Trigger switch

Abstract

The present invention provides a trigger switch, in which the operating load changes during the pressing operation of the trigger. The trigger switch (TS) has: a first biasing member (11) that biases the trigger, a shaft member (10) with one end side mounted on the trigger, a first movable member (22) connected to the other end side of the shaft member (10), a second movable member (23), a second biasing member (24) disposed between the first movable member (22) and the second movable member (23), and an abutting portion (20b) against which the second movable member (23) moving in the pressing direction abuts. When the trigger receives a pressing operation, before the second movable member (23) abuts against the abutting portion (20b), the first movable member (22), the second movable member (23), and the second biasing member (24) move in the pressing direction, and the first biasing member (11) biases the trigger. When, from the state where the second movable member (23) abuts against the abutting portion (20b), the trigger further receives a pressing operation, the first movable member (22) moves in the pressing direction, and the second biasing member (24) biases the first movable member (22).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a trigger switch that receives a pressing operation of a trigger to drive a driving unit. Background Art

[0002] As one of trigger switches for controlling the operation of a power tool, for example, Patent Document 1 has disclosed a trigger switch capable of changing the rotational speed of a motor. When the trigger of the trigger switch disclosed in Patent Document 1 is pressed, the power supply of the motor is turned on. When the trigger is further pressed, the voltage supplied to the motor increases, and the rotational speed of the motor increases. In addition, a speed control dial for adjusting the upper limit of the rotational speed of the motor is assembled in the trigger.

[0003] As exemplified in Patent Document 1, various trigger switches in which the rotational speed of the motor increases according to the stroke of the trigger have been proposed. Among the above trigger switches, a trigger switch has also been proposed in which an inflection point at which the rate of increase in the rotational speed of the motor changes exists during the start to stop pressing operation of the trigger.

[0004] Prior Art Documents

[0005] Patent Documents

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-231494 Summary of the Invention

[0007] Technical Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0008] However, in a trigger switch having an inflection point during a pressing operation, a function capable of detecting the inflection point is required.

[0009] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a trigger switch capable of detecting a change during a pressing operation.

[0010] Technical Solution for Solving the Technical Problem

[0011] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the trigger switch described in the present application is a trigger switch having a trigger that moves when receiving a pressing operation, characterized in that it comprises: a first force-applying component that applies force to the trigger in a direction opposite to the pressing direction, an axis component whose length direction is parallel to the pressing direction and one end side is installed on the trigger, a first movable component connected to the other end side of the axis component and movable in the pressing direction, a second movable component located on the pressing direction side of the first movable component and movable in the pressing direction, a second force-applying component arranged between the first movable component and the second movable component and applying force in a direction separating the first movable component and the second movable component from each other, and an abutment portion against which the second movable component moving in the pressing direction abuts. When the trigger receives a pressing operation, the shaft component, the first movable component, the second movable component and the second force-applying component move in the pressing direction in conjunction with the movement of the trigger that receives the pressing operation, and the first force-applying component applies force to the trigger in the opposite direction of the pressing direction according to the amount of pressure on the trigger. When the trigger further receives a pressing operation from a state in which the moved second movable component abuts against the abutting portion, the shaft component and the first movable component move in the pressing direction in conjunction with the movement of the trigger that receives the pressing operation, and the second force-applying component applies force to the first movable component in the opposite direction of the pressing direction according to the interval between the first movable component and the second movable component.

[0012] Furthermore, based on the trigger switch, it is characterized in that the first urging member and the second urging member are formed using an elastic body.

[0013] In addition, based on the trigger switch, it is characterized in that it has a housing for accommodating the first movable component, the second movable component and the second force-applying component, the housing has a wall portion with a through hole for the shaft component to pass through, and the first force-applying component is wound around the shaft component, with one end connected to the wall portion around the through hole opened in the housing.

[0014] Furthermore, the trigger switch is characterized in that the first movable member and the second movable member are engaged with each other without being separated by more than a predetermined interval.

[0015] In addition, based on the trigger switch, it is characterized in that it has a control unit that outputs a driving signal that drives the driving unit at a driving speed corresponding to the pressing amount of the trigger, and the increase rate of the driving speed relative to the change in the pressing amount is different before the second movable part abuts against the abutment part and after the abutment part.

[0016] Effects of the Invention

[0017] The trigger switch of the present invention has excellent effects such as being able to sense changes in the operating load during a pressing operation by using a plurality of biasing members. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram showing an example of the appearance of the trigger switch described in the present application.

[0019] Figure 2 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram showing an example of the main components of the trigger switch described in the present application.

[0020] Figure 3 It is a three-dimensional exploded schematic diagram showing an example of the internal structure of the main components of the trigger switch described in the present application.

[0021] Figure 4 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram showing an example of the main components of the trigger switch described in the present application in a partially cut-away state.

[0022] Figure 5 It is a side view schematic diagram showing an example of the main components of the trigger switch described in the present application in a partially cut-away state.

[0023] Figure 6 It is a side view schematic diagram showing an example of the main components of the trigger switch described in the present application in a partially cut-away state.

[0024] Figure 7 It is a side view schematic diagram showing an example of the main components of the trigger switch described in the present application in a partially cut-away state.

[0025] Figure 8 It is a side view schematic diagram showing an example of the main components of the trigger switch described in the present application in a partially cut-away state.

[0026] Figure 9 It is a graph showing the relationship between the pressing amount and the operating load of the trigger switch described in the present application.

[0027] Figure 10 It is a block schematic diagram showing an example of a part of the control structure of an electric device equipped with the trigger switch described in the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0028] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0029] <APPLICATION EXAMPLE>

[0030] The trigger switch described in the present application is applied to various electric devices mainly including electric tools such as electric drills, electric saws, electric drivers, electric wrenches, and electric grinders having a drive unit such as a motor. In the following embodiments, with reference to the accompanying drawings, the above trigger switch TS will be illustrated and described.

[0031] <Embodiment>

[0032] Figure 1 It is a three - dimensional schematic diagram showing an example of the appearance of the trigger switch TS described in the present application. Figure 1 It shows the appearance of the trigger switch TS that can be assembled in various electric devices ET (refer to Figure 10 ). The trigger switch TS is a switch operated by the operator of the electric device ET. By the operator pressing the trigger 1 of the trigger switch TS, a drive unit M such as an electric motor built in the electric device ET (refer to Figure 10 ) is driven. The trigger switch TS has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped - shaped housing 2 assembled in the electric device ET and a trigger 1 that can be pressed by the operator. In addition, the trigger switch TS has a switching lever 3 for switching the driving direction of the drive unit M, for example, the forward and reverse rotation directions of an electric driver. It should be noted that in the following description, for the direction of the trigger switch TS, the side where the trigger 1 is installed is taken as the front, and the housing 2 side is taken as the rear. Although the rear is appropriately expressed as the pressing direction, this is only a direction for convenience of explanation and is not used to limit the direction when the trigger switch TS is used.

[0033] The internal structure of the trigger switch TS will be described. Figure 2 It is a three - dimensional schematic diagram showing an example of the main components of the trigger switch TS described in the present application. Figure 2The mechanism assembled inside the trigger switch TS is represented by simplified main components. The mechanism represented as the main component is as follows: the trigger 1 is removed to expose the shaft component 10 covered by the trigger 1, and the part of the housing 2 related to the pressing operation of the trigger 1 is extracted as the housing main component 20. The shaft component 10 has the trigger 1 mounted on one end side as the front part, and the other end side passes through the through hole 21a formed in the wall part 21 of the front surface of the housing main component 20 and is received inside the housing main component 20. The front end of one end side of the shaft component 10 becomes the mounting part 10a protruding in the radial direction. A first biasing member 11 such as a compression coil spring is wound around the shaft component 10. The front end of the first biasing member 11 abuts against the rear end of the protruding mounting part 10a, and the rear end of the first biasing member 11 abuts against the wall part 21 around the through hole 21a formed in the wall part 21 of the housing main component 20. The first biasing member 11 whose rear end abuts against the outer wall of the housing main component 20 biases the shaft component 10 forward at the front end. When the trigger 1 receives a pressing operation, the shaft component 10 moves rearward together with the trigger 1. When the pressing operation is released, the first biasing member 11 biases forward in the direction opposite to the pressing direction of the trigger 1, so the trigger 1 moves forward together with the shaft component 10.

[0034] Figure 3 It is a three-dimensional exploded schematic diagram showing an example of the internal structure of the main components of the trigger switch TS described in the present application. Figure 4 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram showing an example of the main components of the trigger switch TS described in the present application in a partially cut-away state. Figure 5 It is a side view schematic diagram showing an example of the main components of the trigger switch TS described in the present application in a partially cut-away state. Figure 4 and Figure 5 is a partial cross-sectional view in which the main components of the trigger switch TS are cut by the Figure 2 vertical plane A-B shown, and a part of the inside can be seen. Inside the housing main component 20, various components such as a first movable member 22, a second movable member 23, and a second biasing member 24 are received in addition to the other end side of the rear part of the shaft component 10.

[0035] The first movable member 22 and the second movable member 23 are formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and are arranged to be movable in the front and rear directions along a guide path 20a formed in the housing main member 20 and extending in the front-rear direction (the pressing direction of the trigger 1). The first movable member 22 is arranged in the front, and the second movable member 23 is arranged in the rear. The second movable member 23 arranged in the rear can move to abut against an abutting portion 20b which is the rear end of the guide path 20a. Near the rear end portion of the shaft member 10, a locking groove 10b surrounding the outer peripheral surface is engraved in the circumferential direction. A locking portion 22a for inserting into the locking groove 10b of the shaft member 10 and locking the first movable member 22 is formed on the front surface of the first movable member 22. By locking the locking groove 10b of the shaft member 10 with the locking portion 22a of the first movable member 22, the rear end of the shaft member 10 is connected to the front surface of the first movable member 22.

[0036] A female engaging portion 22b is formed at the rear portion of the first movable member 22, and a male engaging portion 23a is formed at the front portion of the second movable member 23. The female engaging portion 22b of the first movable member 22 is formed with a recess into which the male engaging portion 23a of the second movable member 23 can be inserted, and the front end of the recess is bent inward into a hook shape. The male engaging portion 23a of the second movable member 23 is formed with a protrusion that can be inserted into the female engaging portion 22b of the first movable member 22, and the front end of the protrusion extends outward. The male engaging portion 23a of the second movable member 23 is inserted into the female engaging portion 22b of the first movable member 22 in a movable state. Although the first movable member 22 and the second movable member 23 can move independently in the front-rear direction, they are combined in such a way that they are not separated by more than a specified interval by the engagement of the front end of the female engaging portion 22b of the first movable member 22 and the front end of the male engaging portion 23a of the second movable member 23.

[0037] The second biasing member 24 is formed using, for example, a compression coil spring. The second biasing member 24 is arranged between the first movable member 22 and the second movable member 23 and biases them in a direction of separating from each other. The elastic coefficient of the second biasing member 24 is different from that of the first biasing member 11. Specifically, the second biasing member 24 uses a compression coil spring having an elastic coefficient larger than that of the first biasing member 11, and a larger force is required to compress the second biasing member 24 than the first biasing member 11.

[0038] Next, the operation and action of the trigger switch TS described in the present application will be described. Figure 6 FIG. is a schematic side view showing an example of the main components of the trigger switch TS described in the present application in a partially cut-away state. Figure 6 This is a state where the operation of pressing the trigger 1 is not received. In Figure 6In the illustrated state, the shaft member 10 is urged forward by the first urging member 11. Figure 6 Although not illustrated in the figure, the trigger 1 mounted on the front end of the shaft member 10 is in a state of being moved to the front end of the moving range. The first movable member 22 connected to the rear end of the shaft member 10 moving forward is located at the front end of the moving range. The second movable member 23 is urged by the second urging member 24 and engages with the first movable member 22 at a position separated from the first movable member 22 by a predetermined interval toward the rear end side.

[0039] Figure 7 This is a schematic side view showing an example of main components of the trigger switch TS according to the present application in a partially cutaway state. Figure 7 Indicates from Figure 6 The illustrated state is a state in which the operator presses the trigger 1 until the rear end of the second movable member 23 abuts against the abutment portion 20b, which is the inner wall at the rear of the housing main member 20, and the trigger 1 is moved rearward in conjunction with the movement of the trigger 1, and the first force member 11 is compressed according to the amount of pressing. The first force member 11 is compressed according to the amount of pressing of the trigger 1, and the trigger 1 is urged forward in the direction opposite to the pressing direction. The first movable member 22 and the second movable member 23 connected to the rear end of the shaft member 10 move the guide passage 20a rearward in conjunction with the movement of the trigger 1, while being urged by the second force member 24 and maintaining a predetermined interval.

[0040] Figure 8 This is a schematic side view showing an example of main components of the trigger switch TS according to the present application in a partially cutaway state. Figure 8 Indicates from Figure 7 In the illustrated state, the trigger 1 is further pressed to move backward until it reaches the limit of the pressing range. Figure 6When the rear end of the exemplary second movable member 23 abuts against the abutting portion 20b of the housing main member 20 and the trigger 1 is further pressed, the operator presses the trigger 1 against the acting forces of the first biasing member 11 and the second biasing member 24. The shaft member 10 on which the trigger 1 is mounted moves further rearward in linkage with the movement of the trigger 1, and the first biasing member 11 is further compressed according to the pressing amount. The first biasing member 11 is compressed according to the pressing amount of the trigger 1 and biases the trigger 1 forward. The first movable member 22 connected to the rear end of the shaft member 10 moves the guide passage 20a rearward in linkage with the movement of the trigger 1. Since the second movable member 23 cannot move rearward from the state of abutting against the abutting portion 20b, the first movable member 22 moves rearward against the acting force of the second biasing member 24, and the second biasing member 24 is compressed according to the pressing amount.

[0041] As described above, when the trigger 1 of the trigger switch TS is pressed, the operator presses the trigger 1 against the acting force of the first biasing member 11 until the second movable member 23 abuts against the abutting portion 20b. When the trigger 1 is further pressed, the operator presses the trigger 1 against the acting forces of the first biasing member 11 and the second biasing member 24.

[0042] When the operator releases the pressing operation of the trigger 1, by the acting forces of the first biasing member 11 and the second biasing member 24, it returns to Figure 6 the exemplary state.

[0043] Next, as the operating characteristics of the trigger switch TS described in the present application, the relationship between the pressing amount when the operator presses the trigger 1 and the operating load as the load required for the pressing operation will be described. Figure 9 is a graph showing the relationship between the pressing amount and the operating load of the trigger switch TS described in the present application. In Figure 9 it, on the horizontal axis, the pressing amount of the trigger 1 is taken as the stroke, and on the vertical axis, the load required for the operation of the trigger 1 is taken to represent the relationship. When starting to press the trigger 1, initially it is in a state of almost no load, that is, a so-called play is set. When the trigger 1 is pressed beyond the play, since the trigger 1 is pressed against the acting force of the first biasing member 11, the load increases according to the stroke amount. The inclination of the load with respect to the stroke depends on the elastic coefficient of the first biasing member 11. In the graph, the position indicated as TT1 is the position where the second movable member 23 abuts against the abutting portion 20b, and the load at this time is TTF1.

[0044] When the trigger 1 is further pressed from the position represented as TT1, since it is necessary to press against the combined force of the first biasing member 11 and the second biasing member 24, the load increases to OF1. In addition, the load increases according to the stroke amount. The inclination of the load with respect to the stroke depends on the elastic coefficients of the first biasing member 11 and the second biasing member 24. In Figure 9 it is shown that when the trigger 1 is pressed to TT2 which is the limit of the pressing range, the load is TTF2.

[0045] With Figure 9 In the trigger switch TS described in the present application having the illustrated operating characteristics, by associating the inflection point of the rising rate of the rotation speed of the drive unit M, for example, a motor, with the position of TT1, the operator can perceive the inflection point of the rising rate as a change in the operating load. For example, in the case where the rotation speed rises slowly according to the pressing amount before TT1 and rises rapidly according to the pressing amount when exceeding TT1, there is an effect that the operator can perceive the inflection point of the rising rate of the rotation speed through the change in the operating load. In addition, the same effect can be obtained even in the case where the rotation speed rises rapidly according to the pressing amount before TT1 and rises slowly when exceeding TT1. Furthermore, the same effect can be obtained in designs such as a design in which the rotation speed is constant regardless of the pressing amount before TT1 and rises according to the pressing amount when exceeding TT1, and a design in which the rotation speed rises before TT1 and becomes constant when exceeding TT1.

[0046] Next, a structural example of the electric device ET equipped with the trigger switch TS described in the present application will be described. Figure 10 It is a block schematic diagram showing an example of a part of the control structure of the electric device ET equipped with the trigger switch TS described in the present application. An electric device ET such as a power tool is formed by assembling the trigger switch TS in the main body device MU. The main body device MU has a drive unit M such as a motor. The trigger switch TS has a pressing amount detection unit 4 that detects the pressing amount of the trigger 1, and a control unit 5 that outputs a drive signal to the main body device MU according to the pressing amount.

[0047] The pressing amount detection unit 4 is a mechanism that detects the pressing amount by contact or non-contact. For example, as contact detection, a method of detecting the pressing amount based on the resistance value that changes according to the contact area of the electrodes installed on the housing main component 20 and the first movable component 22 can be exemplified. In addition, as non-contact detection, a method of detecting the pressing amount using a non-contact sensor such as a proximity sensor that detects a change in the electric field can be exemplified.

[0048] The control unit 5 of the trigger switch TS is, for example, a circuit composed of a substrate with printed wiring, a microcomputer using various integrated circuits such as LSI and VLSI arranged on the substrate, electronic components, and various terminals. The control unit 5 receives the detection result of the pressing amount detection unit 4 as an input, performs various processes based on the detection result, and outputs a drive signal for driving a drive unit M such as a motor included in the main unit MU of the electric device ET to the main unit MU. The electric device ET drives the drive unit M based on the drive signal input to the main unit MU.

[0049] As described above, the trigger switch TS according to the present application includes a first biasing member 11 and a second biasing member 24, and a first movable member 22 and a second movable member 23. By the cooperation of the above components, the load can be changed during the pressing of the trigger 1. Thus, for example, when applied to an electric device ET having an inflection point of the rising rate of the driving speed of the drive unit M with respect to the pressing amount, there is a good effect such as being able to sense the position of the inflection point as a change in the operating load.

[0050] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be implemented in various other ways. Therefore, the above embodiments are merely illustrative in all respects and are not restrictive descriptions. The technical scope of the present invention is defined by the scope of the claims and is not limited to the text of the specification. In addition, modifications and changes within the equivalent scope of the claims are included in the scope of the present invention.

[0051] For example, in the above embodiment, as the first biasing member 11 and the second biasing member 24, a method of using a compression coil spring is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and other elastic bodies having the same function can be used. For example, one or both of the first biasing member 11 and the second biasing member 24 can use an elastic body such as a leaf spring. In addition, in the above embodiment, a method in which the elastic coefficient of the second biasing member 24 is larger than that of the first biasing member 11 is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the elastic coefficients of the first biasing member 11 and the second biasing member 24 may be substantially the same, or the elastic coefficient of the first biasing member 11 may be made larger.

[0052] In addition, for example, in the above embodiment, a method in which the control unit 5 is housed in the housing 2 is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and various methods such as a method of taking out the control unit 5 from the housing 2 and housing it in the main unit MU can be adopted.

[0053] Description of Reference Numerals

[0054] TS trigger switch; 1 trigger; 10 shaft member; 11 first biasing member; 2 housing; 20 main housing member; 20b abutting portion; 21 wall portion; 21a through hole; 22 first movable member; 23 second movable member; 24 second biasing member; 5 control unit; ET electric device; MU main body device; M drive unit.

Claims

1. A trigger switch having a trigger that moves when pressed, the trigger switch having the following characteristics: A first force-applying component, which applies force to the trigger in a direction opposite to the pressing direction; An axis component, the length direction of which is parallel to the pressing direction, and one end side of which is mounted on the trigger; a first movable member connected to the other end side of the shaft member and movable in the pressing direction; a second movable member, which is located on the pressing direction side of the first movable member and is movable in the pressing direction; a second force-applying member disposed between the first movable member and the second movable member, and applying force in a direction in which the first movable member and the second movable member are separated from each other; an abutting portion abutting against the second movable member moving in the pressing direction; When the trigger is pressed, In conjunction with the movement of the trigger receiving the pressing operation, the shaft member, the first movable member, the second movable member, and the second force applying member move in the pressing direction. The first force-applying component applies force to the trigger in a direction opposite to the pressing direction according to the pressing amount of the trigger. When the trigger is further pressed from the state where the second movable member is in contact with the contact portion, In conjunction with the movement of the trigger receiving the pressing operation, the shaft member and the first movable member move in the pressing direction. The second force applying member applies force to the first movable member in a direction opposite to the pressing direction according to the interval between the first movable member and the second movable member. The first force applying member and the second force applying member are formed of an elastic body. The elastic coefficient of the second urging member is greater than the elastic coefficient of the first urging member.

2. The trigger switch according to claim 1, characterized in that: A housing for accommodating the first movable member, the second movable member and the second force applying member is provided. The housing has a wall portion having a through hole through which the shaft member passes. The first biasing member is wound around the shaft member, and one end of the first biasing member is in contact with a wall portion around the through hole opened in the housing.

3. The trigger switch according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The first movable member and the second movable member are engaged with each other so as not to be separated by a predetermined interval or more.

4. The trigger switch according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: A control unit is provided, the control unit outputting a drive signal for driving the drive unit at a drive speed corresponding to the amount of pressing of the trigger, The rate of increase of the driving speed with respect to the change in the pressing amount is different before the second movable member comes into contact with the contact portion and after the second movable member comes into contact with the contact portion.

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