A rotary switch

Abstract

The present invention discloses a knob switch, comprising a first magnetic body, a second magnetic body, a fixing bracket, and a knob body rotatable relative to the fixing bracket, wherein one of the fixing bracket and the knob body is provided with a gear locking portion, and the other is provided with a first magnetic body; the first magnetic body and the second magnetic body are relatively distributed, magnetically connected, and distributed on both sides of the gear locking portion, and the first magnetic body abuts against the gear locking portion so as to fix the knob body at a target gear. The knob switch provided by the present application optimizes the accuracy of the knob operation feel and the long-term stability of use on the basis of simplifying the parts structure, reducing the number of parts, reducing the demand for assembly space, and reducing the difficulty of assembly.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of automobile interior electrical appliances, and more particularly to a knob switch. Background Art

[0002] Currently, most of the interior electrical appliances or control modules of automobiles are equipped with knob switches to achieve temperature adjustment of air-conditioning equipment, volume adjustment of entertainment equipment and other adjustment processes.

[0003] The interior of the knob switch achieves rotation or toggle control through a mechanical contact structure. The knob is provided with a track surface and a fixed part that can rotate relative to the track surface, and a gear pin is provided between the two. An elastic part such as a shrapnel or a spring is provided at one end of the gear pin, and the other end is against the track surface. The gear pin is in force contact with the track surface under the action of the elastic part. When the knob rotates, it forms a relative force motion with the track surface to achieve a continuous gear feel of rotation.

[0004] However, in actual use, the elastic part is compressed when the knob switch is rotated from one gear to another. Therefore, after long-term use, the track surface is easily worn and the elastic part is easily fatigued, which in turn causes the gear pin to shake, affecting the positioning effect of the gear pin and reducing the control accuracy of the knob switch. In addition, the elastic part needs to have a certain deformation during the assembly process to ensure the push effect on the positioning pin, so the assembly process is relatively complicated. And the knob switch needs to reserve a certain space for the deformation of the elastic part, so the required installation space is relatively large.

[0005] In summary, how to improve the control accuracy of the knob switch while reducing the limitations of product structure space and installation is a problem that currently needs to be solved urgently by those skilled in the art. Summary of the invention

[0006] In view of this, an object of the present invention is to provide a knob switch which has high control accuracy and is easy to install and requires a small installation space.

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

[0008] A knob switch comprises a first magnetic body, a second magnetic body, a fixing bracket, and a knob body rotatable relative to the fixing bracket, wherein one of the fixing bracket and the knob body is provided with a gear locking portion, and the other is provided with the first magnetic body; the first magnetic body and the second magnetic body are relatively distributed and magnetically connected, and the two are distributed on both sides of the gear locking portion, and the first magnetic body abuts against the gear locking portion so as to fix the knob body at a target gear position.

[0009] Preferably, the gear locking portion includes an annular track body extending along the rotation direction of the knob body, the side wall of the track body abutting against the first magnetic body is provided with protrusions and recesses alternately distributed along the rotation direction, and the fixed bracket is provided with a mounting portion for limiting the movement of the first magnetic body along the rotation direction.

[0010] Preferably, the inner recess is provided with a guide surface which is in contact with the first magnetic body to facilitate the rotation of the track body along the rotation direction.

[0011] Preferably, the inner recessed portion is a concave arc-shaped structure; or the convex portion is a convex arc-shaped structure.

[0012] Preferably, one of the first magnetic body and the second magnetic body is a ferromagnetic structural component, and the other is a soft magnetic structural component.

[0013] Preferably, the mounting portion is an opening provided on a side wall of the fixing bracket and facing the track body, and the first magnetic body is provided in the opening.

[0014] Preferably, the track body is tubular, and the second magnetic body is a magnetic ring, and the magnetic ring is sleeved on the inner wall of the track body or sleeved on the outer wall of the track body.

[0015] Preferably, the knob body and the first magnetic body are respectively located on the upper side and the lower side of the track body, and the second magnetic body is located between the knob body and the first magnetic body.

[0016] Preferably, the first magnetic body is a magnetic bead.

[0017] Preferably, a circuit board is provided at the end of the track body away from the knob body, a sensor for detecting the rotation angle and rotation direction of the track body is provided between the circuit board and the track body, and the sensor is electrically connected to the circuit board.

[0018] The knob switch provided by the present invention includes a first magnetic body, a second magnetic body, a fixed bracket, and a knob body; wherein, one of the knob body and the fixed bracket is provided with a gear locking portion, and the other is provided with a first magnetic body that is against the gear locking portion; the first magnetic body and the second magnetic body are distributed on both sides of the gear locking portion, and the two are relatively distributed and magnetically connected.

[0019] During operation, the second magnetic body is pressed against the surface of the gear locking portion under the action of the first magnetic body, that is, the second magnetic body and the gear locking portion remain in a locked state, thereby limiting the relative rotation of the fixed bracket and the knob body, so that the knob body remains in the target gear.

[0020] The knob switch provided by the present application adopts a magnetic attraction method to replace the elastic parts in the prior art to achieve the locking and positioning of the gear locking part. On the one hand, the positioning effect of the first magnetic body and the second magnetic body on the track body is not affected by the wear and fatigue failure of the parts, so that the knob body can be kept in the desired position without shaking after rotating a certain angle, thereby achieving the effect of improving the control accuracy of the knob switch. On the other hand, the knob switch does not need to use mechanical parts such as springs in the prior art, nor does it need to provide deformation space for elastic mechanical elements. Therefore, the installation space required for the knob switch is smaller and the installation is more convenient. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without paying creative work.

[0022] Figure 1 This is a front view of the first rotary switch provided by the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 A top view of the first rotary switch provided by the present invention;

[0024] Figure 3 This is a front view of the second rotary switch provided by the present invention;

[0025] Figure 4 A top view of the second rotary switch provided by the present invention;

[0026] Figure 5 This is a front view of a third rotary switch provided by the present invention;

[0027] Figure 6 This is a side view of the third rotary switch provided by the present invention.

[0028] Figures 1 to 6 The reference numerals in the drawings are:

[0029] The knob body 1 , the gear locking portion 2 , the inner recessed portion 21 , the raised portion 22 , the fixing bracket 3 , the first magnetic body 5 , the second magnetic body 4 , the switch pad 6 , the circuit board 7 , the mounting portion 8 , and the optical coupler 9 . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0031] The core of the present invention is to provide a knob switch, which has high control accuracy, is easy to install and requires a small installation space.

[0032] Please refer to Figures 1 to 6 , Figure 1 and Figure 2 They are respectively a front view and a top view of the first rotary switch provided by the present invention; Figure 3 and Figure 4 They are respectively a front view and a top view of the second rotary switch provided by the present invention; Figure 5 and Figure 6 They are respectively a front view and a side view of the third rotary switch provided by the present invention.

[0033] The present application provides a knob switch, including a first magnetic body 5, a second magnetic body 4, a fixed bracket 3, and a knob body 1 rotatable relative to the fixed bracket 3, wherein one of the fixed bracket 3 and the knob body 1 is provided with a gear locking portion 2, and the other is provided with the first magnetic body 5; the first magnetic body 5 and the second magnetic body 4 are distributed on both sides of the gear locking portion 2, the two are relatively distributed and magnetically connected, and the first magnetic body 5 is abutted against the gear locking portion 2 so as to fix the knob body 1 at the target gear.

[0034] Specifically, the first magnetic body 5 and the second magnetic body 4 can attract each other, and the two can be magnets with opposite polarities. Preferably, one of the first magnetic body 5 and the second magnetic body 4 is made of a strong magnetic material, and the other is made of a soft magnetic material. Among them, soft magnetic materials refer to magnetic materials that can have a strong attraction with magnetic parts, are difficult to magnetize and demagnetize quickly, and have no magnetism themselves, such as steel materials. There is no specific limitation on strong magnetic materials, and they can meet the requirements of strong magnetism, high part dimensional accuracy, smooth surface, and good magnetic stability; there is no specific requirement for the polarity of strong magnetic materials, and they can meet the designed magnetic attraction requirements.

[0035] The knob body 1 and the fixing bracket 3 can rotate relative to each other, and a limit structure is provided between the two to prevent the two from being separated. In the actual assembly process, it is preferred that the gear locking portion 2 is provided on the knob body 1, and the first magnetic body 5 is provided on the fixing bracket 3. More specifically, the gear locking portion 2 is directly fixedly connected with the knob body 1 to ensure the reliability of the connection, wherein the fixed connection includes all forms of rigid connection, such as snap connection, screw connection, riveting, glue bonding, or directly designed as the same part by injection molding.

[0036] Optionally, the gear locking portion 2 can also be arranged on the fixing bracket 3, and the first magnetic body 5 is arranged on the knob body 1. For example, the knob body 1 is fixed to the first magnetic body 5 and drives the first magnetic body 5 to rotate; correspondingly, the second magnetic body 4 is annular. In the process of relative rotation between the knob body 1 and the fixing bracket 3, the first magnetic body 5 is always attracted to the second magnetic body 4; and when the knob body 1 is not twisted by the operator, the first magnetic body 5 is attracted by the second magnetic body 4 and remains in a fixed position, thereby fixing the knob body 1.

[0037] It should be noted that, for the convenience of description, the following embodiments and drawings are described by taking the technical solution that the gear locking portion 2 is provided on the knob body 1 and the first magnetic body 5 is provided on the fixing bracket 3 as an example. The technical solution that the gear locking portion 2 is provided on the fixing bracket 3 and the first magnetic body 5 is provided on the knob body 1 can refer to the corresponding settings of the following embodiments, and this application will not repeat them.

[0038] During operation, the operator turns the knob body 1, during which the rotational torque applied by the operator to the knob body 1 overcomes the force of the first magnetic body 5 on the gear locking portion 2, so that the knob body 1 rotates a certain angle relative to the fixed bracket 3. When the knob body 1 reaches the target gear, the user removes the rotational torque, and the first magnetic body 5 abuts against the surface of the gear locking portion 2, so that the knob body 1 remains at the target gear.

[0039] The present application uses a magnetic attraction method to fix the knob body 1 in the target gear position. The positioning effect of the first magnetic body 5 and the second magnetic body 4 on the gear locking part 2 is not affected by the wear and fatigue failure of the parts, and the accuracy and long-term stability of the knob switch operation feel are optimized. In addition, the gear force of the knob switch feel is achieved by magnetic attraction, and no additional mechanical parts are required, making the part structure simpler, the number of parts can be reduced, and the space requirement can be reduced. At the same time, the magnetic attraction between the first magnetic body 5 and the second magnetic body 4 can be adjusted by changing the magnetic strength of the two, such as changing the process parameters such as magnetization, without adjusting the structure to adjust the feel of the knob switch.

[0040] Therefore, the knob switch provided in the present application can meet the requirements for reducing the tolerance of the knob feel and optimize the space requirements and installation convenience of the current parts structure.

[0041] Furthermore, in order to optimize the use effect of the knob switch, in an embodiment provided in the present application, the gear locking portion 2 includes an annular track body extending along the rotation direction of the knob body 1, and the side wall of the track body abutting against the first magnetic body 5 is provided with a protrusion 22 and a recessed portion 21 alternately distributed along the rotation direction, and the fixed bracket 3 is provided with a mounting portion 8 for limiting the movement of the first magnetic body 5 along the rotation direction.

[0042] Specifically, the first side of the track body is against the first magnetic body 5, and the second side is provided with the second magnetic body 4. The raised portion 22 and the recessed portion 21 are located on the first side of the track body, and the two are alternately distributed on the surface of the first side to form an annular shift surface. Among them, the raised portion 22 protrudes in the direction away from the second magnetic body 4, and is used to push the first magnetic body 5 away from the second magnetic body 4 during the rotation of the track body; the recessed portion 21 is used to resist the first magnetic body 5 when the knob body 1 is in the target gear position.

[0043] The function of the mounting portion 8 is to limit the movement of the first magnetic body 5 in the rotation direction, and at the same time provide the first magnetic body 5 with a margin of movement to approach or move away from the second magnetic body 4. The mounting portion 8 can have a variety of structures. For example, the first magnetic body 5 is provided with a small hole, and the small hole extends from the outer wall of the first magnetic body 5 toward the direction close to the second magnetic body 4, and the mounting portion 8 is a limit column located in the small hole. For another example, the mounting portion 8 can be an opening provided on the side wall of the fixed bracket 3 and facing the track body, and the first magnetic body 5 is provided in the opening. The opening can be a specific slot structure or a hole-shaped structure.

[0044] The first magnetic body 5 is placed in the opening, and a certain small gap is maintained between the first magnetic body 5 and the opening to ensure that the first magnetic body 5 can move freely in the opening. Preferably, the first magnetic body 5 is a spherical magnetic bead. It can be understood that the first magnetic body 5 can also be in a sheet, block, columnar structure, etc., and its shape is mainly designed based on the structural space and feel requirements. In addition, the number of the first magnetic body 5 can be one or more than two.

[0045] In the prior art, one end of the gear pin is against the track body, and the other end is provided with a spring. At each gear position, the force applied by the gear pin to the track body is minimal, so the gear pin is easy to shake; and when the knob body 1 rotates, the compression of the spring increases, and the pressure of the gear pin on the track body increases, so the track body wears relatively more.

[0046] In this embodiment, the first magnetic body 5 and the second magnetic body 4 are attracted to each other, and the magnetic attraction between the two is negatively correlated with the distance between the two, that is, the smaller the distance between the two, the greater the magnetic attraction. During the rotation of the knob body 1, the first magnetic body 5 is pushed away from the second magnetic body 4 by the protrusion 22. At this time, the distance between the first magnetic body 5 and the second magnetic body 4 increases and the magnetic force decreases. Therefore, the pressure of the first magnetic body 5 on the track body is small, reducing the wear of the track body; and when the operator removes the rotation force on the knob body 1, the first magnetic body 5 approaches the second magnetic body 4 under the action of the magnetic force and resists the inner concave part 21, so that the knob body 1 is in the desired target gear. At this time, the distance between the first magnetic body 5 and the second magnetic body 4 is small, the magnetic force is large, and the pressure of the first magnetic body 5 on the track body is greater, thereby forcing the knob body 1 to stay at the desired target gear to prevent the knob body 1 from shaking.

[0047] In the actual assembly process, taking the installation part 8 as an opening as an example, since the first magnetic body 5 and the second magnetic body 4 attract each other, the first magnetic body 5 can be placed on the side of the track body at the beginning of the installation, and the magnetic attraction ensures that it will not fall off; or after other parts are assembled, the first magnetic body 5 can be put in from the other side of the opening, and under the action of the magnetic force, the first magnetic body 5 will attract the second magnetic body 4 to complete the installation. At this time, the opening structure is simple, and no complicated pre-installation and other structural designs are required. That is, the knob switch has the characteristics of simple structure and convenient assembly.

[0048] Optionally, considering that the first magnetic body 5 is prone to get stuck when the protrusion 22 and the recessed portion 21 are distributed in a stepped manner, thereby affecting the normal rotation of the knob body 1, therefore, in order to facilitate the rotation of the track body along the rotation direction, in this embodiment, the recessed portion 21 is provided with a guide surface that fits with the first magnetic body 5, so that the protrusion 22 and the recessed portion 21 are transitioned through a continuous surface structure, thereby ensuring smooth relative movement of the first magnetic body 5 and the shift surface.

[0049] Optional, reference Figure 2 , the raised portion 22 is a raised arc-shaped structure. Or, refer to Figure 4 , the inner concave portion 21 is a concave arc-shaped structure. Specifically, the arc-shaped structure refers to an arc-shaped cross section, which can be an arc-shaped curved surface formed by bending a plane, or a hemispherical curved surface. It can be understood that the cross section of the convex portion 22 or the inner concave portion 21 can also be triangular, and the convex portion 22 and the inner concave portion 21 can also form a wavy curved surface.

[0050] Optionally, in an embodiment provided by the present application, the track body is tubular, and the second magnetic body 4 is a magnetic ring. Figure 1 and Figure 2 , when the first magnetic body 5 is arranged on the inner wall of the track body, the second magnetic body 4 is sleeved on the outer wall of the track body; Figure 3 and Figure 4 When the first magnetic body 5 is arranged on the outer side wall of the track body, the second magnetic body 4 is sleeved on the inner side wall of the track body. In the actual assembly process, the second magnetic body 4 can be fixedly connected to the track body, or fixed at a specific position by other parts, and rotate relative to the track body.

[0051] Optionally, in another embodiment provided by the present application, the knob body 1 and the first magnetic body 5 are respectively located on the upper side and the lower side of the track body, and the second magnetic body 4 is located between the knob body 1 and the first magnetic body 5 .

[0052] Specifically, Figure 5 and Figure 6Taking the perspective shown as an example, the knob body 1 is at the upper end of the track body, the mounting portion 8 of the fixed bracket 3 is at the lower end of the track body, the protrusion 22 and the recessed portion 21 of the track body are facing downward, and the second magnetic body 4, the protrusion 22 of the track body, the first magnetic body 5, and the mounting portion 8 are distributed in sequence from top to bottom along the rotation axis of the knob body 1.

[0053] In the actual assembly process, an annular groove corresponding to the position of the shift surface can be set on the side wall of the track body. The annular groove can be set on the inner wall or the outer wall of the track body. The second magnetic body 4 is annular and is set in the annular groove.

[0054] Optionally, in order to convert the rotational action of the knob into a processable electrical signal, in an embodiment provided in the present application, a circuit board 7 is provided at the end of the track body away from the knob body 1, and a sensor for detecting the rotation angle and rotation direction of the track body is provided between the circuit board 7 and the track body, and the sensor is electrically connected to the circuit board 7.

[0055] Specifically, the sensor feeds back the detected rotation direction and rotation angle of the knob body 1 to the controller, and the controller responds accordingly to achieve the effect corresponding to the target gear position. In addition, a switch pad 6 is provided on one side of the circuit board 7.

[0056] A grid-like structure is designed on the track body to interact with the optocoupler 9 on the circuit board 7 when the knob is rotated, so as to identify the forward and reverse rotation and the number of rotation gears of the knob body 1. Of course, a plurality of polar magnetic structures or parts may be fixedly connected to the track body to interact with the Hall sensor on the circuit board 7 to realize signal conversion, etc. Optionally, gears or other transmission structures may be used to convert the rotation of the knob body 1 into the rotation of another or several parts, and then interact with the optocoupler 9 or the Hall sensor and other sensing components. In addition, the optocoupler 9 and the Hall sensor may also be used in combination, one for detecting the rotation direction of the knob body 1, and the other for detecting the rotation angle.

[0057] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referenced to each other.

[0058] The above is a detailed introduction to the knob switch provided by the present invention. This article uses specific examples to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present invention. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the method and core ideas of the present invention. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, without departing from the principles of the present invention, several improvements and modifications can be made to the present invention, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A knob switch, characterized in that: The invention comprises a first magnetic body (5), a second magnetic body (4), a fixing bracket (3), and a knob body (1) rotatable relative to the fixing bracket (3); one of the fixing bracket (3) and the knob body (1) is provided with a gear locking portion (2), and the other is provided with the first magnetic body (5); the first magnetic body (5) and the second magnetic body (4) are distributed on both sides of the gear locking portion (2), are relatively distributed and magnetically connected, and the first magnetic body (5) abuts against the gear locking portion (2) so as to fix the knob body (1) at a target gear position; The gear locking portion (2) comprises an annular track body extending along the rotation direction of the knob body (1); a side wall of the track body abutting against the first magnetic body (5) is provided with protrusions (22) and recesses (21) alternately distributed along the rotation direction; and the fixing bracket (3) is provided with a mounting portion (8) for limiting the movement of the first magnetic body (5) along the rotation direction; The inner concave portion (21) is a concave arc-shaped structure; the convex portion (22) is a convex arc-shaped structure; The first magnetic body (5) is a magnetic bead; The track body is tubular, and the second magnetic body (4) is a magnetic ring, which is sleeved on the inner wall of the track body or sleeved on the outer wall of the track body; The first side of the track body abuts against the first magnetic body (5), and the second side is provided with the second magnetic body (4); the protrusion (22) and the inner recess (21) are located on the first side of the track body, and the two are alternately distributed on the surface of the first side to form an annular shifting surface; The side wall of the track body is provided with an annular groove corresponding to the position of the shift surface, the second magnetic body (4) is annular and is arranged in the annular groove, and the second magnetic body (4) is fixedly connected to the track body; A limiting structure is provided between the fixing bracket (3) and the knob body (1) to prevent the two from being separated; The knob body (1) and the first magnetic body (5) are respectively located on the upper side and the lower side of the track body, and the second magnetic body (4) is located between the knob body (1) and the first magnetic body (5).

2. The knob switch according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner recess (21) is provided with a guide surface that fits the first magnetic body (5) to facilitate the rotation of the track body along the rotation direction.

3. The knob switch according to claim 1, characterized in that: One of the first magnetic body (5) and the second magnetic body (4) is a ferromagnetic structural component, and the other is a soft magnetic structural component.

4. The knob switch according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that: The mounting portion (8) is an opening disposed on a side wall of the fixing bracket (3) and facing the track body, and the first magnetic body (5) is disposed in the opening.

5. The knob switch according to claim 1, characterized in that: A circuit board (7) is provided at the end of the fixing bracket (3) away from the knob body (1), and a sensor for detecting the rotation angle and rotation direction of the track body is provided between the circuit board (7) and the track body, and the sensor is electrically connected to the circuit board (7).

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