JPS628893B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a time switch device equipped with two types of switch operating mechanisms.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Modern household electrical appliances, especially air-conditioning and heating appliances, are equipped with time switch devices to control their time limits. In this type of time switch device, a switch operating mechanism is provided on an operating shaft to which an operating knob is fixed, and a time limit is set by rotating the operating shaft, and an internal switch is opened and closed after a predetermined period of time has elapsed. This controls the power on and off of the equipment.

For example, a time switch device attached to a relatively inexpensive device such as an electric fan is called a type of sleep timer, and can set a time limit for a predetermined time from the current time.
It is impossible to control the main equipment at the desired time.

On the other hand, time switch devices attached to room air conditioners and the like are so-called alarm timers, and are equipped with a clock drive mechanism and a display mechanism and are capable of setting time limits for relatively long periods of time. For example, it is possible to set the time to operate the main device the next morning before going to bed, but it is not used as the sleep timer described above.

By the way, in the case of some high-end room air conditioners or heaters, the
It is desired to perform time control that maintains the ON state, then shifts to the OFF state, and then returns to the ON state at a predetermined time the next morning.To this end, in addition to the above-mentioned alarm timer, A sleep timer must be provided separately, which not only increases the cost of the device but also increases the size of the device control unit.

Furthermore, in such household electrical appliances,
It is troublesome for the user to operate two types of switch control devices independently.
There is a great need for a time switch device that can perform the above-mentioned ON-OFF-ON control with one operation.

In view of the above-mentioned requirements, the present invention provides a switch actuation mechanism whose time is set by a rotational operation of an operating shaft, and a switch actuating mechanism whose time is set by a plurality of cam member groups that operate in conjunction with the operating shaft. Due to its simple structure, two switch operating mechanisms can be operated in one motion, making the operation extremely convenient and making the device significantly more compact. To provide a time switch device which can perform time control simply and reliably.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail using embodiments shown in the drawings.

Figures 1 to 4 show an embodiment of the time switch device according to the present invention, and in these figures, reference numerals 1 and 2 indicate a case body made of synthetic resin whose bottom part also serves as a base plate, and an upper part of the case body. It is a lid body that also serves as a base plate, and its interior space contains a first switch operating mechanism 3 called a sleep timer mechanism, a second switch operating mechanism 4 called an alarm timer mechanism, and a synchronous motor that is a clock drive source. An intermediate gear group 6 is appropriately arranged to transmit the rotational force from the cycle switching gear 6a. The left side portion of the case body 1 is projected downward in the shape of a rectangular tube, and the recessed portion 7 formed by this protrudes downwardly.
It constitutes a storage section that houses the switch operating mechanism 3. Furthermore, first and second micro-switches 8 and 9, which are opened and closed by the two switch operating mechanisms 3 and 4 described above, are stacked and attached to the back surface of the case body 1 adjacent to the recessed portion 7, and the case body The motor 5 is attached to the back surface of the right side of the main body 1. A time display plate (not shown) is attached to the surface of the lid 2, and an operation knob 10A, which also serves as a pointer for setting the time of each switch operating mechanism 3, 4, is fixed to the center of the plate. A hole 2a is drilled through which the shaft 10 is disposed,
The operating shaft 10 is rotatably supported by a hole 1a provided in the center of the case body 1.

A drive gear 11 is slip-coupled onto the operating shaft 10 by a spring washer 12 serving as slip means, and rotational force is transmitted from the motor 5 to the drive gear 11 via the intermediate gear group 6. 13 is a gear integrally provided near the lower end of the operating shaft 10;
This is for transmitting the set rotation of 0 to the first switch operating mechanism 3. 14 is the operating shaft 1
A cam configuring the second switch operating mechanism 4 fixed to the lower end of the cam 14 faces the switch operating lever 15, which also constitutes the second switch operating mechanism 4, and rotates it. As a result, the second microswitch 9 is opened and closed after a predetermined period of time has elapsed from the current time. That is, when the cam protrusion 15a of the switch operating lever 15 engages with the cam groove 14a of the cam 14, the switch operating lever 15 is rotated in a direction away from the second micro switch 9, while the cam protrusion 15a When it rides on the circumferential surface 14b of the cam 14, it is rotated in a direction approaching the second micro switch 9. In this case, the manual switch lever 15 is always urged toward the cam 14 by a spring means (not shown). In addition, in this embodiment, the cam 14 has a fitting groove 14c in a part thereof,
The locking piece 13b of the protrusion 13a integrally provided on the gear 13 is fitted into the fitting groove 14c, thereby rotating together with the operating shaft 10. Also, 13
C is a notch that cooperates with the cam groove 14a of the cam 14 and engages with the cam protrusion 15a of the switch operating lever 15. This notch 13c is designed to operate the switch operating lever 15 immediately and reliably at the set time. belongs to.

Now, according to the present invention, the above-described operating shaft 10 rotates the switch to a desired setting time.
A configuration that turns it on or off, a second alarm timer that is a so-called general time switch.
In addition to the switch operating mechanism 4, this device is characterized by the addition of a first switch operating mechanism 3, which serves as a so-called sleep timer that keeps the switch ON or OFF for a predetermined period of time from the current time. What should be noted here is that the first switch operating mechanism 3 is set by the above-described rotational setting operation of the operating shaft 10, and the rotating direction of the operating shaft 10 is not specified. Details of the first switch actuation mechanism 3 will be explained below with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

That is, the reference numeral 20 denotes a first cam member integrally formed with a gear 20a that meshes with the gear 13 fixed to the operating shaft 10.
0 is a pair of cam protrusions 20b rotatably mounted on the upper end of the support shaft 21 supported between the concave portion 7 of the case body 1 and the lid body 2, and protruding in the thrust direction from the lower surface of the support shaft 21; It has 20c. Reference numeral 22 denotes a second cam member having a pair of cam grooves 22a and 22b that engage with the cam protrusions 20b and 20c, and this second cam member 22 is always urged toward the first cam member 20 by a coil spring 23. It is configured to slide in the thrust direction by the cam engagement between the cam protrusions 20b, 20c and the cam grooves 22a, 22b. Then, this second cam member 22
A pair of cam pins 22c and 22d that protrude in the thrust direction are provided on the lower side of the cam. The above-mentioned pair of cam grooves 22a, 22b are provided at different formation positions in the radial direction, and the respective cam protrusions 20b, 20c are formed in accordance with this, and furthermore, their protrusion amounts are also different. . Therefore, the first cam member 20 and the second cam member 22 are brought into contact with each other by the coil spring 23 only when they are rotated one rotation relative to each other. Reference numeral 22e designates a pair of guide pins, each of which has a central groove portion formed in the inner wall of the recessed portion 7 of the case body 1.
4, so that the second cam member 22 is configured to slide only in the thrust direction on the support shaft 21.

Reference numeral 25 denotes a third cam member that is mounted on the support shaft 21 below the second cam member 22, and a portion of the periphery of the third cam member 25 is cut out so that the cam pins 22c and 22d are engaged with the third cam member 25. Matching cam grooves 25a, 2
5b. In this case, the third cam member 25 is arranged with its cam grooves 25a, 25b being slightly shifted from the cam pins 22c, 22d in the circumferential direction, so that the second cam member 25
The structure is such that it slides in the thrust direction by the second action. Further, a pair of cam protrusions 25c and 25d are formed on the back surface side of the third cam member 25 and protrude in the thrust direction. These pair of cam protrusions 25c and 25d are for engaging with a fourth cam member to be described later to apply rotational force thereto, and are curved and inclined in the same circumferential direction. Furthermore, this third cam member 25 has a guide arm 25e that protrudes in the outer diameter direction, and this guide arm 25e engages with an inclined surface 26a of a guide piece 26 provided in the recessed part 7 of the case body 1. However, this third cam member 25 is used to apply rotational force to the third cam member 25 when it slides. In addition, 2
A bush 7 is press-fitted into the center of the support shaft 21, and this bush 27 restricts the third cam member 25 from moving upward. Further, a spring lock washer 28 is fixed to the lower side of the support shaft 21 at a predetermined distance from the bush 7 by a C ring 28a, and a washer 8b is further interposed.

29 is a coil spring that biases the third cam member 25 in the thrust direction; 30 is a fourth cam member disposed below it; one end of the coil spring 29 is connected to the third cam member 25, and the other end is connected to the third cam member 25; is locked in a locking groove 31 provided in the inner wall of the recessed portion 7 of the case body 1 through a notch 30a formed in the circumferential surface of the fourth cam member 30. Therefore, the third cam member 25 has its guide arm 25e.
Although it is rotated due to the engagement between the guide piece 26 and the guide piece 26, the coil spring 29 provides a return behavior. Further, the fourth cam member 30 has cam protrusions 25c, 25 of the third cam member 25 on its upper end side.
It has a pair of cam grooves 30b and 30c that engage with the cam grooves 30b and 30c, and is configured to be rotated by a certain angle by the cam engagement action, and a partially toothed gear 30d is integrally formed on a part of the outer side thereof. ing. The partially toothed gear 30d meshes with the transmission gear 32 to which the rotational force from the motor 5 is applied when the time limit setting is performed by the operation shaft 10, and maintains the meshed state. The rotational force from the fourth cam member 30 is sequentially transmitted to rotate the fourth cam member 30 to recover. During this engagement, the cam protrusion 33a of the switch operating cam 33, which is integrally fixed to the lower part of the fourth cam member 30,
It is configured to engage with and rotate the cam protrusion 34a of the switch operating lever 34 constituting the switch operating mechanism 3, thereby controlling the opening and closing of the first micro switch 8. In this case, a locking pin 30e is provided at the lower part of the fourth cam member 30,
The locking pin 30 is attached to the switch operating cam 33.
A fitting groove 33b is formed into which e is fitted, so that both can be rotated together. The transmission gear 32 includes a first serration gear 32a that is slip-coupled to the operation shaft 10 and meshes with the drive gear 11 rotated by the motor 5, and a second serration gear 32a that meshes with the partially toothed gear 30d of the fourth cam member 30. These serration gears 32a, 32b are connected to a coil spring 35.
It is configured so that it rotates integrally only when rotated in one direction. This is because the partially toothed gear 30d of the fourth cam member 30 is in the second position when the timer is set.
This is to prevent the first serration gear 32a, which meshes with the drive gear 11, from being damaged since the rotation direction is reversed when the first serration gear 32b meshes with the first serration gear 32b. In addition, 3
6 is a pair of serration gears 32a, 32
This support shaft 36 is mounted on a boss portion 37 on the side of the case body 1 and is arranged parallel to the support shaft 21 . Further, 38 is a partially toothed gear 30 of the fourth cam member 30.
This is a stopper for regulating the rotation of d. Furthermore, 39 is a notch for allowing the switch operating lever 34 to face into the recess 7 of the case body 1 and engaging with the switch operating cam 33, and the switch operating lever 34 is connected to the switch operating cam by a spring means (not shown). 33 side is always biased.

The operation of the time switch device configured as described above will be described in detail below.

Before setting the timer, each member constituting the first switch operating mechanism 3 is in a state as shown in FIG. That is, the operating shaft 10
The first cam part 20 and the second cam member 22, each having a gear 20a that meshes with the gear 13, have their respective cam protrusions 20b, 20c and cam grooves 22a, 22b engaged with each other, so that the two abut each other. It has become a state. Further, the lower third cam member 25 is urged upward by a coil spring 29, so that its guide arm 25e approaches and opposes the guide piece 26, and the fourth cam member 30 30d is maintained in a position where it does not mesh with the transmission gear 32. And this fourth cam member 30
A cam protrusion 34a of the first switch operating lever 34 is provided on the circumferential surface of the switch operating cam 33 provided on the lower side of the switch operating cam 33.
comes into contact with each other, thereby causing the first micro switch 8
is in the open state.

On the other hand, before setting the timer, in the second switch operating mechanism 4, the cam protrusion 15a of the switch operating lever 15 engages with the cam groove 14a of the cam 14 provided on the operating shaft 10. The microswitch is also in an open state (see Figure 2).

Now, the operating state of each of the switch operating mechanisms 3 and 4 in the above-mentioned state at the time of timer setting is as follows.

First, when the operating knob 10A is rotated, the operating shaft 10 is rotated, and the cam 14, which together with the operating shaft 10 constitutes the second switch operating mechanism 4, is rotated to a set position. And this cam 14
Due to the rotation, the cam protrusion 15a of the second switch operating lever 15 rides on the circumferential surface 14b of the cam 14, presses and rotates the switch operating lever 15, and the second switch operating lever 15 is rotated.
The micro switch 9 is closed, and the timer setting of the second switch actuating mechanism 4 is performed, whereby the motor 5, which is the clock drive source of the time switch device, is also started. At this time, the driving gear 11 is in a locked state due to meshing with the intermediate gear group, and slips on the operating shaft 10 against the acting force of the spring washer 12. Also, cam 1
4 cam groove 14a and switch operating lever 15
The cam protrusion 15a has a gently sloped surface in both directions, so that the operating shaft 10 can ride on the operating shaft relatively easily no matter which direction the operating shaft 10 rotates.

On the other hand, the rotation of the operating shaft 10 described above is caused by the gear 1
3, the signal is also transmitted to the first switch actuating mechanism 3 side, and its components are shown in FIGS.
Operate as shown.

That is, the rotation of the operating shaft 10 is transmitted to the gear 20a of the first cam member 20, and thereby the cam protrusions 20b and 20c of the first cam member 20 are displaced, as shown in FIG. , second cam member 22
from the cam grooves 22a, 22b, and presses the second cam member 22 downward to make it slide. The movement of the second cam member 22 in the thrust direction is controlled by the cam pins 22c and 22d of the third cam member 22.
5, and this third cam member 25 similarly moves in the thrust direction. This is because, during this operation, the tips of the cam pins 22c and 22d are connected to the third cam member 2, as shown in FIG.
It is clear from the fact that the upper end surfaces of No. 5 are in contact with each other. When the third cam member 25 moves in the thrust direction, the guide arm 25e engages with the inclined surface 26a of the guide piece 26, and as the third cam member 25 moves further, it rotates. The fourth cam member 30 is rotated by a certain angle by the cam engagement action of the cam projections 25c and 25d. As a result, the fourth cam member 30 has its partially toothed gear 30d.
is meshed with the transmission gear 32b, and the switch actuating cam 33 below it also rotates, and the cam protrusion 34a of the switch actuating lever 34 rides on the cam protrusion 33a of the cam 33, and the first micro The switch 8 is also closed, and the main equipment starts operating.

Here, FIG. 5 [ ] shows the state when the timer setting is started in the first switch actuating mechanism 3 described above, and FIG. 5 [ ] also shows the state when the timer setting is completed. That is, at the time of setting this timer, the third cam member 25 moves in the above-mentioned thrust direction, and the third cam member 25 moves in the direction shown in FIG.
The state shown in FIG. 2 is rotated to the state shown in FIG. The force causes it to slide upward and return to its original state. Then, due to the restoration of the third cam member 25, the fourth cam member 3
The engagement with 0 is released. Also, due to the rotational displacement of the third cam member 25, the fourth cam member 30 also
It is rotated from the state shown in FIG. 5 []-5 to the state shown in FIG.

When setting such a timer, it is particularly important to note that the rotation of the operating shaft 10 is transmitted by the first and second cam members 20 and 22 to the third cam member 25 as a displacement in the thrust direction. The fourth cam member 30 that operates the cam 33 is rotated by a certain angle only in the same direction to set the timer. In addition, in this case, the first
If the cam protrusions 20b, 20c of the cam member 20 and the cam grooves 22a, 22b of the second cam member 22 are provided with gentle slopes in both directions of rotation, the operation can be performed regardless of the direction of rotation of the operating shaft 10. First, this first switch operating mechanism 3 can be set and operated.

Each of the switch operating mechanisms 3 and 4 of the time switch device set as described above performs respective time control as follows. That is,
As is clear from FIGS. 1 and 3, the rotation of the synchronous motor 5 is transmitted to the drive gear 11 on the operating shaft 10 via the intermediate gear group 6, and further to the first drive gear 11 meshing with this drive gear 11. serration gear 3
2a to the second serration gear 32b, and thereby to the partially toothed gear 30d.
As a result, the fourth cam member 3 is caused by the missing teeth 30d.
0 is restored and rotated in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 5 []-5. With the rotation of the fourth cam member 30, the cam 33 is also rotated, and the cam 33 is also rotated.
As shown in 6, the cam protrusion 33a disengages from the cam protrusion 34a of the switch operating lever 34, and the switch operating lever 34 rotates to the first position.
The micro switch 8 is opened, and the operation of the main equipment is thereby stopped. However, the motor 5 continues to operate depending on the closed state of the second microswitch 9. Further, the first cam member 20 that meshes with the gear 13 fixed to the operating shaft 10 is sequentially restored to the initial position by the rotational force of the motor 5 transmitted via the drive gear 11, and thereby the second cam member 22 and The third cam member 25 also returns to its initial state one after another. Here, FIG. 5 shows the state at the time when each member in the first switch operating mechanism 3 performs a timer operation and the set time limit arrives.

In addition, the cam 14 of the second switch operating mechanism 4 fixed to the operating shaft 10 also rotates to recover with the passage of time, and at a desired time, that is, the time set by the operating knob 10A, the switch operating lever is inserted into the cam groove 14a. The cam protrusion 15a of No. 15 falls down and the second
The micro switch 9 is opened, the main equipment is operated again, and the operation of the motor 5, which is the drive source of this time switch device, is stopped. Note that the operation of the main equipment may be stopped at an appropriate time using its power switch.

Note that the opening/closing time of the first switch is adjusted appropriately depending on the length of the cam protrusion of the fourth cam member and the partially toothed gear, and in this case, the rotational force is applied to the fourth cam member. It goes without saying that the cam protrusion of the third cam member or the engagement portion between the guide arm and the guide means may be changed as appropriate. Moreover, if the stopper for locking the partially toothed gear of the fourth cam member is configured to be variable, and the length of the partially toothed gear is made long, the time can be adjusted freely. Furthermore, if the electrical capacity of the main device is small, a leaf contact may be used instead of the micro switch. Also,
A manual switch is provided separately in the circuit of the first switch, and regardless of the operation of the time switch device,
If it is constructed so that it can be switched on and off, it can be used as a normal time switch, that is, a device that operates only the second switch.

As explained above, according to the time switch device according to the present invention, the two switch actuation mechanisms are set to time by rotating the operating shaft, and the operating state of the main device is maintained for a predetermined time by the first switch. The system is configured so that the time switch device is configured to be stopped once and then put into operation again by a second switch at a desired set time, so that the air conditioning equipment can be controlled by this time switch device. Then, after going to bed, the heating, cooling, or heating will automatically turn off after a certain period of time, and then turn on again the next morning. Therefore, the user of these devices can omit the two types of setting operations, cumbersome sleeve and alarm timer, to ensure comfortable use, and also save energy by eliminating unnecessary operation due to forgetting to turn off the switch. can also make a significant contribution. In particular, according to the present invention, each member is configured to be interlocked by cam engagement, spring and slip coupling, etc., and its simple structure prevents damage to each part no matter which direction the operating shaft is rotated. Each switch operating mechanism has its own time limit set, which has the excellent effect of greatly improving its operability.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show one embodiment of the time switch device according to the present invention, and FIGS. 1A, B, and C are a plan view, a partially cutaway side view, a partially omitted sectional view, and Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view for explaining the schematic configuration of the operating shaft and the second switch operating mechanism operated by the operating shaft, and Fig. 3 is a diagram of the first switch called the sleep mechanism that characterizes the present invention. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the operating mechanism; FIG. 4 is a partially omitted perspective view showing the storage section thereof; and FIG. This figure is for illustrative purposes, and the figure [ ] shows the state before the timer setting, [ ] shows the state immediately after the timer setting starts, [ ] shows the state when the timer setting is completed, and [ ] shows the state when the timer setting expires. FIG. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Case body, 2... Lid body, 3... First switch operating mechanism, 4... Second switch operating mechanism, 5... Motor, 8, 9... First and second switch, 10... Operating shaft, 11... Drive gear,
13...Gear, 14...Cam, 15...Switch operating lever, 20...First cam member, 20a...
Gear, 20b, 20c...Cam protrusion, 21...Support shaft, 22...Second cam member, 22a, 22b...
...Cam groove, 22c, 22d...Cam pin, 23...
...Coil spring, 24...Guide piece, 25...
...Third cam member, 25a, 25b...Cam groove, 2
5c, 25d...cam protrusion, 25e...gatodo arm, 26...guide piece, 26a...slanted surface, 29
...Coil spring, 30...Fourth cam member,
30b, 30c...cam groove, 30d...missing gear, 32...transmission gear, 33...switch operating cam, 34...switch operating lever.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A driving gear 11 which receives rotational force from a watch drive source 5 is slip-coupled onto an operating shaft 10 to which an operating knob 10A which also serves as a pointer is fixed, by means of a slip means 12, and a cam 14 is mounted on this operating shaft 10. In a time switch device comprising a switch operating mechanism 4 which is fixedly mounted and which opens and closes the switch 9 via a switch operating lever 15 controlled by the cam 14, the operating shaft 1
Gear 20a that meshes with gear 13 fixed on
A first cam member 20 having cam protrusions 20b and 20c that are integrally formed and protrude in the thrust direction.
and cam protrusions 20b, 2 of this first cam member 20.
A second cam member 22 has cam grooves 22a and 22b that engage with the cam grooves 22a and 22b, and is slid in the thrust direction by the cam engagement action of the second cam member 22, and has cam pins 22c and 22d that restrict rotation; Cam member 22
cam grooves 25a, 25 in which the cam pins 22c, 22d of the second cam member 22 engage.
b, a cam protrusion 25c protruding in the thrust direction,
25d and a guide arm 25e projecting in the outer radial direction, the third cam member 25 slides in the thrust direction by the operation of the second cam member 22; a guide means 26a that engages with the guide arm 25e and applies rotational force to it when sliding; and this guide means 26.
The cam protrusions 25c and 25d of the third cam member 25 are engaged with a second spring means 29 that gives a return habit to the third cam member 25 rotated by a and urges the third cam member 25 in the thrust direction. The partially toothed gear 30d has matching cam grooves 30b and 30c and is rotated by a certain angle by the cam engagement action.
The clock has a fourth cam member 30 integrally formed with the fourth cam member 30, and a gear portion 32b that is pivotally supported so as to be able to transmit rotation only in one direction by a spring coupling that meshes with the partially toothed gear 30d of the fourth cam member 30. a transmission gear 32 that transmits the rotational force from the drive source 5 by meshing with the drive gear 11; and a switch actuation lever 34 controlled by the fourth cam member 30.
and a switch means 8 which is opened and closed by the switch actuation lever 34.