Rotary operation switch

Abstract

To effectively prevent the ingress of liquids from the outside. [Solution] A main body case 10 having a cylindrical frame 11 with a flange portion 112 extending radially inward, a rotating cylinder 20 whose tip is housed inside the frame 11 and whose flange portion 22 extending radially outward from its rotation axis faces the flange portion 112 and is rotatably disposed around the rotation axis, and an annular groove 113 formed on the surface of the flange portion 112 facing the flange portion 22, which slides against the flange portion 22 The device is equipped with a ring-shaped packing 30 interposed between the frame 11 and the rotating cylinder 20, wherein the packing 30 extends in a manner that gradually approaches the flange portion 22 as it extends radially outward, and comprises a first outer peripheral portion 31 whose extended end 31a contacts the flange portion 22, and a second outer peripheral portion 32 which extends in a manner that gradually approaches the bottom surface 113a of the groove 113 as it extends radially outward, and whose extended end 32a contacts the bottom surface 113a.

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present invention relates to a rotary operation switch.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a rotary operation switch as a selector switch applied to a control panel or the like has been proposed in Patent Document 1. In this rotary operation switch, a rotary cylinder connected to an operation knob is rotatably accommodated in a cylindrical frame provided in a main body case. When the operation knob is operated and the rotary cylinder rotates, a contact unit provided in the main body case is opened and closed via a cam mechanism linked to the rotary cylinder. And, a ring-shaped packing is interposed between the frame and the rotary cylinder, and it has a sealing structure for preventing intrusion of liquids such as water and oil.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the rotary operation switch proposed in Patent Document 1 above, the packing has a deformed cross-sectional shape in which a ridge lip piece stands up from the center of the outer side of the bottom part of the U-shaped cross-section. The packing is interposed in a state where the tip of the ridge lip piece contacts the rotary cylinder and the tip of the bottom part contacts the frame.

[0005] In packings with such irregular cross-sectional shapes, the tip of the protruding lip piece contacts a predetermined part of the rotating cylinder in a manner that is approximately perpendicular to it. As a result, the protruding lip piece can deform when pressed by liquids such as water or oil, potentially allowing liquid to penetrate. While it is conceivable to increase the rigidity of the packing, including the protruding lip piece, to suppress deformation of the lip piece, increasing the rigidity of the packing would result in an excessive operating force required to rotate the rotating cylinder, which is undesirable.

[0006] In view of the above circumstances, the present invention aims to provide a rotary operation switch that can effectively suppress the ingress of liquid from the outside. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To achieve the above objective, the rotary operation switch according to the present invention comprises a main body case having a frame that is cylindrical in shape and has a flange portion that extends radially inward; a rotating cylinder housed inside the frame such that its rotation axis coincides with the central axis of the frame, with a flange portion that extends radially outward from the rotation axis facing the flange portion and rotatably disposed around the rotation axis; and an annular groove formed on the surface of the flange portion facing the flange portion, which is disposed slidably with the flange portion, thereby the frame A rotary operation switch comprising a ring-shaped packing interposed between the rotating cylinder and the rotating cylinder, wherein an operating knob connected to the rotating cylinder is operated, causing the rotating cylinder to rotate around the rotation axis, thereby opening and closing a contact unit provided in the main body case, characterized in that the packing comprises a first outer peripheral portion that extends in a manner that gradually approaches the flange portion as it extends radially outward, with the extended end in contact with the flange portion, and a second outer peripheral portion that extends in a manner that gradually approaches the bottom surface of the groove as it extends radially outward, with the extended end in contact with the bottom surface of the groove.

[0008] Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned rotary operation switch, the packing is arranged such that its inner circumferential portion does not come into contact with the flange portion and the groove.

[0009] Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned rotary operation switch, the packing has a Y-shaped longitudinal cross-sectional shape along the central axis. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, the packing extends such that the first outer peripheral portion gradually approaches the flange portion as it extends radially outward, and the extended end contacts the flange portion, and the second outer peripheral portion extends such that it gradually approaches the bottom surface of the groove as it extends radially outward, and the extended end contacts the bottom surface of the groove, thereby improving sealing performance and effectively suppressing the intrusion of liquid from the outside. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a rotary operation switch according to an embodiment of the present invention, with a portion of it shown in cross-section. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a perspective view showing an enlarged cross-section of portion A in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view showing an enlarged view of the main part of the rotary operation switch shown in Figure 1. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the function of the packing shown in Figure 3. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] A preferred embodiment of the rotary operation switch according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings.

[0013] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a rotary operation switch according to an embodiment of the present invention, with a portion shown in cross-section, and Figure 2 is a perspective view showing an enlarged cross-section of portion A in Figure 1. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the rotary operation switch 1 is configured to include a main body case 10, a rotating cylinder 20, and a packing 30.

[0014] The main body case 10 is made of, for example, a resin material and has a frame 11. The frame 11 has a frame body 111 and a flange portion 112. The frame body 111 is a cylindrical portion with its central axis L running in the vertical direction. The flange portion 112 is formed to extend radially inward from the upper end portion of the frame body 111. An annular groove 113 is formed on the upper surface of the flange portion 112, centered on the central axis L of the frame body 111.

[0015] Thus, the frame 11 has a cylindrical shape and a flange portion 112 that extends radially inward.

[0016] The rotating cylinder 20 is made of, for example, a resin material and has a rotating cylinder body 21 and a flange portion 22. The rotating cylinder body 21 is a cylindrical member whose outer diameter is smaller than the inner diameter of the frame body 111. The lower end of the rotating cylinder body 21 is housed inside the frame body 111, with its central axis coinciding with the central axis L of the frame body 111.

[0017] The flange portion 22 is a part that extends radially outward from the outer circumference of the rotating cylinder body 21, and its lower surface faces the upper surface of the flange portion 112. More specifically, the flange portion 22 is positioned such that its lower surface faces the groove 113.

[0018] Such a rotating cylinder 20 is rotatable around the central axis L of the rotating cylinder body 21, with the flange portion 22 positioned opposite the flange portion 112. In other words, the rotating cylinder 20 is rotatable around the rotation axis in such a manner that its axis of rotation coincides with the central axis L of the frame 11, with the tip portion which becomes the lower end of the rotating cylinder body 21 housed inside the frame 11, and the flange portion 22 which extends radially outward from the axis of rotation facing the flange portion 112.

[0019] Furthermore, the rotating cylinder 20 has an operating knob 2 connected to its base end, which is the upper end of the rotating cylinder body 21, and a cam mechanism 3, which consists of a cylindrical cam or a notched cam, is linked to its tip end, which is the lower end of the rotating cylinder body 21.

[0020] When the operating knob 2 is operated to rotate about the rotation axis, the rotating cylinder 20 opens and closes the contact unit 4 provided in the main body case 10 via the cam mechanism 3.

[0021] The packing 30 is, for example, in a ring shape made of an elastic material and is disposed in the groove 113 of the flange portion 112. As shown in FIG. 3, the packing 30 has a Y-shaped longitudinal cross-sectional shape along the central axis L of the frame 11, and the outer peripheral portion branches into two branches, having a first outer peripheral portion 31 and a second outer peripheral portion 32.

[0022] The first outer peripheral portion 31 extends gradually upward as it goes radially outward, that is, it extends in a manner of gradually approaching the flange portion 22 as it goes radially outward, and the extending end portion 31a is in contact with the flange portion 22.

[0023] The second outer peripheral portion 32 extends gradually downward as it goes radially outward, that is, it extends in a manner of gradually approaching the bottom surface 113a of the groove 113 as it goes radially outward, and the extending end portion 32a is in contact with the bottom surface 113a of the groove 113.

[0024] On the other hand, the inner peripheral portion 33 of the packing 30 is formed with a smaller vertical dimension than the outer peripheral portion (the first outer peripheral portion 31 and the second outer peripheral portion 32) and is not in contact with the groove 113 and the flange portion 22.

[0025] In this way, the packing 30 is disposed in the groove 113, and while the extending end portion 31a of the first outer peripheral portion 31 is in contact with the flange portion 22 and the extending end portion 32a of the second outer peripheral portion 32 is in contact with the bottom surface 113a of the groove 113, it is interposed between the frame 11 and the rotating cylinder 20.

[0026] Since the packing 30 is made of an elastic material, as shown in Figure 4, it is pressurized with a reaction force F1 from above and below at the extended end 31a of the first outer peripheral portion 31 and the extended end 32a of the second outer peripheral portion 32. Note that Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view, but for the sake of explanation, the packing 30 is not hatched.

[0027] In such a state, if a liquid such as water or oil enters the groove 113 from the outside as indicated by the arrow, the outer circumference of the packing 30 is bifurcated, causing the first outer circumference portion 31 and the second outer circumference portion 32 to deform as shown by the dotted line due to the pressure of the liquid. This deformation generates a load of F3 radially inward at the extended end 31a of the first outer circumference portion 31 and the extended end 32a of the second outer circumference portion 32. As a result, the reaction force from the packing 30 increases from F1 to F2, and the pressure on the groove 113 and flange portion 22 increases. This improves the sealing performance.

[0028] As described above, according to the rotary operation switch 1, which is an embodiment of the present invention, the ring-shaped packing 30 interposed between the frame 11 and the rotating cylinder 20 extends such that the first outer peripheral portion 31 gradually approaches the flange portion 22 as it extends radially outward, and the extended end 31a is in contact with the flange portion 22, and the second outer peripheral portion 32 extends such that it gradually approaches the bottom surface 113a of the groove 113 as it extends radially outward, and the extended end 32a is in contact with the bottom surface 113a of the groove 113, thereby improving sealing performance and effectively suppressing the ingress of liquid from the outside.

[0029] Furthermore, with respect to the rotary operation switch 1, the packing 30 is in contact with the flange portion 22 and the groove 113 at the extended end 31a of the first outer peripheral portion 31 and the extended end 32a of the second outer peripheral portion 32, while the inner peripheral portion 33 is not in contact with the flange portion 22 and the groove 113. Therefore, frictional resistance can be made to the minimum necessary size, and the operating force required to rotate the rotary cylinder 20 and the operating force on the operating knob 2 can be reduced.

[0030] Furthermore, with respect to the rotary operation switch 1, the packing 30 only has its outer circumference branched into two, so the vertical dimension can be made significantly smaller compared to conventional packings with an irregular cross-sectional shape in which a protruding lip piece rises from the center of the outer side of the U-shaped base. As a result, the height dimension of the groove 113 in which the packing 30 is installed can be reduced, and the overall size of the device can be reduced.

[0031] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications can be made.

[0032] In the above-described embodiment, the packing 30 had a Y-shaped longitudinal cross-sectional shape along the central axis L of the frame 11. However, in the present invention, it is sufficient to have a first outer peripheral portion that extends in a manner that gradually approaches the flange portion as it extends radially outward, with the extended end in contact with the flange portion, and a second outer peripheral portion that extends in a manner that gradually approaches the bottom surface of the groove as it extends radially outward, with the extended end in contact with the bottom surface of the groove. The longitudinal cross-sectional shape may be X-shaped, or a portion extending radially outward may be provided between the first outer peripheral portion and the second outer peripheral portion. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0033] 1... Rotary operation switch, 2... Operation knob, 3... Cam mechanism, 4... Contact unit, 10... Main case, 11... Frame, 111... Frame body, 112... Flange part, 113... Groove, 20... Rotating cylinder, 21... Rotating cylinder body, 22... Flange part, 30... Packing, 31... First outer circumference part, 32... Second outer circumference part, 31a, 32a... Extended end part, 33... Inner circumference part.

Claims

1. The main body case has a frame that is cylindrical in shape and has a flange portion that extends radially inward, A rotating cylinder is housed inside the frame such that its axis of rotation coincides with the central axis of the frame, and a flange portion extending radially outward from the axis of rotation faces the flange portion, and is rotatably disposed around the axis of rotation, A ring-shaped packing is interposed between the frame and the rotating cylinder by being disposed within an annular groove formed on the surface of the flange portion facing the flange portion so as to be in sliding contact with the flange portion. Equipped with, A rotary operation switch is provided in which an operating knob connected to the rotating cylinder is operated, causing the rotating cylinder to rotate around the rotation axis, thereby opening and closing a contact unit provided in the main body case. The aforementioned packing is A first outer peripheral portion that extends radially outward, gradually approaching the flange portion, and whose extended end is in contact with the flange portion, A second outer peripheral portion that extends radially outward, gradually approaching the bottom surface of the groove, and whose extended end is in contact with the bottom surface of the groove. A rotary operation switch characterized by having the following features.

2. The rotary operation switch according to claim 1, characterized in that the packing is arranged such that its inner circumference does not come into contact with the flange and the groove.

3. The rotary operation switch according to claim 2, characterized in that the packing has a Y-shaped longitudinal cross-sectional shape along the central axis.

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