Switching device
The switch device addresses miniaturization and assembly challenges by using a knob extension to reduce disengagement forces, enabling compact design and improved assembly without a restricting wall.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- TOYO DENSO CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2022-02-17
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-23
Smart Images
Figure 0007878893000001 
Figure 0007878893000002 
Figure 0007878893000003
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to a switch device, and more particularly to a switch device for operating a motor for driving a power window of an automobile or the like.
Background Art
[0002] As shown in FIG. 8(A), a switch device for operating a motor for driving a power window of an automobile or the like includes a housing-shaped case 80 and a knob 81 attached to an opening at the tip of a cylindrical portion 80b protruding from the upper surface 80a of the case 80. The knob 81 engages with a rotating shaft member 80c provided in the cylindrical portion 80b and rotates in a seesaw shape with respect to the case 80 around the rotating shaft member 80c (see the white arrow in the figure).
[0003] In the switch device of FIG. 8, when the front end 81a of the knob 81 is pulled up by a user operation, the knob 81 first rotates around the rotating shaft member 80c (see FIG. 8(B)). However, when the amount of rotation increases, the rear end 81b of the knob 81 abuts against a stopper portion 80d provided on the case 80 (see FIG. 8(C)). Thereafter, the knob 81 rotates with respect to the case 80 with the stopper portion 80d as a fulcrum. At this time, the force for pulling up the front end 81a of the knob 81 acts as an engagement release force 82 that attempts to release the engagement between the knob 81 and the rotating shaft member 80c on the engagement portion 81c of the knob 81 with the rotating shaft member 80c due to the lever principle. Therefore, there is a risk that the knob 81 will disengage from the cylindrical portion 80b of the case 80.
[0004] By the way, when the knob 81 comes off from the cylindrical portion 80b of the case 80, the knob 81 is deformed. Therefore, a technique has been proposed in which a regulating wall (not shown) is erected on the side of the knob 81 to suppress the deformation of the knob 81 and, as a result, suppress the detachment of the knob 81 from the case 80 (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0005]
Patent Document 1
[0006] However, erecting a restrictive wall on the side of the knob 81 reduces the freedom of layout for each component of the switch device, which hinders miniaturization of the switch device. In addition, the restrictive wall may become an obstacle when attaching the knob 81 to the case 80, leading to a decrease in the ease of assembly of the switch device.
[0007] The object of the present invention is to provide a switch device that increases the degree of freedom in the layout of each component while suppressing a decrease in ease of assembly. [Means for solving the problem]
[0008] To achieve the above objective, the switch device of the present invention comprises a base case, a cylindrical portion protruding from the case, and a knob which is an operating member attached to a fitting portion provided on the cylindrical portion, wherein the knob rotates in a seesaw manner around a pivot shaft member provided on the cylindrical portion, the knob has at least an operating portion that can be pulled up on one side divided by the pivot shaft member, and a contact portion on the other side divided by the pivot shaft member, the case has a stopper portion that contacts the contact portion when the operating portion is pulled up, the knob has an extension portion that extends to the other side, the contact portion is provided on the extension portion, the knob has a side wall connecting the one side and the other side, and the extension portion protrudes toward the case from the end of the side wall on the case side on the one side. Furthermore, when the knob is not rotating in a seesaw-like manner, the first distance from the pivot shaft member to the stopper portion is 60% or more of the second distance from the operating point to the stopper portion when the knob is being pulled up, the knob has another contact portion on one side, the case has another stopper portion that the other contact portion contacts when the operating portion is being pushed in, when the knob is not rotating, the first distance is greater than or equal to the third distance from the pivot shaft member to the other stopper portion, and the other contact portion protrudes toward the case side beyond the end of the side wall. . [Effects of the Invention]
[0009] According to the present invention, since the contact portion of the knob is provided on the extension portion of the knob, when the contact portion of the knob contacts the stopper portion of the case and the stopper portion acts as a fulcrum for the knob to rotate relative to the case, the distance from the pivot shaft member to the stopper portion can be made relatively larger than the distance from the operating portion of the knob to the stopper portion. As a result, the disengagement force acting on the engagement portion of the knob with the pivot shaft member due to the lever principle caused by the force pulling up the operating portion of the knob can be reduced, and the detachment of the knob from the case can be suppressed. As a result, it is not necessary to provide a restricting wall on the side of the knob, thereby increasing the degree of freedom in the layout of each component of the switch device and suppressing a decrease in the ease of assembly of the switch device. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0010] [Figure 1] This is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of a switch device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the knob on the switch device. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the switch device case. [Figure 4] This is a cross-sectional view along line AA in Figure 1. [Figure 5] This is a process diagram illustrating the rotational movement of the knob when the front end of the knob of the switch device shown in Figure 1 is pulled up. [Figure 6] This is a cross-sectional view illustrating the difference in shape between a knob on a conventional switch device and a knob on a switch device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] This is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a modified configuration of a switch device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] This is a process diagram illustrating the rotational movement of a knob when the front end of the knob on a conventional switch device is pulled up. [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[0012] Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of a switch device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In Figure 1, the switch device 10 comprises a housing-shaped case 11 that serves as the base, four knobs 12 to 15 as operating members arranged in two vertical and two horizontal rows on the upper surface 11a of the case 11, and a frame-shaped panel 16 positioned above the case 11 and surrounding the four knobs 12 to 15. The switch device 10 is mounted, for example, on the door trim of a vehicle, where the X direction in the figure indicates the left-right direction in the vehicle, the Y direction indicates the front-rear direction in the vehicle, and the Z direction indicates the up-down direction in the vehicle.
[0013] In the switch device 10, knob 12 is positioned to the front left, knob 13 to the front right, knob 14 to the rear left, and knob 15 to the rear right. Knob 12 corresponds to the power window drive motor for the vehicle's front left door, knob 13 to the power window drive motor for the vehicle's front right door, knob 14 to the power window drive motor for the vehicle's rear left door, and knob 15 to the power window drive motor for the vehicle's rear right door. By operating any of knobs 12 to 15 in a seesaw-like manner, the user can drive the corresponding power window drive motor and move the desired window up and down.
[0014] Furthermore, the panel 16 has a flange portion 16a that extends horizontally at the top, an opening 16b that accommodates the four knobs 12-15, and a wall-shaped shielding portion 16c positioned in the opening 16b where the four knobs 12-15 are not present. The flange portion 16a and the shielding portion 16c prevent the case 11 from being visible to the user when the switch device 10 is mounted, for example, on the door trim of a vehicle.
[0015] Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the knob 12 of the switch device 10, and Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the case 11 of the switch device 10. Figure 2(A) shows the knob 12 viewed from the lower left, Figure 2(B) shows the knob 12 viewed from below, and Figure 3 shows the case 11 viewed from the upper left.
[0016] The case 11 has four cylindrical portions 17a to 17d that protrude upward from the top surface 11a. The knob 12 has a projection 12a that protrudes downward. When the projection 12a of the knob 12 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 17a, the knob 12 is attached to a fitting portion 30a provided near the tip of the cylindrical portion 17a. The cylindrical portion 17a also has a pivot shaft member 18a, which is a cylindrical convex portion that protrudes inward to the left and right in the fitting portion 30a. When the knob 12 is attached to the fitting portion 30a, it has a front wall 12d that covers the front of the cylindrical portion 17a, a rear wall 12e that covers the rear of the cylindrical portion 17a, a right side wall 12b that covers the right side of the cylindrical portion 17a, and a left side wall 12f that covers the left side of the cylindrical portion 17a. The right side wall 12b and the left side wall 12f connect the front wall 12d (one side) and the rear wall 12e (the other side), respectively. Furthermore, the knob 12 is connected to the upper ends of the front wall 12d, the rear wall 12e, the right side wall 12b, and the left side wall 12f, and has a top surface 12h facing the opening 17g that opens to the upper part of the cylindrical portion 17a. The knob 12 has a round hole-shaped engaging portion 19a that opens in the left-right direction at the projection 12a. When the projection 12a of the knob 12 is attached to the fitting portion 30a of the cylindrical portion 17a, the pivot shaft member 18a engages with the engaging portion 19a. When the knob 12 is attached to the cylindrical portion 17a, the walls of the cylindrical portion 17a are inserted between the right side wall 12b and the left side wall 12f and the projection 12a. This improves the rigidity of the knob 12 and the cylindrical portion 17a in the left-right direction, and when the operating force acting on the knob 12 acts on the right wall 12b, the left wall 12f, the protrusion 12a, and the wall portion of the cylindrical portion 17a, these become less likely to deform outward in the left-right direction, and as a result, contributes to preventing the knob 12 from coming off. The pivot shaft member 18a of the cylindrical portion 17a may protrude outward in the left-right direction.
[0017] Furthermore, the knobs 13 to 15 also each have a protruding portion similar to the protruding portion 12a, and by inserting the protruding portion into the corresponding cylindrical portion, the knobs 13 to 15 are attached to the respective fitting portions of the cylindrical portions 17b to 17d. Also, each of the cylindrical portions 17b to 17d has a rotating shaft member similar to the rotating shaft member 18a, and each of the knobs 13 to 15 also has an engaging portion similar to the engaging portion 19a at the protruding portion. When the protruding portions of the respective knobs 13 to 15 are attached to the fitting portions of the corresponding cylindrical portions, the rotating shaft member of the cylindrical portion engages with the engaging portion.
[0018] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 1, showing the cross-section of the knob 12 and the cylindrical portion 17a of the case 11. As described above, since the rotating shaft member 18a of the fitting portion 30a of the cylindrical portion 17a of the case 11 engages with the engaging portion 19a of the protruding portion 12a of the knob 12, the knob 12 rotates around the rotation axis 20a that penetrates the center of the rotating shaft member 18a (engaging portion 19a) in the left-right direction (X direction in the figure). That is, the knob 12 rotates in a seesaw shape with respect to the case 11 around the rotation axis 20a (see the white arrow in the figure).
[0019] The knob 12 has an operation portion 23a provided on the front end side (one side) divided by the rotating shaft member 18a in the front-rear direction, and a contact portion 21a provided on the rear end side (the other side) divided by the rotating shaft member 18a in the front-rear direction. When the user operates the knob 12, the user pulls up the operation portion 23a of the knob 12 toward the top surface 12h side of the knob 12, or pushes it into the case 11 side. Also, in the switch device 10, when the user pulls up the operation portion 23a of the knob 12, a stopper mechanism is provided to prevent the knob 12 from rotating too much. Specifically, in the knob 12, the contact portion 21a is provided on the side opposite to the operation portion 23a with respect to the rotation axis 20a, and a stopper portion 22a is provided in the case 11 so as to face the contact portion 21a.
[0020] FIG. 5 is a process diagram for explaining the rotation operation of the knob 12 when the operation portion 23a of the knob 12 is pulled up.
[0021] First, when the knob 12 is not rotating relative to the case 11, a gap is provided between the contact portion 21a and the stopper portion 22a, and the contact portion 21a and the stopper portion 22a are not in contact with each other (Figure 5(A)).
[0022] Subsequently, when the user begins to pull up the operating part 23a of the knob 12 (rotating the knob 12 clockwise in the figure), the contact part 21a approaches the stopper part 22a (Figure 5(B)), and eventually the contact part 21a comes into contact with the stopper part 22a (Figure 5(C)). This prevents the knob 12 from rotating clockwise. In other words, the contact part 21a and the stopper part 22a function as a stopper mechanism when the user pulls up the operating part 23a of the knob 12.
[0023] Here, even after the contact portion 21a has come into contact with the stopper portion 22a, if the user continues to pull up the operating portion 23a of the knob 12, the stopper portion 22a acts as a fulcrum, causing the knob 12 to rotate clockwise around the stopper portion 22a relative to the case 11, rather than around the pivot axis 20a. At this time, the force pulling up the operating portion 23a acts on the engaging portion 19a of the knob 12 as a disengagement force 24, which attempts to disengage the engagement between the engaging portion 19a of the knob 12 and the pivot axis member 18a of the case 11, due to the lever principle. Therefore, there is a risk that the knob 12 may detach from the case 11 due to the disengagement force 24.
[0024] In contrast, in this embodiment, the stopper mechanism is configured to reduce the disengagement force 24. Specifically, by extending the rear wall 12e of the knob 12 toward the rear end (the other side), an extended portion 25a is provided that extends downward from the front end of the right wall 12b and left wall 12f of the knob 12, that is, from the end on the case 11 side, i.e., from the bottom portion 12c, and a contact portion 21a is provided on the extended portion 25a. It can also be said that the extended portion 25a protrudes toward the case 11 side from the bottom portion 12c.
[0025] This makes it possible to make the distance L1 (first distance) from the pivot shaft member 18a (pivot shaft 20a) to the stopper portion 22a relatively large when the knob 12 is not rotating relative to the case 11, relative to the distance L2 (second distance) from the operating point 26a where the user's finger engages and the user's operating force is applied during the pulling operation near the operating portion 23a of the knob 12 to the stopper portion 22a. Specifically, distance L1 is 60% or more of distance L2.
[0026] Here, the disengagement force 24 acting on the engagement portion 19a by the lever principle, due to the operating force acting on the operating point 26a, is given by the following equation (1). Therefore, by making the distance L1 relatively larger than the distance L2, the disengagement force 24 can be reduced. Disengagement force 24 = operating force × (distance L2 / distance L1) … (1)
[0027] As a result, the detachment of the knob 12 from the case 11 can be suppressed, eliminating the need to provide a regulating wall on the side of the knob 12. This increases the degree of freedom in the layout of each component of the switch device 10 and suppresses a decrease in the ease of assembly of the switch device 10.
[0028] In this embodiment, although the knob 12 is painted, the portion of the extension portion 25a of the knob 12 that contacts the stopper portion 22a is not painted. In other words, there is no paint that will wear down due to repeated contact between the contact portion 21a and the stopper portion 22a when the knob 12 is rotated. Therefore, it is possible to suppress changes in the amount of rotation of the knob 12. As a result, the change in the relationship between distance L1 and distance L2 caused by changes in the amount of rotation of the knob 12 is suppressed, and the resistance of the knob 12 from detaching from the case 11 can be maintained in the state originally intended. Furthermore, since the portion of the contact portion 21a that contacts the stopper portion 22a is not painted, the distance L1 does not change from the originally intended value due to variations in the thickness of the paint at the contact point with the stopper portion 22a, so even after painting the knob 12 and assembling the knob 12 to the case 11, the intended amount of rotation of the knob 12 can be achieved. Furthermore, areas of the contact portion 21a that are not painted can be achieved by fitting the protruding contact portion 21a into a slit or the like of a jig used to fix the knob 12 when painting the knob 12. This eliminates the need to take protective measures such as masking to prevent paint from adhering to the contact portion 21a when painting the knob 12.
[0029] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the extension portion 25a extends toward the rear end of the knob 12 and extends below the bottom portion 12c of the knob 12. However, if the distance L1 can be made relatively large with respect to the distance L2, the extension portion 25a may extend only toward the rear end of the knob 12, or only below the bottom portion 12c of the knob 12. Also, the operating portion 23a of the knob 12 may coincide with the operating point 26a.
[0030] Incidentally, as shown in Figure 6(A), conventional switch devices do not have an extension portion that extends downward and to the rear end of the knob 61. Therefore, in order to prevent the user from visually inspecting the top surface 62a of the case 62 or the cylindrical portion 63a, it is necessary to provide a shielding portion 64a on the panel at the rear end of the knob 61 to cover the top surface 62a of the case 62 or the cylindrical portion 63a. Furthermore, in order to avoid interference between the rotating knob 61 and the shielding portion 64a, it is necessary to secure a gap between the knob 61 and the shielding portion 64a. As a result, it is not possible to reduce the length of the switch device in the front-to-back direction (Y direction in the figure), which presents a challenge in miniaturizing the switch device.
[0031] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 6(B), the extended portion 25a of the knob 12 in this embodiment covers the upper surface 11a and the cylindrical portion 17a of the case 11, thus preventing the user from visually inspecting the upper surface 11a and the cylindrical portion 17a of the case 11. Therefore, there is no need to provide a shielding portion on the panel 16 that covers the rear end of the knob 12, and there is no need to secure a gap between the knob 12 and the shielding portion of the panel 16. As a result, the length of the switch device 10 in the front-to-back direction (Y direction in the figure) can be reduced, and the switch device 10 can be miniaturized. In addition, the extended portion 25a exhibits an R-shape in cross-section when viewed from the side, thus enhancing the aesthetic design of the knob 12.
[0032] In the switch device 10, knob 13 has the same configuration as knob 12. Also, knobs 14 and 15 have the same configuration as knobs in conventional switch devices, as shown in Figure 6(A), but knobs 14 and 15 may also have the same configuration as knob 12.
[0033] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of its gist.
[0034] For example, the knob 12 had a contact portion 21a only on the side opposite to the operating portion 23a relative to the pivot shaft 20a. However, as shown in Figure 7(A), in addition to the contact portion 21a, another contact portion 27a may be provided on the same side as the operating portion 23a relative to the pivot shaft 20a (the front end side separated by the pivot shaft member 18a in the front-rear direction). The other contact portion 27a, like the extension portion 25a, protrudes toward the case 11 side from the bottom portion 12c. Furthermore, the case 11 is provided with another stopper portion 28a facing the other contact portion 27a.
[0035] When the knob 12 is not rotating relative to the case 11, a gap is provided between the other contact portion 27a and the other stopper portion 28a, and the other contact portion 27a and the other stopper portion 28a are not in contact with each other (Figure 7(A)).
[0036] Subsequently, when the user begins to push the operating part 23a of the knob 12 downward (rotating the knob 12 counterclockwise in the figure), the other contact part 27a approaches the other stopper part 28a, and eventually the other contact part 27a comes into contact with the other stopper part 28a (Figure 7(B)). This prevents the knob 12 from rotating counterclockwise. In other words, the other contact part 27a and the other stopper part 28a function as a stopper mechanism when the user pushes the operating part 23a of the knob 12 downward.
[0037] Here, even after the other contact portion 27a has come into contact with the other stopper portion 28a, if the user continues to push the operating portion 23a of the knob 12 downward, the other stopper portion 28a acts as a fulcrum, causing the knob 12 to rotate counterclockwise around the other stopper portion 28a relative to the case 11, rather than around the pivot axis 20a. At this time, the force pushing the operating portion 23a downward acts on the engaging portion 19a of the knob 12 as another disengaging force 29, attempting to disengage the engagement between the engaging portion 19a of the knob 12 and the pivot axis member 18a of the case 11, due to the principle of leverage.
[0038] Here, the other disengagement force 29 acting on the engagement part 19a by the principle of leverage, due to another operating force pushing the operating part 23a downward, is shown by the following equation (2). Note that distance L3 (third distance) is the distance from the pivot shaft member 18a (pivot shaft 20a) to the other stopper part 28a when the knob 12 is not rotated relative to the case 11, and distance L4 is the distance from the operating part 23a to the other stopper part 28a when the knob 12 is not rotated relative to the case 11. Other disengagement force 29 = Other operating force × (distance L4 / distance L3) … (2)
[0039] As shown in Figure 7(A), since distances L4 and L3 are not very different, the other disengagement force 29 is smaller than the disengagement force 24, and there is no risk of the knob 12 detaching from the case 11 due to the other disengagement force 29. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide another extension similar to the extension 25a on the front end side of the knob 12 in order to increase distance L3 and reduce the other disengagement force 29. In other words, it is not a problem to keep distance L3 short. As a result, distance L3 becomes less than or equal to distance L1. Conversely, distance L1 becomes greater than or equal to distance L3. [Explanation of symbols]
[0040] 10 Switching device 11 cases 12-15 Knobs 17a Cylinder part 17e Mating part 18a Rotary shaft member 19a Engagement part 20a Rotating shaft 21a Contact part 22a Stopper section 23a Operation section 25a Extension part 26a Operating point 27a Other contact parts 28a Other stopper parts 30a Fitting part
Claims
1. The base case and A cylindrical portion protruding from the case, The cylindrical portion includes a knob, which is an operating member attached to a fitting portion, The knob rotates in a seesaw-like manner around the pivot shaft member provided in the cylindrical portion. The knob has at least one operating portion that can be pulled up on one side separated by the pivot shaft member, The other side, separated by the aforementioned pivot shaft member, has a contact portion. The case has a stopper portion that contacts the contact portion when the operating portion is lifted, The knob has an extended portion that extends to the other side, The contact portion is provided on the extended portion, The knob has a side wall connecting the one side and the other side. The extended portion protrudes toward the case from the case-side end of the side wall on one side, When the knob is not rotating in a seesaw-like manner, the first distance from the pivot shaft member to the stopper portion is 60% or more of the second distance from the operating point during the lifting operation of the knob to the stopper portion. The knob has another contact portion on the one side, The case has another stopper portion that the other contact portion contacts when the operating portion is pushed in, When the knob is not rotating, the first distance is greater than or equal to the third distance from the pivot shaft member to the other stopper portion. The other contact portion protrudes toward the case side more than the end of the side wall. Switching device.
2. The switch device according to claim 1, wherein the extended portion exhibits an R shape when viewed from the side.