Trigger switch

Abstract

The invention provides a trigger switch which is assembled in an electric device such as an electric tool and can realize miniaturization while suppressing problems related to operation feeling. A trigger switch (TS) is provided with: a housing (2) housed in a main body device; a trigger (1) capable of receiving a press-in operation at a location outside the housing (2) and moving by pressing and releasing the pressing by the press-in operation; and a biasing member (5) that biases the trigger (1) in the opposite direction of the push-in operation, the trigger switch (TS) being attachable to the main body device. The biasing member (5) biases the trigger (1) in the direction opposite to the pressing operation on one end side located outside the housing (2), and the other end side is fixed inside the housing (2).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a trigger switch including a trigger that receives a push-in operation. Background Art

[0002] A trigger switch used for operating an electric device such as an electric tool includes a trigger on which an operator places a finger and pulls (presses in). The operator operates the electric device by pressing the trigger. For example, the trigger switch described in Patent Document 1 includes: a trigger that moves by a pressing operation; a movable contact that moves along with the movement of the trigger; a frame that accommodates the movable contact; and a force-applying member that uses a compression coil spring in the frame that applies force to the trigger in a direction opposite to the pressing operation direction. With the popularization of electric devices including such trigger switches, various improvements are required for the trigger switches. As one of the improvement requirements, for example, miniaturization of the trigger switch is required.

[0003] [Prior art literature]

[0004] [Patent Document]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-030999 Summary of the invention

[0006] [Problems to be solved by the invention]

[0007] For example, when the frame of the trigger switch is reduced in size for miniaturization, the length of the compression coil spring disposed in the frame as a biasing member in the extension direction needs to be shortened. However, when the compression coil spring is shortened, various problems related to the operating feel may arise, such as failure to obtain a sufficient amount of pressing for the feeling of the pressing operation and difficulty in fine-tuning the pressing operation.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above situation, and a main object of the present invention is to provide a trigger switch capable of achieving miniaturization of an electric device without impairing the operating feel.

[0009] [Technical means to solve the problem]

[0010] In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the trigger switch disclosed in the present application includes: a frame body, which is accommodated in a main device; a trigger, which can receive a pressing operation at a position outside the frame and move by pressing and releasing the pressing operation; and a force-applying member, which applies force to the trigger in the opposite direction of the pressing operation, and the trigger switch can be assembled in the main device, wherein the force-applying member applies force to the trigger in the opposite direction of the pressing operation at one end side located outside the frame, and the other end side is fixed in the frame.

[0011] Furthermore, in the trigger switch, the urging member is a compression coil spring, and the compression coil spring is arranged so that a direction of expansion and contraction is a direction of a push-in operation and a direction opposite to the push-in operation.

[0012] In addition, in the trigger switch, the trigger includes a cylindrical portion extending in a push-in operation direction, the frame is formed with an opening through which the cylindrical portion is movably inserted, and the urging member is accommodated in the cylindrical portion.

[0013] [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] The trigger switch disclosed in the present application has one end outside the frame that applies force to the trigger, and the other end inside the frame is fixed to a force-applying member inside the frame, thereby achieving excellent effects such as miniaturization while suppressing problems related to operational feel. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the appearance of the electric device disclosed in the present application.

[0016] Figure 2 This is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the appearance of the trigger switch disclosed in the present application.

[0017] Figure 3 This is a schematic exploded perspective view showing an example of the trigger switch disclosed in the present application.

[0018] Figure 4 This is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the trigger switch disclosed in the present application.

[0019] Figure 5 This is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the trigger switch disclosed in the present application.

[0020] Figure 6 This is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the trigger switch disclosed in the present application.

[0021] [Explanation of Symbols]

[0022] PT: Electric device

[0023] MU: Main unit

[0024] TS: Trigger Switch

[0025] 1: Trigger

[0026] 10: Cylindrical part

[0027] 2: Frame

[0028] 20: Through hole

[0029] 3: Covering components

[0030] 4: Switching mechanism

[0031] 5: Force-applying component

[0032] 6: Mobile components

[0033] 7: Opening and closing mechanism DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0035] <Application Examples>

[0036] The trigger switch disclosed in the present application can be applied to various electric devices represented by electric tools such as electric drills, electric drivers, electric wrenches, and electric grinders that include a driving part such as a motor. Hereinafter, the electric device PT illustrated in the drawings and the trigger switch TS installed in the electric device PT will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0037] <Electric device PT>

[0038] Figure 1 The electric device PT disclosed in the present application can be applied to electric tools such as electric drills, electric drivers, electric wrenches, and electric grinders, and can also be applied to various devices including a trigger switch TS, such as a water gun, a spray gun, and a model gun. Figure 1 The electric device PT illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a main body unit MU, and a trigger switch TS that receives a push operation by a user is assembled in the main body unit MU. Figure 1 The main unit MU of the electric device PT illustrated in the figure is in a shape in which a hand-held part is installed on a roughly cylindrical main body part that accommodates a driving part such as an electric motor (not shown). The trigger switch TS is assembled in the hand-held part of the main unit MU. The trigger switch TS disclosed in the present application is suitable for installation in a main unit MU that is thinner than the hand-held part. The electric device PT including the main unit MU with a thin hand-held part has the characteristics of being easy to hold and easy to operate for people with small hands. In the following description, as shown in the figure, the direction of the roughly cylindrical main body part is set to up and the direction of the hand-held part is set to down for description. In addition, the direction for installing the rotating tool part such as a drill is set to the front and the direction for pressing the trigger switch TS is set to the back for description. That is, in the trigger switch TS assembled in the electric device PT, the direction from the front to the back becomes the operation direction for pressing in by a pressing operation. These directions are for the convenience of description and do not limit the directions in which the electric device PT and the trigger switch TS are used.

[0039] <Trigger switch TS>

[0040] Next, the trigger switch TS included in the electric device PT will be described. Figure 2 It is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the appearance of the trigger switch TS disclosed in the present application. Figure 1 The appearance of the trigger switch TS that can be assembled in the main unit MU is shown from a perspective obliquely from the left. The trigger switch TS is a switch operated by the operator of the electric device PT, and includes a trigger 1 that is pressed by the operator. The operator presses the trigger 1 of the trigger switch TS, and a driving unit (not shown) such as an electric motor built into the main unit MU is driven. In addition to the trigger 1, the trigger switch TS also includes various structures such as a frame 2 accommodated in the main unit MU, a covering member 3 covering the connecting portion between the trigger 1 and the frame 2, and a switching mechanism 4 installed on the upper part of the frame 2.

[0041] Figure 3 It is a schematic exploded perspective view showing an example of the trigger switch TS disclosed in the present application. Figure 4 The trigger switch TS includes various structures such as a biasing member 5, a moving member 6, and an opening and closing mechanism 7 in addition to the trigger 1, the frame 2, the covering member 3, and the switching mechanism 4 described above.

[0042] The trigger 1 is a member that receives the operator's pressing operation. The trigger 1 has a roughly rectangular shape, and is formed into a box shape with a space inside, and the rear surface is open. The front part of the trigger 1 is located outside the frame 2 so that the user can operate it, and the front surface of the trigger 1 is curved into a concave shape so that the user can easily put his fingers when operating. The trigger 1 includes a cylindrical portion 10 extending toward the rear (pressing direction) of the inner wall of the front part, and the cylindrical portion 10 becomes the connecting part of the trigger 1 and the frame 2. The cylindrical portion 10 is a long, roughly cylindrical shape, and is formed on the trigger 1 in such a way that the axial direction (long side direction) becomes the front and back. The bottom surface portion of the front end side of the cylindrical portion 10 is blocked by the inner wall surface of the front part of the trigger 1. The bottom surface of the rear end side of the cylindrical portion 10 is open, and the moving member 6 is externally embedded and installed on the rear end portion. The force member 5 is accommodated in the interior of the cylindrical portion 10, and the front end (one end) of the force member 5 abuts against the inner wall surface of the front part of the trigger 1. The outer surface of the cylindrical portion 10 is covered with a covering member 3 .

[0043] The frame 2 is a hollow shell in a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape. Figure 3As shown, it can be separated into a right half 2a and a left half 2b. An electronic circuit (not shown) using a substrate and various electronic components is arranged on the inner side of the left half 2b of the frame 2. A substantially circular insertion hole 20 is provided on the wall surface of the front portion of the frame 2, and the rear portion of the cylindrical portion 10 of the trigger 1 can be movably inserted into the insertion hole 20. The periphery of the insertion hole 20 provided in the frame 2 is formed into a cylindrical shape protruding forward. The covering member 3 is externally fitted to the protruding portion of the periphery of the insertion hole 20 provided in the frame 2. A substantially cylindrical support protrusion 21 is formed on the inner wall surface of the rear portion of the frame 2, and the rear end side (the other end side) of the force-applying member 5 is supported by the support protrusion 21. The switching mechanism 4 is mounted on the upper portion of the frame 2 in a manner that penetrates the upper surface. The opening and closing mechanism 7 is mounted on the lower portion of the frame 2 in a manner that penetrates the lower surface.

[0044] The covering member 3 is formed of a flexible material such as rubber or elastic plastic. The covering member 3 is substantially cylindrical and has a corrugated bellows shape on the side surface, and can be extended and retracted along the axial direction. The covering member 3 is arranged so as to cover the cylindrical portion 10 of the trigger 1, and the front end is fixed to the seam portion of the cylindrical portion 10, and the rear end is fixed so as to be externally fitted to the periphery of the insertion hole 20 opened on the front surface of the frame 2.

[0045] The switching mechanism 4 includes a switching lever 40 protruding from the upper surface of the frame 2 to the outside, a switching contact portion 41 accommodated in the upper part of the frame 2, and other structures. The switching lever 40 is a member that receives a switching operation from an operator, and swings left and right by the operation of the operator. The switching operation from the operator is, for example, an operation to switch the action mode of the drive unit, specifically, an operation to switch between forward and reverse rotation of the drive unit, and between a constant speed mode and a variable speed mode of the drive unit. The switching lever 40 swings left and right by the switching operation received from the operator, and transmits the swinging action to the switching contact portion 41. In addition, when the switching lever 40 is operated so as to be located in the middle of the swinging range, the switching lever 40 functions as a stopper to prevent the trigger 1 from being pressed in. The switching contact portion 41 includes a brush-shaped first sliding contact 42 on the left side, and the first sliding contact 42 forms a switching circuit with an electronic circuit arranged on the inner side surface of the left half 2b of the frame 2. The switching contact portion 41 transmits the swinging action of the switching lever 40 and moves back and forth in the frame 2. The switching contact portion 41 switches the switching circuit by moving forward and backward, thereby switching the operation mode of the driving portion.

[0046] The urging member 5 is formed, for example, by using a compression coil spring that expands and contracts in the longitudinal direction. The urging member 5 is accommodated in the cylindrical portion 10 of the trigger 1. The front end side (one end side) of the urging member 5 is located outside the frame 2, and abuts against the inner wall surface of the front part of the trigger 1 at the front end, and urges the trigger 1 forward, which is the opposite direction of the push-in operation. The rear end side (the other end side) of the urging member 5 is located in the frame 2, and is fixed to and supported by the support protrusion 21 formed on the inner wall surface of the rear part of the frame 2. The expansion and contraction direction of the urging member 5 configured in this way becomes the direction of the push-in operation and the opposite direction of the push-in operation. When the trigger 1 moves backward by pressing based on the push-in operation, the urging member 5 shortens. When the pressing based on the push-in operation is released in the trigger 1 and moves forward, the urging member 5 extends. In addition, when the trigger 1 is located in the front, the rear end portion of the urging member 5 in the extended state is exposed from the cylindrical portion 10. In this way, one end side of the force member 5 of the trigger switch TS disclosed in the present application applies force to the front part of the trigger 1 forward outside the frame 2, and the other end side of the force member 5 is fixed to the rear part of the frame 2 inside the frame 2. Therefore, the trigger switch TS disclosed in the present application can fully ensure the length of the force member 5 in the extension direction.

[0047] The moving member 6 is externally mounted on the rear end portion of the cylindrical portion 10 of the trigger 1, moves with the movement of the trigger 1, and opens / closes the electronic circuit by moving. The moving member 6 is formed into a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape, and is provided with a fitting hole 60 that runs through the front and back. The moving member 6 is externally fitted on the cylindrical portion 10 of the trigger 1 through the fitting hole 60. The moving member 6 includes a brush-shaped second sliding contact 61 on the left side, and the second sliding contact 61 forms a drive circuit with the electronic circuit configured on the inner side of the left half 2b of the frame 2. The moving member 6 is formed with a plate-shaped engaging piece 62 extending downward on the lower surface. The engaging piece 62 of the moving member 6 engages with the opening and closing mechanism 7. The moving member 6 moves forward and backward in the frame 2 with the movement of the trigger 1, and acts on the drive circuit by the movement of the moving member 6, thereby performing the operation / stop of the drive unit or changing the driving speed. In addition, the moving member 6 engages with the opening and closing mechanism 7 by moving, and opens / closes the opening and closing circuit formed by the opening and closing mechanism 7.

[0048] The opening and closing mechanism 7 is a mechanism that includes a first terminal 70 and a second terminal 71 exposed to the outside of the frame 2, and opens / closes the circuit formed between the first terminal 70 and the second terminal 71. When the trigger switch TS is assembled to the main unit MU, the first terminal 70 and the second terminal 71 of the opening and closing mechanism 7 are electrically connected to the circuit in the main unit MU. When the first terminal 70 and the second terminal 71 of the opening and closing mechanism 7 are electrically connected to the circuit in the main unit MU, the opening and closing mechanism 7 functions as a switch circuit that electrically connects and disconnects the circuit in the main unit MU and the electronic circuit arranged in the frame 2. In addition to the first terminal 70 and the second terminal 71, the opening and closing mechanism 7 also includes various components such as a fixed contact 72, a swing member 73, and a spring member 74. The first terminal 70 is a conductive metal sheet that penetrates the inside and outside of the frame 2 and is formed in a substantially rectangular shape. The portion of the first terminal 70 located inside the frame 2 is bent, and the fixed contact 72 is installed at the bent portion. The first terminal 70 is electrically connected to the fixed contact 72. The second terminal 71 is a conductive metal sheet that penetrates the inside and outside of the frame 2 and is formed into a roughly rectangular shape. The part of the second terminal 71 located inside the frame 2 is bent, and the swing member 73 is supported by the axis in a swingable manner at the bent part. The swing member 73 is a member bent into a roughly L-shaped shape, and is supported by the second terminal 71 near the bent part, and swings with the part supported by the axis as the swing center. The swing member 73 bent into a roughly L-shaped shape is equipped with a swing contact 730 on one end side, and the other end side becomes a snap arm 731. The second terminal 71 is electrically connected to the swing contact 730. The snap arm 731 of the swing member 73 abuts against and snaps with the snap piece 62 of the movable member 6. The swing member 73 takes the swing shaft supported by the axis as the swing center, and through swinging, the swing contact 730 abuts against / diversifies from the fixed contact 72. The spring member 74 is formed using a spring such as a torsion spring, and is wound around a swinging shaft for the swinging member 73 to swing, and applies force in a manner that the swinging member 73 swings in a direction of contact with the fixed contact 72. The swinging contact 730 closes the circuit between the first terminal 70 and the second terminal 71 by contacting with the fixed contact 72, and opens the circuit between the first terminal 70 and the second terminal 71 by moving away from the fixed contact 72.

[0049] <Operation of trigger switch TS>

[0050] Next, the operation of the trigger switch TS will be described. Figure 5 It is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the trigger switch TS disclosed in the present application. Figure 5The figure shows the released state in which the trigger 1 is not pressed. In the released state in which the trigger 1 is not pressed, the trigger 1 is located at the front end of the front-to-back moving range. The force-applying member 5 is extended to the longest within the telescopic range. The moving member 6 mounted on the trigger 1 is located at the front end of the front-to-back moving range, and the engaging piece 62 engages with the engaging arm 731 of the swinging member 73 of the opening and closing mechanism 7. In the opening and closing mechanism 7, the engaging arm 731 of the swinging member 73 engages with the engaging piece 62 of the moving member 6, so that the swinging contact 730 resists the force applied by the spring member 74 and moves away from the fixed contact 72. Figure 5 In the illustrated released state, at the second sliding contact 61 of the moving member 6 (at Figure 5 The switch mechanism 7 having a circuit is in a state where the drive unit is stopped. In addition, the swing contact 730 is separated from the fixed contact 72, so that the circuit between the first terminal 70 and the second terminal 71 of the switch mechanism 7 is opened.

[0051] Figure 6 It is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the trigger switch TS disclosed in the present application. Figure 6 Shown from Figure 5 The illustrated state is a pressed state in which the trigger 1 is pressed by a push operation. Figure 6 In the illustrated pressed state after the trigger 1 is pressed, the trigger 1 is located at the rear end of the front-to-back moving range. The force-applying member 5 is shortened to the shortest within the telescopic range. The movable member 6 is located at the rear end of the front-to-back moving range, and the engagement between the engaging piece 62 and the engaging arm 731 of the swinging member 73 of the opening and closing mechanism 7 is disengaged. In the opening and closing mechanism 7, the engagement between the swinging arm of the swinging member 73 and the engaging piece 62 of the movable member 6 is released, so that the swinging contact 730 is in contact with the fixed contact 72 by the force applied by the spring member 74. Figure 6 In the illustrated pressed state, the switch mechanism 7 in which the circuit is formed at the second sliding contact 61 of the movable member 6 is in a state in which the driving part is operated. In addition, the swing contact 730 abuts against the fixed contact 72, so that the circuit between the first terminal 70 and the second terminal 71 of the switch mechanism 7 is closed. In this way, the trigger switch TS disclosed in the present application can fully ensure the stroke length in the pressed operation, that is, the difference in the position of the trigger 1 in the released state and the pressed state.

[0052] As described above, in the trigger switch TS disclosed in the present application, one end side of the force applying member 5 applies force to the front part of the trigger 1 forward outside the frame 2, and the other end side of the force applying member 5 is fixed to the rear part of the frame 2 inside the frame 2. Therefore, the trigger switch TS disclosed in the present application can be shortened in front and back length. As a result, the trigger switch TS disclosed in the present application has the following excellent effects: it can be realized as a small trigger switch TS that can be assembled to the main body device MU with a short front-to-back length of the handheld part.

[0053] Furthermore, the trigger switch TS disclosed in the present application can sufficiently ensure the length of the urging member 5 in the extension and contraction direction, so there is no need to use a short urging member 5, and an excellent effect such as not impairing the operational feel is achieved.

[0054] Furthermore, the trigger switch TS disclosed in the present application can sufficiently ensure a stroke length in a pressing operation, and thus exhibits excellent effects such as being able to maintain an operational feel required for fine adjustment of the pressing operation even when miniaturized.

[0055] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be implemented in various other ways. Therefore, the embodiments described are only examples in all aspects and are not to be interpreted as limiting. The technical scope of the present invention is the scope described in the claims and is not subject to any restrictions in the specification. Furthermore, all modifications and changes belonging to the equivalent scope of the claims are modifications and changes within the scope of the present invention.

[0056] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the urging member 5 is accommodated in the cylindrical portion 10 formed in the trigger 1, but the trigger switch TS disclosed in the present application is not limited thereto. The trigger switch TS disclosed in the present application can be deployed in various forms as long as it is a form that can maintain the movement of the urging member 5 on the basis of penetrating the inside and outside of the frame 2. For example, the trigger switch TS disclosed in the present application can be deployed in various forms such as limiting the movement of the urging member 5 to the extension direction via the axis inside the urging member 5.

[0057] In addition, for example, in the above-described embodiment, a compression coil spring is used as the urging member 5, but the trigger switch TS disclosed in the present application is not limited thereto. The trigger switch TS disclosed in the present application can use various urging members 5 that urge the trigger 1 at one end and are fixed in the frame 2 at the other end. For example, the trigger switch TS disclosed in the present application can be developed in various forms such as using various urging members 5 such as leaf springs and torsion springs.

[0058] That is, the trigger switch TS disclosed in the present application can be developed in various forms as described in the following supplementary notes.

[0059] (Note 1)

[0060] A trigger switch, comprising:

[0061] A frame is housed in the main device; a trigger can be pressed at a position outside the frame and move by pressing and releasing the pressing based on the pressing operation; and a force applying member applies force to the trigger in the opposite direction of the pressing operation, wherein the trigger switch can be assembled in the main device.

[0062] in,

[0063] The urging member urges the trigger in a direction opposite to the pressing operation at one end side located outside the frame, and the other end side is fixed inside the frame.

[0064] (Note 2)

[0065] The trigger switch according to Supplement 1, wherein:

[0066] The urging member is a compression coil spring, and the compression coil spring is arranged so that the expansion and contraction direction is the direction of the pushing operation and the opposite direction of the pushing operation.

[0067] (Note 3)

[0068] The trigger switch according to Supplement 1 or Supplement 2, wherein:

[0069] The trigger includes a cylindrical portion extending in a pressing operation direction.

[0070] The frame is formed with an opening through which the cylindrical portion is movably inserted.

[0071] The urging member is accommodated in the cylindrical portion.

Claims

1. A trigger switch, comprising: A frame is housed in the main device; a trigger that can receive a pressing operation at a position outside the frame and move by pressing and releasing the pressing operation; and a force applying member that applies force to the trigger in a direction opposite to the pressing operation, wherein the trigger switch can be assembled in the main device. The trigger switch is characterized in that: The urging member urges the trigger in a direction opposite to the pressing operation at one end side located outside the frame, and the other end side is fixed inside the frame.

2. The trigger switch according to claim 1, characterized in that: The urging member is a compression coil spring, and the compression coil spring is arranged so that the expansion and contraction direction is the direction of the pushing operation and the opposite direction of the pushing operation.

3. The trigger switch according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The trigger includes a cylindrical portion extending in a pressing operation direction. The frame is formed with an opening through which the cylindrical portion is movably inserted. The urging member is accommodated in the cylindrical portion.

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