switch

Abstract

To provide a switch that reduces the peak of an operation load in a push-in operation process.SOLUTION: A switch includes a movable member 6 in which movable pieces 61 and 62 extending from a swing shaft 60 can swing around the swing shaft 60, and a pressing member 4 that presses the movable pieces 61 and 62 while moving under a push-in operation. The movable pieces 61 and 62 swing under pressure from the pressing member 4. The pressing member 4 includes a first contact portion 41a that slides along an extension direction of the movable pieces 61 and 62 while being in contact with the movable pieces 61 and 62 due to the movement by the push-in operation, and a second contact portion 4c that contacts the movable pieces 61 and 62 at a position different from that of the first contact portion 41a due to the movement by the push-in operation. The pressing member 4 presses the movable pieces 61 and 62 downward substantially perpendicular to the moving direction by the first contact portion 41a in the contact state. Further, the pressing member 4 presses the movable piece 62 in a direction substantially parallel to the moving direction by the second contact portion 4c.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a switch that functions in response to a depression operation. [Background technology]

[0002] Trigger switches that open and close a circuit when pressed are widely used as switches for controlling the operation of power tools. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a trigger switch that has a movable contact that rotates like a seesaw.

[0003] Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the inside of a conventional trigger switch. Fig. 10 shows a conventional trigger switch of the type disclosed in Patent Document 1. The conventional trigger switch PA1 shown in Fig. 10 includes a movable contact piece PA2 that rotates in a seesaw shape, and a push button PA3 that receives a pushing operation and moves while pressing the movable contact piece PA2. In the trigger switch PA1 of Fig. 10, when the trigger receives a pushing operation, the push button PA3 slides in a direction perpendicular to the pushing direction while pressing the sliding surface of the movable contact piece PA2, causing the movable contact piece PA2 to rotate in a seesaw shape. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-099645 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, conventional trigger switches of the type described in Patent Document 1 have the problem that the operating load is large because the movable contact piece PA2 is pressed in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement caused by the trigger being pressed, while the movable contact piece PA2 slides in response to the pressing operation.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide a switch that can reduce the operational load. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the switch described in the present application comprises a movable member having a movable piece extending from an oscillation axis that can oscillate around the oscillation axis, and a pressing member that presses the movable piece while moving in response to a pushing operation, wherein the movable piece is a switch that oscillates in response to pressure from the pressing member, and the pressing member comprises a first abutment portion that slides along the extension direction of the movable piece while in contact with the movable piece as the movable piece moves due to the pushing operation, and a second abutment portion that abuts against the movable piece at a position different from the first abutment portion as the movable piece moves due to the pushing operation, and the pressing member presses the movable piece with the first abutment portion and the second abutment portion in abutting contact state.

[0008] The switch further includes a biasing member that biases the first contact portion in a direction substantially perpendicular to the movement direction of the pressing member, the first contact portion being biased by the biasing member to press the movable piece in a direction substantially perpendicular to the movement direction of the pressing member, and the second contact portion being biased to press the movable piece in a direction substantially parallel to the movement direction of the pressing member.

[0009] In addition, in the switch, during the process of movement of the pressing member by a pressing operation, the section over which the first abutment portion abuts against the movable piece is longer than the section over which the second abutment portion abuts against the movable piece.

[0010] The switch is further characterized in that it includes a fixed contact, the movable member has a movable contact near the tip extending from the oscillation axis of the movable piece, and the movable contact moves toward and away from the fixed contact as the movable piece oscillates. Effect of the Invention

[0011] The switch according to the present invention is applied to a switch that includes a pressing member that receives a pressing operation and moves to press a movable piece, and the movable piece swings in response to the pressure from the pressing member. In the switch according to the present invention, the pressing member presses the movable piece with a first contact portion that slides along the extension direction of the movable piece while in contact with the movable piece as the movable piece moves due to the pressing operation, and a second contact portion that contacts the movable piece at a position different from the first contact portion as the movable piece moves due to the pressing operation. This allows the switch according to the present invention to achieve excellent effects such as reducing the operating load. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the appearance of a trigger switch described in the present application. [Diagram 2] 1 is a schematic side view showing an example of a main part of a trigger switch described in the present application. [Diagram 3] 1 is a schematic exploded view showing an example of a main part of a trigger switch described in the present application. [Figure 4] 2 is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing an example of a cross section of a pressing member and a member around the pressing member included in the trigger switch described in the present application. FIG. [Diagram 5] 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a movable member included in a trigger switch described in the present application; [Figure 6] 1 is a schematic side view showing an enlarged view of a portion of a trigger switch described in the present application. [Figure 7] 1 is a schematic side view showing an enlarged view of a portion of a trigger switch described in the present application. [Figure 8] 1 is a schematic side view showing an enlarged view of a portion of a trigger switch described in the present application. [Figure 9A] 1 is a graph showing the dynamic relationships associated with a trigger switch. [Figure 9B] 1 is a graph showing the dynamic relationships associated with a trigger switch. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the inside of a conventional trigger switch. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0014] <Application Examples> The switch described in the present application is applicable to trigger switches incorporated in various electric devices, including electric tools equipped with a drive unit such as a motor, such as an electric drill, an electric saw, an electric screwdriver, an electric wrench, an electric grinder, etc. In the following embodiment, the switch described in the present application will be described with reference to the drawings, taking as an example a trigger switch TS incorporated in an electric tool.

[0015] <Embodiment> <Configuration example> FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the appearance of a trigger switch TS described in the present application. FIG. 1 shows the appearance of the trigger switch TS that can be incorporated into various electric devices such as power tools. The trigger switch TS is a switch operated by an operator of the electric device, and when the operator presses in a trigger 1 of the trigger switch TS, a drive unit such as an electric motor built into the electric device is driven. The trigger switch TS includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped housing 2 that is incorporated into the electric device, and the trigger 1 that can be pressed by the operator. The housing 2 is formed by combining two halves.

[0016] The internal structure of the trigger switch TS will be described. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing an example of the main part of the trigger switch TS described in the present application. FIG. 3 is a schematic exploded view showing an example of the main part of the trigger switch TS described in the present application. In FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the trigger 1 of the trigger switch TS and the front half of the housing 2 as viewed in FIG. 2 are removed in order to visually confirm the internal structure of the trigger switch TS. In the following description, the left side as viewed in FIG. 2 is expressed as left, the right side as viewed in FIG. 2 as right, the upper side as up, and the lower side as down, but these directions are for the convenience of description and do not limit the direction when the trigger switch TS is used.

[0017] The trigger switch TS includes an axis member 3, a pressing member 4, a returning member 5, a movable member 6, a first terminal member 7, and a second terminal member 8. A substantially circular through hole 20 is formed in the left side surface of the housing 2, and the axis member 3 passes through the through hole 20 to penetrate from the inside to the outside of the housing 2. The pressing member 4, the returning member 5, the movable member 6, the first terminal member 7, and the second terminal member 8 are housed within the housing 2.

[0018] The shaft member 3 is a member that transmits the pushing operation received by the trigger 1 to the pressing member 4. The shaft member 3 is a generally rod-shaped plunger that is disposed generally horizontally so that the longitudinal direction is the left-right direction. In the shaft member 3, the radial cross section of the portion that passes through the through hole 20 of the housing 2 is generally circular with an outer diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the through hole 20. The trigger 1 illustrated in FIG. 1 is attached to the left end side of the shaft member 3, and the pressing member 4 is attached to the right end side. When an operator performs a pushing operation on the trigger 1, the shaft member 3 moves rightward together with the trigger 1 that moves rightward in response to the pushing operation.

[0019] FIG. 4 is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing an example of a cross section of the pressing member 4 and the members around the pressing member 4 included in the trigger switch TS described in the present application. The pressing member 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4. The pressing member 4 is a member that moves together with the shaft member 3 to press the movable member 6. The pressing member 4 has an outer shape in which an upper body 4a and a lower body 4b each having a rectangular parallelepiped shape are connected vertically, and the lower body 4b is shifted to the right side with respect to the upper body 4a. The pressing member 4 has the left side surface of the upper body 4a attached to the right end of the shaft member 3, and moves to the right together with the trigger 1 and the shaft member 3 in response to a pressing operation by an operator. The pressing member 4 presses the movable member 6 arranged below while moving in response to a pressing operation. A return member 5 using a return spring such as a compression coil spring is arranged on the right side surface of the upper body 4a of the pressing member 4, and biases the pressing member 4 to the left. When the operator releases the pushing operation, the trigger 1, the shaft member 3 and the pressing member 4 are pressed by the return member 5, and move to the left.

[0020] Inside the pressing member 4, an opening 40 is formed, which is drilled in a substantially cylindrical shape extending upward from the surface of the lower end. The lower end of the opening 40 is open at the lower end of the pressing member 4, and the upper end of the opening 40 is the inner top surface of the pressing member 4. Inside the opening 40, a contact member 41 that presses the movable member 6 and a biasing member 42 that biases the contact member 41 downward are housed. The contact member 41 is a pusher with an upper portion substantially cylindrical and a lower portion substantially conical, and is housed in the opening 40 so as to be movable up and down while being guided by the side wall of the opening 40. The lower end of the contact member 41, which corresponds to the apex of the cone, abuts against the movable member 6 as a first contact portion 41a. The biasing member 42 is formed of a member having a biasing force, such as a compression coil spring. An upper end of the biasing member 42 contacts the inner top surface which is the upper end of the opening 40, and a lower end of the biasing member 42 contacts the upper end of the abutting member 41, biasing the abutting member 41 downward. The biasing member 42 biases the abutting member 41 having the first abutting portion 41a downward, which is a direction substantially perpendicular to the left-right direction which is the movement direction of the pressing member 4. The first abutting portion 41a of the abutting member 41 is biased by the biasing member 42 to press the movable member 6 downward, which is a direction substantially perpendicular to the left-right direction which is the movement direction of the pressing member 4.

[0021] The side that is the lower right corner of the lower body 4b of the pressing member 4 serves as a second contact portion 4c that contacts the movable member 6 at a position different from the first contact portion 41a. When the pressing member 4 moves to the right, the second contact portion 4c presses the movable member 6 to the right, which is approximately parallel to the movement direction.

[0022] The return member 5 is a member that returns the pressing member 4 that has moved to the right to its original position. The return member 5 is a member that uses a return spring such as a compression coil spring, and is disposed to the right of the pressing member 4. The right end of the return member 5 contacts the inner wall of the housing 2, and the left end urges the pressing member 4 leftward.

[0023] Fig. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the movable member 6 included in the trigger switch TS described in the present application. The movable member 6 will be described with reference to Figs. 2 to 5. The movable member 6 is a member that swings when pressed by the pressing member 4, and electrically connects and disconnects the first terminal member 7 and the second terminal member 8. The movable member 6 includes a swing shaft 60, a first movable piece 61 extending rightward from the swing shaft 60, and a second movable piece 62 extending leftward from the swing shaft 60. The movable member 6 is formed by bending a conductive metal plate.

[0024] The swing shaft 60 is formed by bending a metal plate into an arc shape, and is fitted into the first terminal member 7 and supported so as to be swingable. A first movable piece 61 extending rightward from the swing shaft 60 and a second movable piece 62 extending leftward form an obtuse angle on the upper side. A sliding plate 63 that slides in a state where the first contact portion 41a of the pressing member 4 is in contact with the first movable piece 61 and the second movable piece 62 is attached to the upper surfaces of the first contact portion 41a and the second contact portion 4c. The sliding plate 63 is attached to the upper surfaces of the first contact portion 41a and the second contact portion 4c, and is attached to the swing shaft 60 so as to span between the root portion of the upper surface of the first contact portion 41a and the root portion of the upper surface of the second contact portion 4c. A movable contact 610 is attached to the lower surface near the tip of the first movable piece 61.

[0025] When the trigger 1 is pressed, the movable member 6 is pressed by the first contact portion 41a and the second contact portion 4c of the pressing member 4, and swings rightward (clockwise) around the swing axis 60. When the movable member 6 swings rightward (clockwise), the first movable piece 61 moves down, and the movable contact 610 comes into contact with the fixed contact 80 attached to the second terminal member 8, thereby establishing electrical continuity between the first terminal member 7 and the second terminal member 8.

[0026] The first terminal member 7 is a member that serves as a terminal that electrically connects the trigger switch TS to an external circuit. The lower part of the first terminal member 7 is a first external terminal 70 that is connected to an external circuit, and a first internal terminal piece 71 extends upward from the first external terminal 70. The first internal terminal piece 71 extends upward, bends at a substantially right angle midway, and extends horizontally to the right. A receiving portion 72 is formed on the horizontal portion of the first internal terminal piece 71, which is bent in a concave shape on the upper surface to receive the swing shaft 60 of the movable member 6. The first terminal member 7 supports the movable member 6 so that it can swing by the receiving portion 72.

[0027] The second terminal member 8 is a member that serves as a terminal that electrically connects the trigger switch TS to an external circuit. The second terminal member 8 has a second external terminal 81 at its lower portion that is connected to an external circuit, and a second internal terminal piece 82 extends upward from the second external terminal 81. The second internal terminal piece 82 extends upward, bends at a substantially right angle midway, and extends horizontally to the right. A fixed contact 80 is attached to the upper surface near the tip of the horizontal portion of the second internal terminal piece 82. The fixed contact 80 comes into contact with and separates from the movable contact 610 of the swinging movable member 6.

[0028] <Example of operation> The operation of the trigger switch TS described in the present application and configured as above will be described. FIG. 6 is a schematic side view showing an enlarged portion of the trigger switch TS described in the present application. FIG. 6 shows an enlarged view of the pressing member 4 and the movable member 6 periphery with the trigger 1 and the front half of the housing 2 of the trigger switch TS removed. FIG. 6 shows a reference position state where the trigger 1 is not pressed. In the reference position, the extension direction of the second movable piece 62 of the movable member 6 is approximately horizontal, and the extension direction of the first movable piece 61 is approximately diagonally upward to the right. The first contact portion 41a of the pressing member 4 contacts the sliding plate 63 on the upper surface of the second movable piece 62 of the movable member 6, and presses the second movable piece 62 downward. The second contact portion 4c of the pressing member 4 contacts the sliding plate 63 on the upper surface of the first movable piece 61 of the movable member 6. The movable contact 610 attached to the first movable piece 61 of the movable member 6 is separated from the fixed contact 80 attached to the second terminal member 8, and the circuit between the first terminal member 7 and the second terminal member 8 is open.

[0029] FIG. 7 is a schematic side view showing an enlarged portion of the trigger switch TS described in the present application. FIG. 7 shows a state in which the operator performs a pushing operation from the state shown in FIG. 6, and the pressing member 4 moves to the right together with the trigger 1 and the shaft member 3. As the pressing member 4 moves due to the pushing operation, the first contact portion 41a passes over the swing shaft 60 and comes into contact with the sliding plate 63 on the first movable piece 61, and presses the first movable piece 61 downward. The movable member 6 is biased in a direction to swing clockwise by the downward pressure from the first contact portion 41a. As the pressing member 4 moves, the second contact portion 4c presses the first movable piece 61 to the right. The movable member 6 is biased in a direction to swing clockwise by the rightward pressure from the second contact portion 4c. The pressing force by the first contact portion 41a is a pressing force by the pressing member 42 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the moving direction of the pressing member 4. The pressing force by the second contact portion 4c is a pressing force in a direction substantially parallel to the moving direction of the pressing member 4 by the pressing operation, and the force that swings the movable member 6 clockwise by the pressing operation is more easily transmitted to the first movable piece 61 than to the first contact portion 41a. The movable member 6 pressed by the pressing member 4 by the first contact portion 41a and the second contact portion 4c starts to swing clockwise.

[0030] FIG. 8 is a schematic side view showing an enlarged part of the trigger switch TS described in the present application. FIG. 8 shows a state in which the pressing operation is further performed from the state shown in FIG. 7, and the pressing member 4 moves to the right together with the trigger 1 and the shaft member 3. FIG. 8 shows a state in which the movable member 6 is swung to the limit of the swing range, the extension direction of the first movable piece 61 is approximately horizontal, and the extension direction of the second movable piece 62 is approximately diagonally upward to the left. With the movement of the pressing member 4 by the pushing operation, the first abutment portion 41a slides along the extension direction of the first movable piece 61 while in contact with the first movable piece 61, and presses the first movable piece 61 downward. When the movable member 6 swings beyond a predetermined angle, the second abutment portion 4c moves away from the first movable piece 61. The movable contact 610 attached to the first movable piece 61 of the movable member 6 abuts against the fixed contact 80 attached to the second terminal member 8, and the circuit between the first terminal member 7 and the second terminal member 8 is closed.

[0031] When the operator releases the pushing operation from the state shown in FIG. 8, the pressing member 4 is biased by the returning member 5 to move leftward and return to the reference position shown in FIG.

[0032] <Mechanical effects> 9A and 9B are graphs showing the dynamic relationship of the trigger switch TS. FIG. 9A shows the dynamic relationship of the trigger switch TS described in the present application, in which the first contact portion 41a and the second contact portion 4c press the movable member 6. FIG. 9B shows, for comparison, the dynamic relationship of the conventional type trigger switch PA1 shown in FIG. 10, in which the movable contact piece PA2 (corresponding to the movable member 6) is pressed only by the push button PA3 (corresponding to the first contact portion 41a). In FIGS. 9A and 9B, the horizontal axis shows the length of the stroke (push amount) of the trigger 1, and the vertical axis shows the load required for operation. The solid line shows the relationship between the stroke and the load when the trigger 1 is pressed, and the dotted line shows the relationship between the stroke and the load when the trigger 1 is released.

[0033] During the process of the pressing operation, the movable member 6 is pressed not only by the first contact portion 41a but also by the second contact portion 4c from the start of the pressing operation until the stroke reaches a predetermined length, so the load is larger than when the movable member 6 is pressed only by the first contact portion 41a. However, the second contact portion 4c easily transmits the force of the pressing operation to the first movable piece 61, so that the maximum value of the load is suppressed at the peak portion of the load that occurs during the pressing operation. In other words, during the movement process of the pressing member 4 by the pressing operation, the first contact portion 41a is always in contact with the first movable piece 61 or the second movable piece 62, and the second contact portion 4c is in contact with the first movable piece 61 from the start of the pressing operation until the stroke reaches a predetermined length. That is, in the process of moving the pressing member by a pushing operation, the section where the first contact portion 41a contacts the first movable piece 61 or the second movable piece 62 is longer than the section where the second contact portion 4c contacts the first movable piece 61. The first contact portion 41a always presses the movable member 6 downward, but in the section where it is difficult to apply a force to swing the movable member 6, in addition to the first contact portion 41a, the second contact portion 4c presses the movable member 6 to the right, so that the movable member 6 can be swung with a small force.

[0034] As described above, the trigger switch TS described in the present application presses the movable pieces (first movable piece 61, second movable piece 62) with the first contact portion 41a that slides along the extension direction of the movable pieces (first movable piece 61, second movable piece 62) while in contact with the movable pieces (first movable piece 61, second movable piece 62) as the pressing member 4 moves due to a pressing operation, and the second contact portion 4c that abuts against the movable piece (first movable piece 61) at a position different from the first contact portion 41a. This provides excellent effects such as the ability to reduce the peak of the operating load during the pressing operation process. In particular, in the case of a trigger switch TS designed so that the second contact portion 4c presses the movable piece (first movable piece 61) in a direction substantially parallel to the moving direction of the pressing member 4, the pressing force from the second contact portion 4c is a pressing force in a direction substantially parallel to the moving direction of the pressing member 4 by the pressing operation, and the force that swings the movable member 6 clockwise by the pressing operation is more easily transmitted to the movable piece (first movable piece 61) than the first contact portion 41a. Therefore, the trigger switch TS described in the present application has excellent effects such as being able to further reduce the peak of the operating load during the pressing operation process.

[0035] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented in various other forms. Therefore, the above-described embodiment is merely illustrative in all respects and should not be interpreted as being restrictive. The technical scope of the present invention is described by the claims, and is not restricted in any way by the text of the specification. Furthermore, all modifications and changes within the equivalent scope of the claims are within the scope of the present invention.

[0036] For example, in the above embodiment, a form applied to a trigger switch TS incorporated in an electric power tool was shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to various switches having a seesaw-shaped movable member 6.

[0037] Furthermore, for example, in the above embodiment, a configuration using a movable member 6 having a first movable piece 61 and a second movable piece 62 was exemplified, but the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to various configurations, such as using a movable member 6 in which the movable piece extends in only one direction from the oscillating axis 60. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] TS Trigger Switch (Switch) 1 Trigger 2. Chassis 3 Shaft member 4 Pressing member 4c 2nd contact part 41 Contact member 41a 1st contact part 42 biasing member 5 Returning member 6 Movable parts 60 Swing Axis 61 1st movable piece 610 Movable contact 62 2nd movable piece 63 Sliding plate 7 First terminal member 8 Second terminal member 80 Fixed contacts

Claims

1. A switch comprising: a movable member having a movable piece extending from a pivot shaft and pivotable about the pivot shaft; and a pressing member which, in response to a pressing operation, moves and presses the movable piece, the movable piece being pivoted by pressure from the pressing member; The pressing member is a first contact portion that slides in a direction in which the movable piece extends while being in contact with the movable piece in response to a movement caused by a pushing operation; a second contact portion that contacts the movable piece at a position different from the first contact portion as the movable piece moves due to a pushing operation; Equipped with The first contact portion is configured to press the movable piece in a direction substantially perpendicular to a moving direction of the pressing member, The second contact portion is configured to press the movable piece in a direction substantially parallel to a moving direction of the pressing member, The pressing member is The first contact portion is configured to slide beyond the pivot shaft as the pressing operation is performed to move the pressing portion from a state where the pressing operation is not performed, The first contact portion and the second contact portion contact the movable piece before the movable piece passes the pivot axis, The movable piece is pressed by the first contact portion and the second contact portion in a contacting state. A switch characterized by:

2. 2. The switch of claim 1, The movable piece is bent at the pivot shaft and extends in two directions, The first contact portion comes into contact with the other movable piece across the pivot shaft from one of the bent movable pieces, and the second contact portion comes into contact only with the other movable piece. A switch characterized by:

3. 3. A switch according to claim 1 or 2, During a process of movement of the pressing member by a pressing operation, a section in which the first contact portion contacts the movable piece is longer than a section in which the second contact portion contacts the movable piece. A switch characterized by:

4. A switch according to any one of claims 1 to 3, With fixed contacts, The movable member is a movable contact point is provided near a tip of the movable piece extending from the oscillation shaft, When the movable piece swings, the movable contact moves toward and away from the fixed contact. A switch characterized by:

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