial coaxially with the rotation center of the operation dial. A plurality of recesses formed in the outer peripheral portion of the click plate at intervals in the circumferential direction, a sphere capable of engaging with the recess, and a sphere housing arranged so as to face the outer peripheral portion of the click plate. A housing portion, a spherical body housing hole formed in the spherical body housing portion for accommodating the spherical body so that the spherical body can be retracted and retracted at a position engageable with the concave portion, and the spherical body inserted into the spherical body housing hole and biasing the spherical body toward the concave portion side. In the click device provided with a coil spring, the sphere accommodating hole is formed so as to penetrate toward the sphere accommodating housing part opposite to the part facing the recess, and is located at the opposite sphere accommodating housing part. That spherical housing hole portion to form a female screw, screwed destination unit to the internal thread, characterized in that a contact can be externally threaded member to the coil spring.

Further, according to the present invention, a code plate that rotates integrally with the operation dial coaxially with the rotation center of the operation dial is provided in parallel with the click plate, and a conductive pattern is provided on the surface of the code plate opposite to the click plate. Is further provided, and a plurality of electric contact pieces that contact the conductive pattern are provided, and the rotating direction and the rotation amount of the operation dial are detected by the conductive pattern and the electric contact pieces. Further, the present invention is characterized in that it is incorporated in a camera, and shooting parameters such as a shutter speed and an aperture are adjusted by the operation dial.

[0010]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Next, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an electronic dial of a camera will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of an electronic dial according to the present invention,
FIG. 2 is a front view, and FIG. 3 is a side view. In addition, FIG.
The same elements as those in FIG. 5 are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted here. The spherical body housing portion 4 bulged at the bottom of the housing 116 has a spherical body housing hole 6 for housing the coil spring 110 and the spherical body 108.
However, similarly to the above, it is formed to extend toward the center of the click plate 106 with a uniform inner diameter slightly larger than the sphere 108. And, unlike the conventional example, this spherical body accommodation hole 6 is
It is formed by penetrating up to the end surface 4A of the spherical body housing portion 4 located on the side opposite to the click plate 106. A female screw 8 is formed at a position near the end surface 4A of the spherical body housing hole 6, and a male screw member 10 is screwed into the female screw 8. A coil spring 110 and a sphere 1 are provided in the sphere accommodating hole 6.
08 is accommodated, one end of the coil spring 110 abuts on the tip of the male screw member 10, and the other end abuts on the sphere 108 to urge the sphere 108 toward the center of the click plate 106.
A part of the spherical body 108 is exposed from the open end of the spherical body housing hole 6, abuts on the outer peripheral side portion 122 of the click plate 106, and presses the outer peripheral side portion 122.

The four spherical housing housing parts are assembled in the following manner. That is, the sphere 108, the coil spring 110, and the male screw member 10 are removed from the sphere housing housing part 4, and the operation dial 104, the click plate 106, and the code plate 107 are first attached to the housing 116, and the operation dial 104 and the click plate 106, The cord plate 107 is assembled so as to rotate integrally. Next, the sphere 108 is first inserted into the sphere housing hole 6 from the end surface 4A of the sphere housing housing portion 4, and the coil spring 110 is inserted. After that, the end of the coil spring 110 is pushed by the tip of the male screw member 10 to move the coil spring 110 into the spherical body accommodation hole 6
Then, the male screw member 10 is screwed into the female screw 8.
As a result, the end portion of the coil spring 110 comes into contact with the tip of the male screw member 10 in the spherical body housing hole 6 and is compressed, so that the spherical body 10 is compressed.
8 is biased toward the click plate.

As described above, in the electronic dial 2 of this embodiment, the sphere 108 is placed on the tip of the coil spring 110 projecting in the direction of the click plate 106, and the coil spring 110 and the sphere 108 are accommodated in the sphere accommodating hole 126 as in the prior art. Since the work of pushing it in is unnecessary, the electronic dial 2 can be assembled very efficiently without dropping the sphere 108. In addition, the amount of compression of the coil spring 110 can be changed by adjusting the feed amount of the male screw member 10 into the spherical body accommodation hole 6, and therefore,
The user of the camera can adjust the click force by rotating the male screw member 10.

In this embodiment, the electronic dial incorporated in the camera has been described as an example, but it goes without saying that the electronic dial of the present invention can be incorporated in various devices and equipment other than the camera and used. In the above embodiment,
The structure in which the sphere 108 abuts on the outer peripheral side portion 122 of the click plate 106 is used. However, the sphere housing housing portion 4 is arranged such that the sphere housing hole 6 is orthogonal to the plate surface of the click plate 106. It is also possible to form a concave portion on the plate surface of the sphere so that the sphere 108 presses the plate surface of the click plate 106.

[0014]

As described above, according to the present invention, the operation dial rotatably arranged, the click plate which rotates integrally with the operation dial coaxially with the rotation center of the operation dial, and the click plate. A plurality of recesses formed in the outer peripheral portion of the click portion at intervals in the circumferential direction, a spherical body engageable with the concave portion, a spherical body housing portion disposed so as to face the outer peripheral portion of the click plate, A sphere accommodating hole formed in the sphere accommodating housing part for accommodating the sphere so that the sphere can be retracted and retracted at a place engageable with the recess; and a coil spring inserted into the sphere accommodating hole for urging the sphere toward the recess. In the click device provided, the spherical accommodating hole is formed by penetrating the spherical accommodating hole toward a spherical accommodating housing part opposite to the part facing the concave portion, and the spherical accommodating hole part positioned at the opposite spherical accommodating housing part. Forming an internal thread, screwed destination unit has a structure in which a contact can be externally threaded member to the coil spring in this female screw.

Therefore, when assembling the click device of the present invention, the operation dial and the click plate are attached first,
Then, since the sphere, the coil spring can be inserted into the sphere accommodating hole, it is possible to assemble the click device extremely efficiently without dropping the sphere as in the conventional case, and by rotating the male screw member, The amount of compression of the coil spring can be changed, which makes it possible to adjust the click force, which is particularly suitable for an electronic dial or the like for setting shooting parameters of the camera.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of an electronic dial according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing an example of an electronic dial according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing an example of an electronic dial according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an example of a conventional electronic dial.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing an example of a conventional electronic dial.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2,102 Electronic dial 4,112 Sphere housing housing part 6 Sphere housing hole 8 Female screw 10 Male screw member 104 Operation dial 106 Click plate 107 Code plate 108 Sphere 110 Coil spring 116 Housing 118 Side surface 130 Conductive pattern 131 Electrical contact piece

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An operation dial which is rotatably disposed, a click plate which rotates integrally with the operation dial coaxially with a rotation center of the operation dial, and an outer circumferential portion of the click plate which is circumferentially spaced. A plurality of concave portions formed in the concave portion, a spherical body engageable with the concave portion, a spherical body housing portion disposed so as to face the outer peripheral portion of the click plate, and the concave portion formed in the spherical body housing portion A sphere accommodating hole for accommodating the sphere so that the sphere can be retracted and retracted at a place engageable with the sphere; and a coil spring that is inserted into the sphere accommodating hole and urges the sphere toward the recess side. The accommodating hole is formed by penetrating toward the spherical accommodating housing part opposite to the part facing the recess, and a female screw is formed at the spherical accommodating hole part located at the opposite spherical accommodating housing part. Internal thread screwed destination unit is provided can abut externally threaded member to the coil spring, clicks and wherein the device. 2. A code plate that rotates integrally with the operation dial coaxially with a center of rotation of the operation dial is arranged in parallel with the click plate, and a conductive pattern is formed on a surface of the code plate opposite to the click plate. The click device according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of electric contact pieces that are in contact with the conductive pattern, and the rotation direction and the rotation amount of the operation dial are detected by the conductive patterns and the electric contact pieces. 3. The click device according to claim 1, wherein the click device is incorporated in a camera and shooting parameters such as a shutter speed and an aperture are adjusted by the operation dial.