JPH1173852A - Multidirectional input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a multidirectional input device having a sure switching action and suitable for miniaturization. SOLUTION: A first fixed contact 2 and a common contact 3 are arranged on the inner bottom face of a housing 1, and a normally opened switch is formed with a first moving contact plate 4 mounted on the common contact 3 and the first fixed contact 2. An operation lever 14 is tiltably held on the housing 1, and a driving body 13 fixed with a second moving contact plate 11 is spline-connected to the housing 1. A cover body 7 is fitted to the upper face opened end of the housing 1, and multiple second fixed contacts 10 are arranged at prescribed intervals in the peripheral direction on the bottom face of the cover body 7. A conductive coil spring 12 is provided between the common contact 3 and the second moving contact plate 11, the second moving contact plate 11 is brought into pressure contact with the second fixed contacts 10 by the exciting force of the coil spring 12, and multiple normally closed switches are formed with the second fixed contacts 10 and the second moving contact plate 11.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a multidirectional input device capable of operating a switch in accordance with a tilting direction of an operation lever.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 7-235241, a housing having an open top surface, a cover attached to an open end of the housing, and a housing and a cover are disposed inside the housing. 2. Description of the Related Art A multidirectional input device has been proposed which includes a switch element provided therein and an operation lever for operating the switch element.

The switch element includes a central fixed contact, a plurality of peripheral fixed contacts and a common contact provided on the inner bottom surface of the housing, and a movable contact plate mounted on the inner bottom surface of the housing. The movable contact plate is always in contact with the common contact, but is separated from the central fixed contact and the peripheral fixed contacts.

The operating lever is tiltably held inside the housing, and its upper portion is inserted through a lid and protrudes to the outside. The operation lever is provided with a flange, and the flange has a plurality of fulcrum portions facing the lower surface of the lid,
An elastic portion located outside each fulcrum portion is formed.

In the multidirectional input device thus configured, when the operating lever is at the neutral position, the movable contact plate is separated from the center fixed contact and each peripheral fixed contact, and a switch-off state is obtained.

On the other hand, when the operating lever is tilted in an arbitrary direction, the operating lever is tilted with a fulcrum located on the opposite side to the tilting direction as a rotation fulcrum. While pressing, the lower end of the operation lever presses the center of the movable contact plate. As a result, the peripheral fixed contact and the central fixed contact located in the tilting direction are conducted through the movable contact plate, so that a switch-on state is obtained.

Therefore, when the operating lever is tilted in an arbitrary direction and the movable contact plate contacts the peripheral fixed contact, the elastic portion is further bent even if the movable contact plate does not contact the central fixed contact. Thereby, the movable contact plate can be brought into contact with the central fixed contact.

[0008]

However, in the above-described conventional multidirectional input device, the movable contact plate is configured to contact the peripheral fixed contact by the elastic portion formed on the operation lever. However, there is a problem that the contact pressure of the movable contact plate cannot be increased, and a conduction failure occurs.

In addition, since it is necessary to dispose one central fixed contact and a plurality of peripheral fixed contacts surrounding the central fixed contact on the inner bottom surface of the housing, the space for disposing these fixed contacts increases the width of the housing. There is also a problem that miniaturization of the multidirectional input device is hindered.

An object of the present invention is to provide a multidirectional input device which overcomes the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, has excellent operation reliability, and can be reduced in size.

[0011]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an upper member and a lower member integrated via a storage space and tiltably held in the storage space. An operating lever penetrating through the upper member and protruding to the outside, a first fixed contact provided on the lower member, a first movable contact plate facing the first fixed contact, A second fixed contact group provided on the upper member at a predetermined interval in a circumferential direction, a second movable contact plate facing the second fixed contact group, and the second movable contact plate An urging member is provided for pressing against the second fixed contact group.

When the operation lever is tilted, the first movable contact plate contacts the first fixed contact, and the second movable contact plate is connected to one of the second fixed contact groups.
It is characterized in that one or two second fixed contacts are configured as tilting fulcrums so as to be separated from the remaining second fixed contacts.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an upper member and a lower member integrated through a storage space, and the upper member and the lower member are tiltably held inside the storage space. An operation lever that penetrates and protrudes to the outside; a fixed contact group provided at a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction on the upper member; and an operation lever that is arranged to face the second fixed contact group. A movable contact plate that tilts with the movable contact plate, a biasing member that presses the movable contact plate against the fixed contact group, and a conductive member that is, for example, a thin metal plate having elasticity interposed between the movable contact plate and the fixed contact group. Is provided.

When the operating lever is not operated, the movable contact plate is electrically connected to all the fixed contact groups via the elastic member by the biasing member. When the operating lever is inclined by a predetermined angle or more, the movable contact plate is fixed. The movable contact plate is tilted with one or two second fixed contacts of the contact group as a tilting fulcrum, and the movable contact plate between the fixed contact and the movable contact plate that is not a tilting fulcrum of the fixed contact group is tilted. It is characterized in that the continuity is cut off.

[0015]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As described above, in the first invention,
A normally open switch comprising a first movable contact plate and a first fixed contact, and a plurality of normally closed switches comprising a second movable contact plate and a plurality of second fixed contacts; When the first movable contact plate is brought into contact with the first fixed contact at the time of tilting, the normally open switch is turned on, and the second movable contact plate is turned on.
Is tilted about one or two of the second fixed contact group as a fulcrum, whereby one of a plurality of normally closed switches
Alternatively, the remaining two are turned off while the other two are turned on.

In this case, both the contact and separation operation between the first movable contact plate and the first fixed contact and the contact and separation operation between the second movable contact plate and the second fixed contact group become reliable. Since the failure can be eliminated and the first fixed contact and the second fixed contact group can be distributed to different members, the size of the multidirectional input device can be reduced.

As described above, according to the second aspect of the present invention, even if the operation lever is slightly inclined or slightly vibrated, the conductive state is maintained by the function of the conductive elastic member, so that it may be inadvertently turned off. Therefore, generation of an erroneous signal can be prevented.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 is a plan view of the multi-directional input device according to the first embodiment, FIG. 2 is a front view of the multi-directional input device, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a non-operated state of the multi-directional input device, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a tilting operation of the multidirectional input device, FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a push operation of the multidirectional input device, FIG. 6 is a plan view of a housing, and FIG. 8 is a plan view of the guide member, and FIG. 9 is a bottom view of the lid.

In these figures, reference numeral 1 denotes a housing made of a synthetic resin as a lower member, and the housing 1 is formed in a substantially octagonal planar shape having an open upper surface. As shown in FIG. 6, a first fixed contact 2 located at the center and two common contacts 3 located at the periphery are disposed on the inner bottom surface of the housing 1. The first fixed contact 2 and each common contact 3 are connected to each other. The terminals are led out of the housing 1 as terminals 2a and 3a, respectively.

A plurality of projections 1a are provided upright on the inner bottom surface of the housing 1, and the projections 1a are provided on the same arc centered on the first fixed contact 2. A guide hole 1b is formed on the outer wall of each side of the housing 1, and four stopper notches 1c are formed at 90-degree intervals on the open end side of the inner wall of the housing 1.

A dome-shaped first movable contact plate 4 is mounted on the inner bottom surface of the housing 1, and its outer peripheral edge is restricted in position by a projection 1a. The first movable contact plate 4 is always in contact with the common contact 3, but is separated from the first fixed contact 2, and the first fixed contact 2 and the first movable contact plate 4 allow the normally open switch S <b> 1 to be opened. It is configured.

A guide member 5 made of synthetic resin is provided on the protrusion 1a.
Are positioned, and the pressing piece 5a is integrally formed on the guide member 5 in a cantilever manner (see FIG. 8). A cylindrical rubber elastic body 6 is mounted on the pressing piece 5a, and the lower end of the pressing piece 5a faces the center of the upper surface of the first movable contact plate 4.

The open end of the housing 1 is covered by a lid 7 made of synthetic resin, which is an upper member.
Is formed between them. The second on the lower surface of the lid 7
The fixed contact 10 is outsert, a plate-like metal member having the mounting leg 9 is put on the upper surface of the lid 7, the mounting leg 9 is extended downward along the outer wall of the housing 1, and the tip is inward at a right angle. By bending, the housing 1 and the lid 7 are connected.

As shown in FIG. 9, a through hole 7a is formed in the center of the lid 7, and the second fixed contact 1 is formed around the through hole 7a.
Eight 0s are provided at a predetermined interval. Each of the second fixed contacts 10 extends downward as a terminal 10a, and each terminal 10a is inserted into a guide hole 1b of the housing 1 (see FIG. 2).

A second movable contact plate 11 is arranged in the storage space 8, and a conductive coil spring 12 is interposed between the second movable contact plate 11 and the inner bottom surface of the housing 1. The lower end of the coil spring 12 contacts the common contact 3 and the common contact 3
And the second movable contact plate 11 are always electrically connected via the coil spring 12. The second movable contact plate 11 is a coil spring 1
By the urging force of 2, the second fixed contacts 10 disposed on the lower surface of the lid 7 are pressed against each other, and eight normally closed switches S2 are formed by the second group of fixed contacts 10 and the second movable contact plate 11. It is configured.

The second movable contact plate 11 is outsert to a driving body 13 made of a synthetic resin.
With the through hole 7a. Four protrusions 11a are formed on the outer peripheral edge of the second movable contact plate 11 at intervals of 90 degrees (see FIG. 7), and the protrusions 11a are cutouts 1c formed on the inner wall surface of the housing 1. To prevent rotation in the rotation direction.

The driving body 13 is provided with a center hole 13a having an oval lower portion, and a metal operating lever 14 is inserted into the center hole 13a. The operation lever 14 has the center hole 13
a is movable in the axial direction with respect to the center hole 13a.
The movement in the rotational direction is restricted by spline connection with the oval-shaped portion. The upper part of the operation lever 14 projects outside the lid 7, and the lower end of the operation lever 14 contacts the rubber elastic body 6.

Next, the operation of the multidirectional input device will be described. When the operation lever 14 is in the neutral position shown in FIG. 3, the normally open switch S1 is off and the second movable contact plate 1 is off because the first movable contact plate 4 is separated from the first fixed contact 2.
Since 1 is in contact with all of the second group of fixed contacts 10, 8
The normally closed switches S2 are on.

When the operating lever 14 is tilted from this neutral position in an arbitrary direction, for example, the direction shown in FIG. 4, the second movable contact plate 11 rotates around the second fixed contact 10 located on the opposite side of the tilting direction. Moving and the other second fixed contact 1
Since it is away from 0, the normally closed switch S2 corresponding to the second fixed contact 10 serving as a fulcrum is kept on, and the other normally closed switches S2 are turned off.

Further, the lower end of the operation lever 14 presses the first movable contact plate 4 via the rubber elastic body 6 and the pressing piece 5a with the tilting operation of the operation lever 14, so that the first movable contact plate 4 is Upon contact with the first fixed contact 2, the normally open switch S1 switches from off to on. Normally open switch S
After turning on 1, the operation lever 14 can continue the tilting operation until the protrusion 11a of the second movable contact plate 11 comes into contact with the bottom of the notch 1c. 6 is absorbed by compressive deformation.

When the tilting operation force on the operation lever 14 is removed, the second movable contact plate 11 returns to the original state by the urging force of the coil spring 12, so that the operation lever 14 returns to the neutral position in FIG. All of the normally closed switches S2 are turned on again. Further, the rubber elastic body 6, the pressing piece 5a and the first movable contact plate 4 return by their own elasticity,
Since the first movable contact plate 4 is separated from the first fixed contact 2, the normally open switch S1 is turned off again. Operation lever 1
4 is tilted in a direction different from that of FIG.

When the operating lever 14 is pushed in from the neutral position in FIG. 3, the operating lever 14 is moved to the driving body 13 as shown in FIG.
Of the first movable contact plate 4 via the rubber elastic body 6 and the pressing piece 5a. In this case, since the second movable contact plate 11 and the driving body 13 do not move, all of the eight normally closed switches S2 maintain the ON state, and the first movable contact plate 4 is connected to the first fixed contact 2. At the point of contact, the normally open switch S1 switches from off to on.

When the pressing force applied to the operating lever 14 is removed, the rubber elastic body 6, the pressing piece 5a and the first movable contact plate 4 return due to their own elasticity, and the first movable contact plate 4 becomes the first movable contact plate 4. Since it is separated from the fixed contact 2, the normally open switch S1 is turned off again.

In the multidirectional input device configured as described above, for example, if the terminal 2a of the first fixed contact 2 and the terminal 10a of the second fixed contact 10 group are connected to the microcomputer, the terminal 2a and each terminal 10a Based on the on / off signal during
The microcomputer determines the tilt direction of the operation lever 14 and the operation lever 14
Can be detected.

That is, when the operating lever 14 is in the neutral position, as described above, all eight normally closed switches S2 are on, but since the normally open switch S1 is off, the microcomputer is connected to the terminal 2a and each terminal 10a. An off signal is taken in from between, and it is determined that the operation lever 14 is in the non-operation state.

When the operating lever 14 is tilted in an arbitrary direction, the normally open switch S1 and one of the eight normally closed switches S2 are turned on.
a, the first fixed contact 2 as shown by hatching in FIG.
-First movable contact plate 4-common contact 3-coil spring 12
A conduction path between the second movable contact plate 11 and the second fixed contact 10 is formed, and the microcomputer tilts the operation lever 14 in the opposite direction to the second fixed contact 10 in the on state based on the ON signal. Judge that

Further, when the operating lever 14 is pressed at the neutral position, the normally open switch S1 is turned on while all the eight normally closed switches S2 are turned on, so that the microcomputer operates the terminals 2a and 10a. The ON signals are taken in from all of them, and it is determined that the operation lever 14 has been pushed.

As another detection method, the terminal 2a of the first fixed contact 2, the terminal 3a of the common contact 3, and the terminal 10a of the second fixed contact 10 group can be connected to a microcomputer. In this case, the microcomputer monitors the on / off state of the normally open switch S1, and determines that the operation lever 14 is in the non-operation state when the terminal 2a and the terminal 3a are off.
When the microcomputer captures an ON signal from between the terminals 2a and 3a, the ON signal is used as a trigger to monitor the ON / OFF state of the normally-closed switch S2, and that the terminal 3a and the eight terminals 10a are all ON. It is determined that the operation lever 14 has been pushed, and the terminal 3a and the specific terminal 10a are determined.
When the ON signal is output from between, the tilt direction of the operation lever 14 is determined based on the ON signal.

Although it hardly occurs in actual use, when the operating lever 14 is tilted in the middle direction between two adjacent second fixed contacts 10, the second movable contact plate 11 is slightly It bends and turns with the two second fixed contacts 10 located on the opposite side of the tilt direction as fulcrums, and separates from the other second fixed contacts 10. Therefore, in this case, two of the eight normally closed switches S2 are turned on and the remaining normally closed switches S2 are turned off. However, if the priority order of the eight normally closed switches S2 is determined by the microcomputer, It is possible to eliminate a dead zone where a switching operation is not performed.

In this embodiment, the second fixed contact 1
0 is provided at eight locations to detect the orientation in eight directions. However, the number of the second fixed contacts 10 is not limited to eight, and, for example, four second fixed contacts 10 may be replaced by 90. If provided for each degree, a multi-directional input device that detects azimuths in four directions can be realized.

FIGS. 10 to 24 show a second embodiment of the present invention. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the multi-directional input device in a non-operating state, FIG. 11 is a plan view of a housing of the multi-directional input device, FIG. 12 is a plan view of an upper movable contact plate, and FIG. Figure 1
4 is a plan view of the conductive elastic member, FIG. 15 is a sectional view of the conductive elastic member, FIGS. 16 to 18 are plan views, sectional views, bottom views of the pressing member, and FIGS. 19 to 21 are plan views of the rubber elastic body. FIG. 22, a sectional view, a bottom view, FIG. 22 is a sectional view showing a slight tilting state of the multidirectional input device, FIG. 23 is a sectional view showing a tilting operation of the multidirectional input device, and FIG. It is a figure for explaining the operation principle of a direction input device.

The housing 21 made of synthetic resin has a substantially octagonal planar shape with an open upper surface, and as shown in FIG. Two common contacts 23 located in the section
Are provided, and the lower fixed contact 22 and each common contact 23 project outside the housing 21 as terminals 22a and 23a, respectively. The oblique lines and broken lines in the figure indicate the connection between the lower fixed contact 22 and the fixed terminal 22a and the connection between the common contact 23 and the common terminal 23a.

An arc-shaped projection 2 is formed on the inner bottom surface of the housing 21.
1a are provided and are arranged on the same arc centered on the lower fixed contact 22. As shown in FIG. 11, a guide hole 21b is formed in the outer wall of each side of the housing 21,
4 at 90 ° intervals on the opening end side of the inner wall of the housing 21
One notch 21c is formed.

A dome-shaped lower movable contact plate 24 is provided on the inner bottom surface of the housing 21, and its position is regulated by a projection 21a. The lower movable contact plate 24 is always in contact with the common contact 23, is separated from the lower fixed contact 22, and is normally opened by the lower fixed contact 22 and the lower movable contact plate 24.
Is configured. The composite of the pressing member 25 and the rubber elastic body 26 is positioned inside the projection 21a, and faces the center of the upper surface of the lower movable contact plate 24.

The pressing member 25 is made of a synthetic resin molded body, and has a shallow spherical receiving surface 25a on the upper surface and a protruding portion 25b on the lower portion as shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIGS. 19 to 21, the rubber elastic body 26 has an outer peripheral portion 26a fitted and positioned on the protrusion 21a,
Through hole 26b into which protrusion 25b of pressing member 25 is inserted
have.

The open end of the housing 21 is covered with a lid 27 made of synthetic resin (electric insulator), and a housing space 28 is formed by the housing 21 and the lid 27. The upper fixed contact 30 is outsert on the lower surface of the lid 27, the upper end of the connecting member 29 having a plurality of mounting legs is put on the lid 27, and the mounting legs are moved downward along the outer wall of the housing 21. The housing 21 and the lid 27 are connected by bending the extended lower end inward.

As shown in FIG. 13, a through hole 27a is formed in the center of the lid 27, and the upper fixed contact 3 is formed around the through hole 27a.
0 are arranged at 90 ° intervals in the circumferential direction, and each fixed contact 3
A projecting portion 30b slightly protruding downward is formed substantially at the center of 0. Even when the exposed surface of the fixed contact 30 is partially covered with the resin due to variations in molding conditions and the like when the upper fixed contact 30 is outsert to the lid 27, a projection is formed to project the fixed contact 30 from the resin portion. 30b is formed, and the protrusion 30b ensures contact with the upper movable contact plate 31 via a conductive elastic member 35 described later. Each upper fixed contact 30 extends downward as a terminal 30a, and each terminal 30a is connected to a guide hole 21b of the housing 21 (FIG.
11 (see FIG. 11).

The upper movable contact plate 3 is provided inside the storage space 28.
1 is disposed, and a conductive coil spring 32 is interposed between it and the inner bottom surface of the housing 21. The coil spring 32 is positioned between the peripheral wall of the housing 21 and the projection 21a. The lower end of the coil spring 32 is in contact with a conductive portion 23b (arc-shaped hatched portion in FIG. 11) connecting the common contact 23 and the common terminal 23a, and the common contact 23 and the upper movable contact plate 31 form the coil spring 32. It is always conducting through. The upper movable contact plate 31 is pressed against the upper fixed contacts 30 arranged on the lower surface of the lid 27 by the biasing force of the coil spring 32, and the upper fixed contact group 30 and the upper movable contact plate 31
Constitute four normally closed switches S2.

The upper movable contact plate 31 is outsert to a driving body 33 made of synthetic resin.
7 with the through-hole 27a. As shown in FIG. 12, the upper movable contact plate 31 has four protrusions 31a on the outer periphery thereof at 90 ° intervals and four linearly extending edges 31b connecting the protrusions 31a. It has a rhombus shape, and the hatched portions in the figure are made of metal and serve as conductive portions. The upper surface of each projection 31a has a taper so that it becomes slightly thinner toward the tip, and is inserted into a notch 21c formed on the inner wall surface of the housing 21 (see FIG. 10) to prevent rotation in the circumferential direction. I am.

By providing the upper surface of each protrusion 31a with a taper as described above, when the upper movable contact plate 31 is inclined, the protrusion 31a does not become an obstacle and the movable contact plate 31 The linearly extending end is a conductive elastic member 35.
And makes line contact with the lower surface of the lid 27. Accordingly, the taper is formed to escape so that the portion does not come into contact with the conductive elastic member 35, and each projection 31a has only the function of preventing rotation.

The driving body 33 is provided with a central hole 33a having an oval lower portion, into which the base end of a metal operation lever 34 is inserted. The operation lever 34 has a center hole 33a.
However, the rotation in the circumferential direction is restricted by spline connection with the oval portion of the center hole 33a. The upper part of the operation lever 34 protrudes outside the lid 27, and the lower end is the receiving surface 25 of the pressing member 25.
a.

A conductive elastic member 35 made of, for example, a phosphor bronze thin plate is disposed above the movable contact plate 31. As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the conductive elastic member 35 has a hole 35a in the center portion into which the driving body 33 is inserted, and a plurality of locking pieces 35b projecting from the inner peripheral portion of the hole 35a. Four legs 35c are provided on the outer periphery.

The upper portion of the driving body 33 holding the movable contact plate 31 is inserted into the hole 35a of the conductive elastic member 35 so that the leg 35c is positioned on a line connecting the center of the driving body 33 and the projection 31a. As a result, the locking piece 35b is
And a part of the lower surface of the conductive elastic member 35 is in contact with the upper surface of the movable contact plate 31. As shown in FIG. 15, since each leg 35c is slightly bent upward, the leg 35c is inclined upward from the upper surface of the movable contact plate 31, and faces the fixed contact 30 when assembled. .

In the present embodiment, the conductive elastic member 35 is locked to the driving body 33. However, the conductive elastic member 35 can be provided on the fixed contact 30 or the movable contact plate 31.
Further, in the present embodiment, the conductive elastic member 35 made of a thin metal plate is used, but an anisotropic elastomer sheet or the like that can obtain conductivity by being partially pressed may be used as the conductive elastic member. .

Next, the input operation of the multidirectional input device will be described. When the operation lever 34 is at the neutral position shown in FIG. 10, the lower movable contact plate 24 is
, The normally open switch S1 is off, and the four normally closed switches S2 are on because the upper movable contact plate 31 is in contact with all of the upper fixed contacts 30 via the conductive elastic member 35. It has become.

When the operation lever 34 is moved from the neutral position to an arbitrary direction,
For example, if the movable contact plate 31 on the upper side is largely tilted in the direction shown in FIG.
Since the leg 35c and the movable contact plate 31 are separated from the other fixed contacts 30 with the conductive elastic member 35 as a fulcrum, the ON state of the normally closed switch S2 corresponding to the upper fixed contact 30 serving as a fulcrum is changed. The other normally closed switch S2 is turned off.

By the tilting operation of the operation lever 34, the lower end of the operation lever 34 presses the lower movable contact plate 24 via the pressing member 25, and the lower movable contact plate 24 contacts the lower fixed contact 22. At this point, the normally open switch S1 switches from off to on. Even after the normally open switch S1 is turned on, the operation lever 34 can continue the tilting operation until the protrusion 31a of the upper movable contact plate 31 contacts the bottom of the notch 21c (the state of FIG. 23). Is absorbed by the compression deformation of the rubber elastic body 26.

When the tilting force on the operating lever 34 is removed, the upper movable contact plate 31 returns to the original state by the urging force of the coil spring 32, and the operating lever 34 returns to the neutral position in FIG. All of the normally closed switches S2 are turned on again. Further, the rubber elastic body 26 and the lower movable contact plate 24 also return due to elasticity, the lower movable contact plate 24 separates from the lower fixed contact 22, and the normally open switch S1 is turned off again. The same applies when the operation lever 34 is tilted in a direction different from that in FIG.

When the operating lever 34 is pushed in from the neutral position in FIG. 10, the operating lever 34 is driven by the driving body 33 as shown in FIG.
Of the pressing member 2
5, the lower movable contact plate 24 is pressed, and when the movable contact plate 24 contacts the lower fixed contact 22, the normally open switch S <b> 1 switches from off to on.

There is no problem if the operation lever 34 is pushed vertically when it is pushed in. However, there is a case where the operation lever 34 is actually pushed in a slightly inclined state as shown in FIG. At this time, the upper fixed contact 30 and the movable contact plate 31 show the same behavior as the above-described tilting operation,
In the above-described embodiment, a part of the normally closed switch S2 may be turned off.

In order to solve this problem, a conductive elastic member 35 is interposed between the upper fixed contact 30 and the movable contact plate 31, and when the operation lever 34 is slightly inclined, as shown in FIG. The leg 35c of the member 35 is in contact with the fixed contact 30, and does not emit a signal in the tilt direction.

When the pressing force on the operation lever 34 is removed, the rubber elastic body 26 and the lower movable contact plate 24 return due to their own elasticity, and the lower movable contact plate 24 separates from the lower fixed contact 22, The normally open switch S1 is turned off again.

FIG. 24 is a diagram for explaining the operation principle when the rhombic movable contact plate 31 is used. Since the conductive elastic member 35 is flexible and does not hinder the operation, the operation is omitted in the following operation principle.

23. As shown in FIG.
When the operation lever 34 is tilted through the, the upper movable contact plate 31 tilts with the point A as a fulcrum. At this time, the operation lever 34
Since the tilting direction (X direction) and the fulcrum (point A) directions are not aligned on a straight line with respect to the tilting center O, the state becomes unstable. Therefore, it is difficult to further incline in this direction only by pushing with the fingertip (the operation axis is not stable), and the fulcrum is stabilized when it is further inclined, that is, the end of the upper movable contact plate 31 on the AC line At the position where the inclination direction is naturally forced so that the portion (edge) is in line contact with the lid 27 and the normally-closed switch S2 is turned on, the point A and the point C are eventually turned on.
At this point, the upper fixed contact 30 and the upper movable contact plate 31 contact almost simultaneously.

Specifically, even if the operation lever 34 is tilted in the direction of, for example, 60 degrees, the operation axis is not stable in that direction, and the end of the upper movable contact plate 31 is in a 45-degree direction in which the end of the upper movable contact plate 31 makes line contact with the lid 27. As a result, the upper fixed contact 30 and the upper movable contact plate 31 are almost simultaneously contacted at two points A and C via the conductive elastic member 35.

In this embodiment, when the operation lever and the driving body are separated from each other and the operation lever is pressed from above, the push operation is detected by turning on only the normally open switch S1. . Therefore, as described above, even when the push operation is performed in a slightly inclined state, only the switch S1 emits a signal, which is effective. However, it is also effective in a type in which the push operation is not detected. Even if the lever vibrates slightly, no azimuth signal is output.

[0067]

The present invention is embodied in the form described above and has the following effects.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the first
The contact / separation operation between the (lower) movable contact plate and the first (lower) fixed contact and the contact / separation operation between the second (upper) movable contact plate and the second (upper) fixed contact group are performed. Since both are reliable, conduction failure can be eliminated, and furthermore, the lower fixed contact and the upper fixed contact group can be distributed to different members, so that the multidirectional input device can be downsized. it can.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since a conduction path is formed which constantly connects the first movable contact plate and the second movable contact plate via a coil spring, the entire multidirectional input device is formed. The structure can be simplified.

According to the third aspect, when the operation lever is pushed, the force from the urging member does not act on the operation lever, so that the operation lever can be pushed with a small force.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, no excessive pressing force acts on the first movable contact plate from the operation lever, so that damage to the first movable contact plate can be prevented.

According to this structure, the elastic body is further compressed by the lower end of the operation lever even after the first movable contact plate comes into contact with the first movable contact plate. A direction overstroke can be provided.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the conductive state is maintained by the action of the conductive elastic member even if the operation lever is slightly inclined, so that the switch is not accidentally turned off.
Generation of an erroneous signal can be prevented. In addition, when the operation lever is slightly vibrated due to vibration, the conductive state is maintained by the function of the conductive elastic member, and the contact does not separate every time the vibration occurs, so that generation of an erroneous signal can be prevented.

According to the seventh aspect, the thickness of the conductive elastic member can be reduced, and the bulkiness due to the interposition of the conductive elastic member can be suppressed.

According to the structure described in claim 8, there are features such as easy attachment of the conductive elastic member.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a multidirectional input device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the multi-directional input device.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a non-operation state of the multi-directional input device.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a tilting operation of the multidirectional input device.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a push operation of the multi-directional input device.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a housing of the multi-directional input device.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a driving body and a second movable contact plate of the multidirectional input device.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a guide member of the multidirectional input device.

FIG. 9 is a bottom view of a lid of the multidirectional input device.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of a multi-directional input device according to a second embodiment of the present invention in a non-operation state.

FIG. 11 is a plan view of a housing of the multi-directional input device.

FIG. 12 is a plan view of an upper movable contact plate of the multidirectional input device.

FIG. 13 is a bottom view of the lid to which the upper fixed contact of the multidirectional input device is attached.

FIG. 14 is a plan view of a conductive elastic member of the multidirectional input device.

FIG. 15 is a sectional view of the conductive elastic member.

FIG. 16 is a plan view of a pressing member of the multidirectional input device.

FIG. 17 is a sectional view of the pressing member.

FIG. 18 is a bottom view of the pressing member.

FIG. 19 is a plan view of a rubber elastic body of the multidirectional input device.

FIG. 20 is a sectional view of the rubber elastic body.

FIG. 21 is a bottom view of the rubber elastic body.

FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view showing a slightly tilted state of the multi-directional input device.

FIG. 23 is a sectional view showing a tilting operation of the multidirectional input device.

FIG. 24 is a diagram for explaining the operation principle of the multidirectional input device according to the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 21 Housing 2, 22 Lower fixed contact 3, 23 Common contact 4, 24 Lower movable contact plate 5 Guide member 6, 26 Rubber elastic body 7, 27 Lid body 8, 28 Storage space 10, 30 Upper space Fixed contact 11, 31 Upper movable contact plate 12, 32 Coil spring 13, 33 Driver 14, 34 Operating lever 35 Conductive elastic member S1 Normally open switch S2 Normally closed switch

Claims (8)

[Claims] An upper member and a lower member integrated via a storage space; an operation lever held to be tiltable inside the storage space and protruding to the outside through the upper member; A first fixed contact provided on the lower member, a first movable contact plate facing the first fixed contact, a second fixed contact provided on the upper member at a predetermined interval in a circumferential direction. A fixed contact group, a second movable contact plate facing the second fixed contact group, and a biasing member for pressing the second movable contact plate against the second fixed contact group; When the lever is tilted, the first movable contact plate contacts the first fixed contact, and the second movable contact plate is connected to one or two of the second fixed contact group.
A multi-directional input device characterized in that the fixed contact is tilted as a fulcrum and separated from the remaining second fixed contact. 2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the biasing member is formed of a conductive coil spring, and one end of the coil spring contacts a common contact provided on the lower member.
A multidirectional input device wherein the other end is in contact with the second movable contact plate. 3. The drive unit according to claim 1, wherein the first movable contact plate is provided between a lower end of the operation lever and the lower member, and the second movable contact plate is spline-connected to the operation lever. A multi-directional input device, wherein the movable contact plate is fixed. 4. The multidirectional input device according to claim 3, wherein a stopper for restricting an amount of tilt of the second movable contact plate is provided on one of the upper member and the lower member. . 5. The multidirectional input device according to claim 1, wherein an elastic body is provided between a lower end of the operation lever and the first movable contact plate. 6. An upper member and a lower member integrated via a storage space, an operation lever which is held inside the storage space so as to be tiltable and penetrates through the upper member and protrudes to the outside, A fixed contact group provided on the upper member at a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction; a movable contact plate arranged to face the fixed contact group and tilted together with the operation lever; An urging member that presses against the contact group; and a conductive elastic member interposed between the movable contact plate and the fixed contact group. When the operation lever is not operated, the urging member causes the elastic member to move. The movable contact plate is electrically connected to all the fixed contact groups through the movable contact plate, and when the operation lever is tilted by a predetermined angle or more, one or two second fixed contacts of the fixed contact group are tilted as fulcrum and the movable contact plate is tilted. Contact plate tilts To, multi-directional input apparatus characterized by being configured to conduct is broken between the fixed contact not in the tilting fulcrum of the fixed contact group and the movable contact plate. 7. The multidirectional input device according to claim 6, wherein said elastic member is made of a metal plate and has legs extending toward said fixed contacts. 8. The multi-directional input device according to claim 6, wherein a drive unit spline-coupled to the operation lever is provided, and the movable contact plate and the elastic member are locked to the drive unit. apparatus.