Toggle switch

Abstract

To provide a toggle switch which suppresses the number of components and assembly man-hours even when an applying direction of an operating load from an occupant and an operation direction of an electrical switch contact are orthogonal to each other.SOLUTION: A toggle switch 1 has a substrate 10 having a fixed contact 11. A rubber switch 20 is attached to the substrate 10, and has a movable contact 21 contactable with the fixed contact 11. The substrate 10 is attached to the housing 30. A lever 40 has: a lever body 41 rotatably assembled to the housing 30 by means of a rotary shaft 42; and an arm 44 extending from the lever body 41 so as to press a rubber 22. When the lever body 41 is rotated in one direction about an axis of the rotary shaft 42, the movable contact 21 contacts the fixed contact 11 due to the elastic deformation of the rubber 22 when the arm 44 presses the rubber 22.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a toggle switch. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, interior components of a vehicle (such as a center cluster or console) are provided with toggle switches for operating various functions (such as air conditioning, audio, and driving mode selection functions) installed in the vehicle. As disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1, the toggle switch includes a toggle body pivotally attached to a housing, a rocker arm linked to the toggle body and pivotally attached to the housing, and a circuit board having a first electric switch and a second electric switch. When an occupant operates a knob (toggle cap) so that the toggle body rotates in one direction, one end of the rocker arm rotates in the other direction due to this rotation to operate the first electric switch (see FIG. 2B in Patent Document 1). Conversely, when an occupant rotates the knob of the toggle body in the other direction, the other end of the rocker arm rotates in one direction due to this rotation to operate the second electric switch (see FIG. 2C in Patent Document 1). In this way, the electric switch can be turned on and off with a simple operation. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2022-538807 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the above-mentioned toggle switch, the direction of the operation load from the toggle body due to the operation of the knob by the occupant (downward or upward on the paper in Figs. 2B and 2C of the cited document 1) and the operating direction of the contact parts of the first electric switch and the second electric switch (leftward on the paper in Figs. 2B and 2C of the cited document 1) are in a substantially orthogonal relationship. Therefore, a rocker arm was required as a link member for converting the operation load from the toggle body into the operating direction of the contact parts of the first electric switch and the second electric switch. This resulted in an increase in the number of parts and the number of assembly steps. Therefore, there was a demand for a toggle switch that reduces the number of parts and the number of assembly steps even when the direction of the operation load from the occupant (toggle body) and the operating direction of the contact parts of the electric switch are in a substantially orthogonal relationship. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] According to one feature of the present disclosure, the toggle switch has a substrate having a fixed contact portion. The rubber switch is attached to the substrate and has a movable contact portion capable of contacting the fixed contact portion. The substrate is attached to the housing. The lever has a lever body rotatably assembled to the housing by a rotating shaft, and an arm extending from the lever body capable of pressing the rubber. The direction in which the arm presses the rubber and the direction in which the movable contact portion contacts the fixed contact portion are substantially perpendicular to each other. When the lever body is rotated in one direction around the axis of the rotating shaft, the arm presses the rubber, causing the rubber to elastically deform, and the movable contact portion contacts the fixed contact portion.

[0006] Therefore, the rubber converts the direction of the operating load from the lever when the occupant operates the lever body into the contact direction of the movable contact part with the fixed contact part. Therefore, there is no need for a member equivalent to the rocker arm as a link member described in the prior art. Therefore, even if the direction of the operating load from the occupant (lever) and the contact direction of the movable contact part with the fixed contact part are approximately perpendicular to each other, the number of parts and assembly man-hours of the toggle switch can be reduced.

[0007] According to another feature of the present disclosure, two rubber switches are attached to the board such that the pressing directions from the arms are opposite to each other, and the lever body has two arms corresponding to the two rubber switches, respectively.

[0008] This allows two operations to be performed with one lever. For example, if the lever is for setting the temperature of the air conditioning function, the set temperature can be adjusted lower or higher by operating this lever.

[0009] According to another feature of the present disclosure, the rubbers of the two rubber switches are partially connected to each other.

[0010] Therefore, even if there are two rubber switches, when assembling a toggle switch, for example, the two rubber switches can be sandwiched between the board and housing all at once, rather than individually. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall perspective view of a toggle switch according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a rear view of FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. [Diagram 5] 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. 3. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a toggle switch according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 5. In the following description, up / down, front / rear, left / right refer to the directions indicated in each figure. Toggle switch 1 is provided in an interior member (e.g., center cluster, console, etc.) of a vehicle such as an automobile (not shown) to operate various functions (e.g., air conditioning function, audio function, driving mode selection function, etc.) installed in the vehicle.

[0013] 1 to 3, in this embodiment, the toggle switch 1 has five switch functions, that is, five knobs 47 (levers 40) in the toggle switch 1. Since these five switch functions have the same configuration, only one of the switch functions will be described and the description of the remaining four switch functions will be omitted.

[0014] 2, the toggle switch 1 mainly comprises a substrate 10, a pair of left and right rubber switches 20, 25 (first rubber switch 20, second rubber switch 25), a housing 30, a lever 40, and a base panel 50. The substrate 10 controls various functions mounted on the vehicle, and comprises a pair of left and right fixed contact parts (first fixed contact part 11, second fixed contact part 12) made of a conductive material that correspond to movable contact parts 21, 26 of both rubber switches 20, 25, respectively, which will be described later. The substrate 10 is provided at each of its four corners with screw holes 13 into which screws (not shown) are screwed.

[0015] As shown in Fig. 4, the first rubber switch 20 includes a first movable contact portion 21 made of a conductive member capable of contacting the first fixed contact portion 11, and a first rubber 22 integrally molded to cover the first movable contact portion 21. The first rubber 22 is made of an elastic material such as a synthetic rubber such as silicone rubber. The first rubber 22 includes a rubber body 22a that covers the first movable contact portion 21, and a flange-shaped seat portion 22b formed via a connecting portion 22c formed to be bendable around the periphery of the front edge of the rubber body 22a.

[0016] As shown in Fig. 2, the rubber body 22a has a pressing surface 23 formed by cutting out a part (the lower rear edge). As shown in Fig. 4, the pressing surface 23 is in a substantially horizontal state when the first rubber switch 20 is sandwiched between the board 10 and the housing 30 as described below. As shown in Fig. 2, the seat portion 22b has a pair of upper and lower positioning protrusions 24 that protrude forward. As shown in Fig. 4, the connection portion 22c has an upper portion 22d located above it that is sufficiently thinner than a lower portion 22e located below it.

[0017] Therefore, when the pressing surface 23 of the rubber body 22a of the first rubber 22 is pressed from the bottom to the top, the upper part 22d of the connection part 22c of the first rubber 22 is bent. Therefore, the lower part 22e of the connection part 22c of the first rubber 22 is elastically deformed and becomes the center of rotation (hinge), causing the rubber body 22a to rotate toward the substrate 10 (in FIG. 4, the rubber body 22a rotates in the clockwise direction).

[0018] As shown in Fig. 5, the second rubber switch 25 is configured vertically symmetrical with respect to the first rubber switch 20, and includes a second movable contact portion 26 made of a conductive member capable of contacting the second fixed contact portion 12, and a second rubber 27 integrally molded to cover the second movable contact portion 26. The second rubber 27 is made of an elastic material such as a synthetic rubber such as silicone rubber. The second rubber 27 includes a rubber body 27a that covers the second movable contact portion 26, and a flange-shaped seat portion 27b formed via a connecting portion 27c formed to be bendable around the periphery of the front edge of the rubber body 27a.

[0019] As shown in Fig. 2, the rubber body 27a has a pressing surface 28 formed by cutting out a part (the upper rear edge). As shown in Fig. 5, the pressing surface 28 is in a substantially horizontal state when the second rubber switch 25 is sandwiched between the board 10 and the housing 30, as described below. In the connection part 27c, a lower part 27d located below the connection part 27c is sufficiently thinner than an upper part 27e located above the connection part 27c.

[0020] Therefore, when the pressing surface 28 of the rubber body 27a of the second rubber 27 is pressed downward from the top, the lower part 27d of the connection part 27c of the second rubber 27 is bent. Therefore, the upper part 27e of the connection part 27c of the second rubber 27 is elastically deformed and becomes the center of rotation (hinge), and the rubber body 27a rotates toward the board 10 (in FIG. 5, the rubber body 27a rotates counterclockwise). As is clear from FIG. 2, the rubbers 22, 27 of both rubber switches 20, 25 are in a state where the seat parts 22b, 27b of each rubber switch are connected to each other on the left and right. That is, both rubber switches 20, 25 are provided so as to be vertically symmetrical and adjacent to each other on the left and right.

[0021] As shown in Fig. 2, the housing 30 is configured as a square tube penetrating in the front-rear direction so that a lever 40 (described later) can be inserted therein. A U-shaped bearing hole 32 is formed on each of the left and right edges of an opening 31 on the rear side of the housing 30. The bearing hole 32 can support (receive) the rotation shaft 42 of the lever 40 so as to be rotatable. The housing 30 has approximately L-shaped extensions 33 protruding from the upper and lower front edges. The extensions 33 have a vertical wall 34 extending in the up-down direction and a horizontal wall 35 extending rearward from the tip of the vertical wall 34.

[0022] The front faces of the upper and lower vertical walls 34 (the faces not visible in FIG. 2) are formed with upper and lower pairs of positioning holes (insertable holes) corresponding to the pair of upper and lower positioning protrusions 24 of the first rubber switch 20. As shown in FIG. 3, the upper inner surface 36 of the housing 30 is provided with a bowl-shaped protrusion 36a protruding downward for positioning the two rubber switches 20, 25. Similarly, the lower inner surface 37 of the housing 30 is provided with a bowl-shaped protrusion 37a protruding upward. As shown in FIG. 3, the protrusions 36a and 37a are formed to face each other in the vertical direction. The four corners of the housing 30 (the upper and lower vertical walls 34) are each provided with a screw hole 34a through which a screw passes.

[0023] 2, 4 and 5, the lever 40 includes a lever body 41 extending in the front-rear direction, and two arms 44, 45 (a first arm 44 and a second arm 45) extending forward from a front end 43 of the lever body 41. The left and right side surfaces of the lever body 41 include cylindrical rotation shafts 42 that protrude in directions away from each other. A rear end 46 of the lever body 41 can hold a knob 47 as a tab for operation by the occupant.

[0024] The first arm 44 extends along the lower left edge of the front end 43 of the lever body 41. The tip of the first arm 44 has a bowl-shaped protrusion 44a that protrudes upward. The second arm 45 extends along the upper right edge of the front end 43 of the lever body 41. The tip of the second arm 45 has a bowl-shaped protrusion 45a that protrudes downward.

[0025] 2, 4, and 5, the base panel 50 is a design member that covers the rear side of the housing 30, and has an opening 51 at a position corresponding to the opening 31 of the housing 30. The base panel 50 can improve the design of the toggle switch 1. Engagement claws 52 are formed on each of the four corners of the front edge of the base panel 50. The engagement claws 52 are engageable with engagement portions (not shown) of the side walls 35 of the protruding portion 33 of the housing 30.

[0026] Next, an example of a procedure for assembling the toggle switch 1 consisting of the above-mentioned board 10, the pair of left and right rubber switches 20, 25, the housing 30, the lever 40, and the base panel 50 will be described. First, from the state shown in FIG. 2, the pair of upper and lower positioning protrusions 24 of the first rubber switch 20 are inserted into the pair of upper and lower positioning holes of the housing 30. As a result, both rubber switches 20, 25 are aligned to the front side of the housing 30.

[0027] Next, while maintaining this alignment, the board 10 is pressed against the front (rear) sides of both rubber switches 20, 25. At this time, the board 10 is pressed against the upper and lower vertical walls 34 of the housing 30, so that the area where it is pressed can be sufficiently secured. Therefore, the board 10 can be stabilized against the housing 30. Next, while maintaining this pressed state, a screw is inserted from the rear into the screw hole 34a of the housing 30, and the inserted screw is screwed into the screw hole 13 of the board 10 (screw tightening). This fastening operation is performed in four places.

[0028] As a result, both rubber switches 20, 25 are sandwiched between the board 10 and the housing 30. That is, the board 10 is attached to the housing 30 with both rubber switches 20, 25 sandwiched between them. Therefore, both rubber switches 20, 25 are attached to the board 10, and the board 10 is attached to the housing 30. Next, the lever 40 is inserted through the opening 31 of the housing 30, and both rotation shafts 42 of the inserted lever 40 are placed in both bearing holes 32 of the housing 30.

[0029] Next, the engaging claws 52 of the base panel 50 are engaged with the engaging portions of the housing 30, and the base panel 50 is attached to the housing 30. This prevents the lever 40 inserted into the housing 30 from falling out. Finally, the knob 47 is clamped into the rear end 46 of the lever 40 protruding from the opening 51 of the base panel 50. This clamping is performed by claw engagement (not shown). In this manner, the toggle switch 1 is assembled.

[0030] In the assembled toggle switch 1, as shown in Fig. 4, the protrusion 44a of the first arm 44 of the lever 40 is in contact with the pressing surface 23 of the first rubber switch 20. As is clear from Fig. 4, this pressing surface 23 is located above and behind the lower part 22e of the connection part 22c of the first rubber 22. In addition, the part having the pressing surface 23 has a sufficient thickness (thickness in the vertical direction) compared to the upper part 22d of the connection part 22c.

[0031] That is, the portion having the pressing surface 23 has sufficient rigidity compared to the upper portion 22d of the connection portion 22c. Therefore, when the pressing surface 23 is pressed, the upper portion 22d of the connection portion 22c bends before the portion having the pressing surface 23. As is clear from Fig. 4, the contact direction (forward direction) of the first movable contact portion 21 of the first rubber switch 20 with the first fixed contact portion 11 of the board 10 and the direction (upward direction) in which the first arm 44 of the lever 40 presses the pressing surface 23 of the first rubber 22 are substantially perpendicular to each other.

[0032] Similarly, as shown in Fig. 5, the protrusion 45a of the second arm 45 of the lever 40 is in contact with the pressing surface 28 of the second rubber switch 25. As is clear from Fig. 5, this pressing surface 28 is located below and rearward of the upper portion 27e of the connection portion 27c of the second rubber 27. Also, the portion having the pressing surface 28 has a sufficient thickness (thickness in the vertical direction) compared to the lower portion 27d of the connection portion 27c.

[0033] That is, the portion having the pressing surface 28 has sufficient rigidity compared to the lower portion 27d of the connection portion 27c. Therefore, when the pressing surface 28 is pressed, the lower portion 27d of the connection portion 27c bends before the portion having the pressing surface 28. As is clear from Fig. 5, the contact direction (forward direction) of the second movable contact portion 26 of the second rubber switch 25 with the second fixed contact portion 12 of the board 10 and the direction (downward direction) in which the second arm 45 of the lever 40 presses the pressing surface 28 of the second rubber 27 are substantially perpendicular to each other.

[0034] As already explained, in this toggle switch 1, the two rubber switches 20, 25 are attached to the substrate 10. The lever body 41 has two arms 44, 45 corresponding to the two rubber switches 20, 25, respectively. The two arms 44, 45 press the two rubber switches 20, 25 in opposite directions. As already explained, the protrusions 44a, 45a of both arms 44, 45 of the lever 40 are in contact with the pressing surfaces 23, 28 of both rubber switches 20, 25, respectively, so that the neutral position of the lever 40 is maintained.

[0035] Finally, the operation of the toggle switch 1 will be described. When the knob 47 is operated downward from the state shown by the solid line in Fig. 4 as shown by the imaginary line, the lever 40 rotates in one direction around the axis of the rotary shaft 42 together with the knob 47. Then, the tip of the protrusion 44a of the first arm 44 of the lever 40 presses the pressing surface 23 of the first rubber switch 20 from the bottom to the top, so that the upper portion 22d of the connecting portion 22c of the first rubber 22 is bent.

[0036] Therefore, the lower part 22e of the connection part 22c of the first rubber 22 elastically deforms and becomes the center of rotation (hinge), causing the rubber body 22a to rotate toward the board 10 (in FIG. 4, the rubber body 22a rotates clockwise). That is, the first rubber 22 converts the direction of the operating load from the lever 40 caused by the operation of the knob 47 into the contact direction of the first movable contact part 21 with the first fixed contact part 11.

[0037] Therefore, the first movable contact 21 of the first rubber switch 20 comes into contact with the first fixed contact 11 of the board 10 to establish a conductive state. For example, if the knob 47 is for setting the temperature of the air conditioning function, the set temperature is lowered by operating the knob 47. Since the upper inner surface 36 of the housing 30 has the protrusion 36a, the rubber body 22a can be prevented from falling over when it rotates toward the board 10. Furthermore, since the pressure from the first arm 44 to the pressing surface 23 is a point contact, the pressure can be reliably transmitted to the rubber body 22a.

[0038] 5, when the knob 47 is operated upward, as shown by imaginary lines, the lever 40 rotates in the other direction around the axis of the rotary shaft 42 together with the knob 47. Then, the tip of the protrusion 45a of the second arm 45 of the lever 40 presses the pressing surface 28 of the second rubber switch 25 from above toward below, so that the lower portion 27d of the connecting portion 27c of the second rubber 27 is bent.

[0039] Therefore, the upper portion 27e of the connection portion 27c of the second rubber 27 is elastically deformed to become the center of rotation (hinge), and the rubber body 27a rotates toward the board 10 (in FIG. 5, the rubber body 27a rotates counterclockwise). That is, the second rubber 27 converts the direction of the operation load from the lever 40 by the operation of the knob 47 into the contact direction of the second movable contact portion 26 with the second fixed contact portion 12.

[0040] Therefore, the second movable contact 26 of the second rubber switch 25 comes into contact with the second fixed contact 12 of the board 10, resulting in a conductive state. For example, if the knob 47 is for setting the temperature of the air conditioning function, the set temperature is increased by operating the knob 47. Since the lower inner surface 37 of the housing 30 has the protrusion 37a, the rubber body 27a can be prevented from falling over when it rotates toward the board 10. Furthermore, since the pressure from the second arm 45 to the pressing surface 28 is a point contact, the pressure can be reliably transmitted to the rubber body 27a.

[0041] According to the toggle switch 1 described above, the board 10 has the first fixed contact portion 11. The first rubber switch 20 is attached to the board 10 and has the first movable contact portion 21 covered by the rubber body 22a of the first rubber 22 so as to be able to contact the first fixed contact portion 11. The board 10 is attached to the housing 30. The lever 40 has a lever body 41 rotatably assembled to the housing 30 by a rotation shaft 42, and a first arm 44 extending from the lever body 41 so as to be able to press the pressing surface 23 of the first rubber 22. The direction in which the first arm 44 presses the pressing surface 23 of the first rubber 22 and the contact direction of the first movable contact portion 21 of the first rubber switch 20 with the first fixed contact portion 11 of the board 10 are substantially perpendicular to each other. When the lever body 41 is rotated in one direction around the axis of the pivot shaft 42, the lever body 41 presses the pressing surface 23 of the first rubber 22, causing the lower portion 22e of the first rubber 22 to elastically deform, and the first movable contact portion 21 comes into contact with the first fixed contact portion 11.

[0042] Therefore, the first rubber 22 converts the direction (up or down) of the operation load from the lever 40 when the occupant operates the knob 47 into the contact direction (rearward) of the first fixed contact portion 11 with the first movable contact portion 21. Therefore, there is no need for a member equivalent to the rocker arm as a link member described in the prior art. Therefore, even if the direction of the operation load from the occupant (lever 40) and the contact direction of the first fixed contact portion 11 with the first movable contact portion 21 are substantially perpendicular to each other, the number of parts and the assembly man-hours of the toggle switch 1 can be reduced.

[0043] Furthermore, the toggle switch 1 has two rubber switches 20, 25 attached to the substrate 10. The lever body 41 of the lever 40 has two arms 44, 45 to respectively correspond to the two rubber switches 20, 25. The two arms 44, 45 are pressed in opposite directions relative to the two rubber switches 20, 25. Therefore, two operations are possible with one lever 40. For example, if the lever 40 is for setting the temperature of the air conditioning function, the set temperature can be adjusted lower or higher by operating this lever 40.

[0044] Furthermore, the seat 22b of the first rubber 22 of the first rubber switch 20 and the seat 27b of the second rubber 27 of the second rubber switch 25 are connected. Therefore, even if there are two rubber switches 20, 25, when assembling the toggle switch 1, the work of sandwiching the two rubber switches 20, 25 between the board 10 and the housing 30 can be performed at once, not individually. Furthermore, four sets of rubber switches similar to the two rubber switches 20, 25 are provided as shown in FIG. 2, and the rubber seat of each rubber switch is connected to the seat 22b of the first rubber 22 and the seat 27b of the second rubber 27, so that even if there are three or more rubber switches, the work of sandwiching them between the board 10 and the housing 30 can be performed at once, not individually.

[0045] Although the embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment and can be embodied in various other forms. In the embodiment, the rubber switches 20 and 25 are vertically symmetrical and arranged adjacent to each other. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 6, the rubber switches 20 and 25 may be vertically symmetrical and arranged adjacent to each other. In FIG. 6, the same reference numerals are used for members having the same or equivalent configurations as those described in the embodiment. In this case, a reinforcing member 48 may be provided so as to protrude vertically from the lever body 41 of the lever 40. This can increase the rigidity of the lever 40 (lever body 41).

[0046] In the embodiment, the first fixed contact portion 11 is provided on the substrate 10, and the first rubber switch 20 is provided with the first movable contact portion 21. Alternatively, the substrate 10 may be provided with a switch (a switch that operates when pressed), and the first rubber switch 20 may be provided with a protrusion that presses the switch. The same applies to the second rubber switch 25.

[0047] In the embodiment, the lever 40 is configured to rotate in one direction or the other direction around the axis of the rotation shaft 42. Alternatively, the lever 40 may be configured to rotate in only one direction or the other direction around the axis of the rotation shaft 42. In that case, a stopper or the like must be provided to restrict the rotation of the lever 40 to only one direction or the other direction. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1 Toggle Switch 10 Substrate 11 1st fixed contact section 20 1st Rubber Switch 21 1st movable contact part 22 First Rubber 12 2nd fixed contact section 25 Second rubber switch 26 2nd movable contact section 27 Second Rubber 30 Housing 40 Lever 41 Lever body 42 Rotating shaft 44 First Arm 45 Second Arm

Claims

1. A toggle switch, A substrate having a fixed contact portion; a rubber switch attached to the substrate and having a movable contact portion capable of coming into contact with the fixed contact portion; a housing in which the substrate is mounted; a lever having a lever body rotatably assembled to the housing by a rotation shaft and an arm extending from the lever body so as to be able to press the rubber, a direction in which the arm presses the rubber and a direction in which the movable contact portion contacts the fixed contact portion are substantially perpendicular to each other; When the lever body is rotated in one direction around the axis of the rotation shaft, the arm presses the rubber, causing the rubber to elastically deform and the movable contact portion to come into contact with the fixed contact portion, thereby forming a toggle switch.

2. 2. The toggle switch of claim 1, Two of the rubber switches are attached to the board so that the pressing directions from the arms are opposite to each other, The lever body has two arms, each of which corresponds to one of the two rubber switches.

3. 3. A toggle switch according to claim 2, A toggle switch in which the rubbers of the two rubber switches are partially connected to each other.

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