KR102484864B1 - Rotary Button Assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

A rotary button assembly is disclosed. The rotary button assembly according to the present invention includes a first rotation guide having a hooking step formed at a lower end located in a mounting space of a button housing, a second rotation guide formed on a button housing and surrounding the first rotation guide, and a button housing; An elastic hook formed on the rotary button for coupling, a slit formed in the button housing between the first rotation guide and the second rotation guide, and a slit through which the elastic hook passes, and a detent cam formed in the rotary button and the button housing. It includes a detent mechanism composed of a ball plunger, wherein the elastic hook connects a wedge-shaped hook portion interlockingly coupled to the hooking step portion in a mounting space, and a rotary button and the hook portion, and moves along the slit when the rotary button rotates It is composed of a ballistic part, and a hook insertion part into which a hook part is inserted when assembling a rotary button is formed in the slit. It is possible to ballistically, and the ballistic of the ballistic part is suppressed by the slit in the remaining slit section except for the portion where the hook insertion part is formed.

Description

Rotary Button Assembly {Rotary Button Assembly}

The present invention relates to a button assembly, and more particularly, to a rotary button assembly capable of inputting commands for executing various functions (eg, volume control, air volume control, navigation operation) by rotating the button.

In general, various control switches are provided in front of a driver's seat of a vehicle to control auxiliary functions of the vehicle. These control switches can be largely classified into lever type, push button type, rotary type, etc. according to the operation method. Recently, composite type switches (push button type + rotary type) that can control multiple functions with one control switch are the main ones. is making up

1 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional composite type switch applied to automobiles, and the conventional composite type switch may be largely composed of a button unit 100 and a button housing 200. The button unit 100 is configured to enable push input and rotation input, and the button housing 200 has a structure capable of implementing push input and rotation input of the button unit 100. At this time, the button housing 200 and the button A hook coupling method is generally used for coupling between the parts 100 .

However, most of the conventional hybrid switches of the hook coupling method, as shown in FIG. 1, the free space (button portion) formed in the portion where the button portion side hook 110 and the button housing hook 210 are mutually engaged (elliptical portion in FIG. 1) Since the side hook 110 is formed over the entire direction in which the button part 100 rotates, the hook 110 is easily opened by an external force or impact, and the button part 100 is separated. there is a problem

Korean Registered Patent No. 10-1915661 (registration date 2018.10.31.)

A technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a rotary button assembly in which a button (rotary button) is not easily separated from a button housing even with external force or impact.

According to an embodiment of the present invention as a means of solving the problem,

A first rotation guide formed with a hooking step at the lower end located in the mounting space of the button housing;

a second rotation guide formed on the button housing and surrounding the first rotation guide;

an elastic hook formed on the rotary button for coupling with the button housing;

a slit formed in the button housing between the first rotation guide and the second rotation guide, through which the elastic hook passes; and

A detent mechanism composed of a detent cam formed on the rotary button and a ball plunger installed on the button housing; includes,

The elastic hook is composed of a wedge-shaped hook part engagedly coupled to the hooking step in the mounting space, and a ballistic part connecting the rotary button and the hook part and moving along the slit when the rotary button rotates,

When assembling the rotary button, a hook insertion portion into which the hook portion is inserted is formed in the slit, and the hook insertion portion is configured by extending a portion of the slit in a radial direction,

Provided is a rotary button assembly in which the ballistic part is capable of bouncing outward only at a portion where the hook insertion portion is formed and the ballistic portion of the ballistic portion is suppressed by the slit in the remaining slit section except for the portion where the hook insertion portion is formed.

Preferably, the width (W1) of the slit in which the hook insertion part is not formed is greater than the thickness (T1) of the ballistic part and smaller than the maximum thickness (T2) of the hook part, and the width of the slit in the portion where the hook insertion part is formed. Since (W2) and length (L2) are greater than at least the maximum width (W3) and thickness (T2) of the hook part, the ballistic part of the ballistic part can be suppressed in the remaining slit section except for the portion where the hook insertion part is formed.

In the detent mechanism applied to the present invention, when the elastic hook is located in the slit section where the hook insertion part is formed, the rotary button may be rotated by a predetermined angle so that the elastic hook can avoid the slit section.

Preferably, when the elastic hook is located in the slit section exactly coincident with the hook insertion part, the ball plunger of the detent mechanism has a plurality of peaks and valleys alternately in a direction in which the rotary button rotates. It may be aligned so as to elastically come into close contact with an inclined surface between any one peak and valley of the detent cam.

In addition, the rotary button is provided with a side cover surrounding the elastic hook at a predetermined interval so that a binding recess is formed between the elastic hook and formed between the side cover and the elastic hook when the rotary button is coupled to the button housing. It may be configured to be coupled in a structure in which the second rotation guide is engaged with the binding recess.

At this time, a sealing cover surrounding the second rotation guide is formed on the upper surface of the button housing lower than the second rotation guide, and when the rotary button is coupled to the button housing, the sealing cover surrounds a portion of the lower end of the side cover can be configured.

According to the rotary button assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention, the elastic hook on the button side is resilient (widened) by the slit in all operation sections except when the elastic hook is located at a specific position (the slit section where the hook insertion part is formed). By being suppressed, it can be prevented that the button (rotary button) is separated from the button housing due to the elastic hook opening due to external force or impact.

Moreover, the detent mechanism is configured to avoid the position even if the button operation is stopped at the only position where the button can be separated (a state in which the elastic hook is located in the slit section where the hook insertion part is formed), so that the detent mechanism is intentionally designed for maintenance. Unless the in-button is separated, the elastic hook can be opened to prevent the button from being separated by any external force or impact.

1 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional composite type switch applied to a vehicle.
Figure 2 is a combined perspective view of the rotary button assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 is a cutaway view of the rotary button assembly shown in Figure 2 as viewed in the AA line direction.
Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of the rotary button assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention showing a state in which the rotary button is separated from the button housing.
5 is a planar view of a button housing from which a rotary button is separated;
Figure 6 is a perspective view of the rotary button shown in Figure 4 viewed from the bottom.
7 is a view showing an alignment state of the detent mechanism when a rotary button is rotated so that an elastic hook is located in a slit section in which a hook insertion part is formed;
8 is an operating state diagram of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Terms used in the specification are only used to describe specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In this specification, terms such as "comprise" or "having" are intended to indicate that there is a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, but one or more other features or It should be understood that the presence or addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof is not precluded.

Also, terms such as first and second may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. These terms are only used for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

In addition, terms such as "...unit", "...unit", and "...module" described in the specification mean a unit that processes at least one function or operation, which may be implemented by hardware or software or a combination of hardware and software. can

In the description with reference to the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals will be given to the same components, and overlapping descriptions thereof will be omitted. In addition, in the description of the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known technology may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted.

2 is a combined perspective view of a rotary button assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the rotary button assembly shown in FIG. 2 viewed from the line A-A. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the rotary button assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention showing a state in which the rotary button is separated from the button housing, and Fig. 5 is a plan view of the button housing from which the rotary button is separated.

Referring to FIGS. 2 to 5 , the rotary button 20 assembly according to the embodiment of the present invention may be largely composed of a button housing 10, which is a fixed body, and a rotary button 20, which is a rotating body. Here, the fixed body and the rotating body are relative concepts. The fixed body refers to a part that is fixed to the rotating body, and the rotating body rotates with respect to the fixed body and moves forward and backward toward or in the opposite direction within a predetermined range. means part.

The button housing 10 has a predetermined mounting space 11 in which various components (substrates, switches, light sources, etc.) can be mounted, and has a predetermined height on the upper surface of the button housing 10 in the drawing. It includes a first rotation guide 12 protruding. At this time, at the lower end of the first rotation guide 12 located in the mounting space 11 of the button housing 10, a hooking step 13 engaged with the hook portion 23 of the elastic hook 22 to be described later is provided. is formed

On the upper surface of the button housing 10, a second rotation guide 14 surrounding the first rotation guide 12 at a predetermined distance from the first rotation guide 12 protrudes at a predetermined height do. Here, the first rotation guide 12 and the second rotation guide 14 may be formed in an intermittent cylindrical shape with intermittent breaks as shown in the examples of FIGS. 4 to 5, or in a continuous cylindrical shape without interruption, although not illustrated. .

An arc-shaped slit 15 is formed in the button housing 10 between the first rotation guide 12 and the second rotation guide 14 . The slit 15 divides a path along which the elastic hook 22 is moved when the rotary button 20 is rotated, and is divided into a plurality of unit slits having the same radius of curvature as shown in FIGS. 4 to 5, or shown in FIGS. However, it may be formed in the form of a single slit that is continuous without a break in the middle.

A hook insertion portion 16 is formed in the slit 15 . As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the hook insertion portion 16 may be formed by expanding a portion of the aforementioned slit 15 in the radial direction, and when assembling the rotary button 20, the hook insertion portion ( 16), the hook portion 23 of the elastic hook 22 is inserted into the button housing 10 and can be bound in a structure engaged with the hooking step portion 13.

As shown in the partially enlarged view of FIG. 4 , a hook guide 17 may be formed in the first rotation guide 12 opposite the hook insertion part 16 with the slit 15 interposed therebetween. The foot guide 17 serves as a marker to guide the direction in which the rotary button 20 is accurately assembled. Also, when assembling the rotary button 20, the elastic hook 22 functions to naturally open. To this end, the foot guide 17 may include a guide surface 170 inclined downward in the direction of the slit 15 .

An elastic hook 22 for coupling with the button housing 10 is integrally formed on the rotary button 20 . The elastic hook 22 may be composed of a hook part 23 and a ballistic part 24 . The hook part 23 is a part engagedly coupled to the hooking step part 13 in the mounting space 11 and may have a wedge shape as shown in the drawing, and the ballistic part 24 includes the rotary button 20 and the hook part 23 is connected and can be moved along the arc-shaped slit 15 when the rotary button 20 rotates.

At least two or more elastic hooks 22 and hook inserts 16 formed in each of the rotary button 20 and the button housing 10 may be formed in plurality. At this time, two or more hook insertion parts 16 may be formed at regular or non-uniform intervals in the slit 15, and the two or more elastic hooks 22 are formed in the slit 15 at regular or non-uniform intervals. It can be arranged in a form that can be assembled by matching one to each of the hook insertion parts 16 of the.

As described above, the elastic hook 22 may be inserted into the button housing 10 only through the hook insertion portion 16 . In other words, when assembling the rotary button 20, the ballistic part 24 of the elastic hook 22 can be released by bouncing outward only at the part where the hook insertion part 16 is formed, and the hook insertion part 16 is formed. This means that the ballistic motion of the ballistic part 24 can be suppressed by the slit 15 in the rest of the slit section except for the part.

According to this configuration, when the rotary button 20 is rotated after assembling, the elastic hook 22 bounces (spreads) except for a specific section (the section of the slit 15 in which the hook insertion portion 16 is formed). It is limited by this slit (15). Accordingly, the rotary button 20 is not separated from the button housing 10 even when any external force or impact is applied except for the rotational position where the elastic hook 22 exactly matches the specific section.

The structure in which the resilience of the elastic hook 22 is suppressed in the remaining slit section except for the portion where the hook insertion portion 16 is formed preferably has a width W1 of the slit 15 in which the hook insertion portion 16 is not formed. It is larger than the thickness (T1) of the ballistic part 24 and smaller than the maximum thickness (T2) of the hook part 23, and the width (W2) and length (W2) of the slit 15 in the portion where the hook insertion part 16 is formed ( L2) may be implemented by making it larger than at least the maximum width (W3) and thickness (T2) of the hook part (23).

As shown in the cutaway view of FIG. 3, the rotary button 20 also has a side cover 26 surrounding the elastic hook 22 at regular intervals so that a binding recess 27 is formed between the elastic hook 22. may be provided. Due to this, when the rotary button 20 is coupled to the button housing 10, the second rotation guide 14 is coupled to the coupling recess 27 formed between the side cover 26 and the elastic hook 22 in a structure in which it is engaged. It can be.

At this time, preferably, a sealing cover 18 surrounding the second rotation guide 14 may be formed lower than the second rotation guide 14 on the upper surface of the button housing 10 . In this case, after the rotary button 20 is coupled to the button housing 10, as shown in the example of FIG. 3, the sealing cover 18 surrounds a part of the lower part of the side cover 26, so that the overall dustproof or waterproof performance is greatly improved. can be improved

6 is a perspective view of the rotary button shown in FIG. 4 viewed from the bottom.

Referring to FIG. 6 and FIG. 4 , at least one detent mechanism 30 is installed between the rotary button 20 and the button housing 10 . When the detent mechanism 30 rotates the rotary button 20 to control desired functions (eg, volume control, air volume control, navigation operation, etc.), the user controls whether or not the rotary button 20 is operated and the operation amount thereof. It functions to sensibly recognize and suppress arbitrary rotation of the rotary button 20 other than the intended operation.

The detent mechanism 30 applied to the present embodiment is preferably composed of a detent cam 32 integrally formed on the rotary button 20 and a ball plunger 34 (see FIG. 7) installed on the button housing 10. can be configured. As shown in FIG. 6, the detent cam 32 may have a configuration in which a plurality of triangular peaks 320 and valleys 322 are alternately continuous in the direction in which the rotary button 20 rotates, and the ball plunger 34 , see FIG. 7) may be composed of a ball 35 contacting the detent cam 32 and an elastic body 36 elastically supporting the ball 35, for example, a coil spring.

With the detent mechanism 30 configured as described above, when the user rotates the rotary button 20 to control a desired function, the detent cam 32 rotates together, and at this time, the ball plunger 34 The cam surface according to the rotation of the rotary button 20 in a state in which the ball 35 of the elastic body 36 presses and adheres to the cam surface of the detent cam 32 (a concavo-convex surface in which peaks and valleys are alternately continuous) A sense of rotation operation is generated by relatively oscillating motion in accordance with the change in height of the shaft.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an alignment state of the detent mechanism when a rotary button is rotated so that an elastic hook is located in a slit section where a hook insertion part is formed.

As shown in FIG. 7, the detent applied to the present invention in a rotational state of the rotary button 20 in which the elastic hook 22 is located in the slit section S where the hook insertion part 16 is formed The mechanism 30 is an elastic body ( 36) may be arranged to press the corresponding inclined surface 321 with the repulsive force.

In other words, in the rotational position of the rotary button 20, as shown in (a) of FIG. 7, the flat positions of the elastic hook 22 and the hook insertion part 16 coincide with each other, the ball of the ball plunger 34 As shown in (b) of FIG. 7, the detent mechanism 30 is configured so that the detent mechanism 30 is positioned on a specific inclined surface 321 of the detent cam 32, so that the rotary with the repulsive force of the ball plunger 34 at that position. It can be configured to rotate the button 20 a certain angle.

According to this configuration, except for specific circumstances, even if the rotational operation of the rotary button 20 stops at the time when the elastic hook 22 is positioned in the slit section where the hook insertion portion 16 is formed, the detent mechanism ( 30) causes the rotary button 20 to rotate at a predetermined angle as shown in the operating state diagram of FIG. 8 by the repulsive force generated by the elastic hook 22. can get away

For reference, in the specific situation mentioned above, the rotary button 20 is operated while the rotary button 20 is intentionally rotated so that the elastic hook 22 is located in the slit section S in which the hook insertion part 16 is formed. The restraining situation, that is, holding the rotary button 20 while intentionally rotating the rotary button 20 so that the elastic hook 22 is located in the slit section S where the hook insertion part 16 is formed it could be a situation

The operation of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 showing an operating state.

When the elastic hook 22 is positioned in the slit section in which the hook insertion part 16 is formed, the ball 35 of the detent mechanism 30 has a specific inclined surface of the detent cam 32 as shown in (b) of FIG. 321) is located on top. At this time, the ball 35 is in a state of pressing the corresponding inclined surface 321 by the repulsive force of the elastic body 36 supporting it. Therefore, the repulsive force of the elastic body 36 acting on the corresponding inclined surface 321 through the ball 35 acts as a force for rotating the rotary button 20.

As a result, the rotary button 20 is rotated at a predetermined angle, and the rotary button 20 stops rotating at the moment when the ball 35 is accurately positioned in the specific goal closest to the corresponding inclined surface 321 as shown in (b) of FIG. do. In this process, as shown in (a) of FIG. 7, the elastic hook 22 located in the slit section (S) where the hook insertion part 16 is formed is separated from the rotary button 20 uniquely as shown in (a) of FIG. 8. It is located outside the corresponding slit section (S), which is a position that can be.

Most of the conventional composite switches adopting the hook coupling method, as shown in FIG. Since the space that can be opened) is formed over the entire direction in which the button part rotates, when an external force or impact is applied to the button part, there is a problem in that the hook is opened and the button part is easily separated.

On the other hand, in the rotary button assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention, the elastic hook on the button side moves (spreads) to the slit in all operating sections except for the case where the elastic hook is located at a specific position (the slit section where the hook insertion portion is formed). By being restrained by the external force or impact, the button (rotary button) can be prevented from being separated from the button housing due to the opening of the elastic hook.

Moreover, even if the button operation is stopped at the position where the button can only be separated (a state where the elastic hook is located in the slit section where the hook insertion part is formed), the detent mechanism is arranged to avoid the position, which is intentional for maintenance. Unless the in-button is separated, the elastic hook can be opened to prevent the button from being separated by any external force or impact.

In the above detailed description of the present invention, only special embodiments have been described accordingly. However, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the particular forms mentioned in the detailed description, but rather it is understood to include all modifications, equivalents and substitutes within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. It should be.

10: button housing 11: mounting space
12: first rotation guide 13: hooking step
14: second rotation guide 15: slit
16: hook insertion part 17: hook guide
18: sealing cover 20: rotary button
22: elastic hook 23: hook part
24: ballistic part 26: side cover
27: binding main part 30: detent mechanism
32: detent cam 34: ball plunger
35: ball 36: elastic body
170: guide surface
S: slit section where the hook insertion part is formed

Claims (7)

A first rotation guide formed with a hooking step at the lower end located in the mounting space of the button housing;
a second rotation guide formed on the button housing and surrounding the first rotation guide;
an elastic hook formed on the rotary button for coupling with the button housing;
a slit formed in the button housing between the first rotation guide and the second rotation guide through which the elastic hook passes; and
A detent mechanism composed of a detent cam formed on the rotary button and a ball plunger installed on the button housing; includes,
The elastic hook is composed of a wedge-shaped hook part engagedly coupled to the hooking step in the mounting space, and a ballistic part connecting the rotary button and the hook part and moving along the slit when the rotary button rotates,
When assembling the rotary button, a hook insertion portion into which the hook portion is inserted is formed in the slit, and the hook insertion portion is configured by extending a portion of the slit in a radial direction,
The width (W1) of the slit in which the hook insertion part is not formed is greater than the thickness (T1) of the ballistic part and smaller than the maximum thickness (T2) of the hook part, and the width (W2) of the slit of the part where the hook insertion part is formed The length L2 is at least greater than the maximum width W3 and thickness T2 of the hook portion, so that the ballistic portion can be projected outward only at a portion where the hook insertion portion is formed, and in the remaining slit section excluding the portion where the hook insertion portion is formed. Rotary button assembly in which the ballistic movement of the ballistic part is suppressed by the slit.
delete According to claim 1,
The detent mechanism,
When the elastic hook is located in the slit section in which the hook insertion portion is formed, the rotary button is rotated at a predetermined angle so that the elastic hook is aligned to avoid the slit section.
According to claim 3,
When the elastic hook is positioned in the slit section exactly coincident with the hook insertion part, the ball plunger of the detent mechanism has a structure in which a plurality of peaks and valleys are alternately continuous with respect to the direction in which the rotary button rotates. A rotary button assembly that is aligned so as to elastically adhere to a slope between a peak and a valley of a tent cam.
According to claim 1
The rotary button assembly comprising at least two or more elastic hooks and hook inserts.
According to claim 1,
The rotary button is provided with a side cover surrounding the elastic hook at regular intervals so that a binding recess is formed between the elastic hook,
When the rotary button is coupled to the button housing, the rotary button assembly is coupled in a structure in which the second rotation guide is engaged with the binding recess formed between the side cover and the elastic hook.
According to claim 6,
A sealing cover surrounding the second rotation guide is formed lower than the second rotation guide on the upper surface of the button housing,
A rotary button assembly in which the sealing cover surrounds a lower portion of the side cover when the rotary button is coupled to the button housing.

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