Patent Application
20060162166
This invention relates to an operating assembly for controlling a setting of a device and to a device comprising such an operating assembly.
In both continuously and stepwise adjustable controls, there are various reasons for providing the user with positive feedback during operations for indicating that, and in some cases also by how much, a controlled setting has been changed.
For instance, portable devices and devices for installation in vehicles or vessels often need to be operated while the user and/or the device are subject to movements and/or vibrations. It is relatively difficult in such situations to accurately control continuous controls. Means for generating a clicking feedback are therefore included in such operating assemblies. Examples of such applications are volume and other control knobs in portable and automotive environments and control knobs of power tools. Another example of such a solution is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,768,160.
Another situation in which feedback indicating the amount of adjustment is desirable is where a clear distinction between movement and a fixed position is desired, such as in a so-called scroll wheel in a pointer operating device such as a computer mouse.
Yet another situation in which feedback indicating the amount of adjustment is desirable is where the operating member is used for selecting between distinct positions, such as turn-and-push knobs or thumb wheels for operating an operating interface comprising a display showing menus of options and allowing to switch between selected options by rotating a knob or thumb wheel and activating the selected option by pushing the knob or thumb wheel. Another example of such a knob is a knob for selecting between distinct operating modes, for instance for selecting sources in an audio or video system, between programs of a washing machine, or between lighting settings in a motor vehicle.
Although various solutions are available for generating some feedback, up to stepper motors that can generate various indexing patterns, there is still a need for a simple solution generating a particularly clear and, more in particular, clearly audible feedback to the user.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple yet durable solution for generating a clear and in particular clearly audible feedback to the user operating an operating member for controlling a setting of a device. According to the present invention, this object is achieved by providing an operating assembly according to claim 1.
In operation, when the operating member is moved to make an adjustment, at least the clicking pawl or at least one catch of the array of catches that is accommodated with clearance is initially urged into one extreme position of its range of clearance. After the pawl has moved past a dead center position or range relative to the catch or catches, the pawl comes into engagement with a next one of the catches. This causes the force components parallel to the direction of movement that the pawl and the catch or catches exert on each other to be inverted, which in turn causes at least the clicking pawl or at least one catch of the array of catches that is accommodated with clearance to be shifted from its extreme position towards the opposite extreme position (which does not necessarily need to be reached). This latter movement occurs with a high velocity and is suddenly stopped as the new position of at least the clicking pawl or at least one catch of the array of catches is reached. This causes a clicking sound emission and a small shock that may be transferred to the user as a tactile support of the audible feedback.
The invention is based on the recognition that click effects generated in manually operated operating members are conventionally inhibited to a major extent, because the user holding the operating member inherently hinders any quick movement of the operating member, for instance into an indexing position, and any abrupt stopping of the operating member. Since at least the clicking pawl, each of the catches, or the array of catches is mounted with clearance in the direction of movement of the operating member, these parts are allowed to shift quickly into preferred positions, thereby generating an effective clicking sound, even if the operating member is moved slowly.
Particular embodiments of the invention are set forth in the dependent claims. The invention may also be embodied in a device according to claim 12, which includes an operating assembly according to the invention.
Further features, effects and details of the invention appear from the detailed description of a preferred embodiment and another embodiment shown in the drawings.
a is an enlarged and detailed view of the support structure and carrier plate in an assembled position;
First, an example of an application of the present invention to a dry shaver 1 is described.
The shaver 1 shown in
According to this example of the present invention, an operating assembly 5 (see
The operating assembly comprises a support structure 9 relative to which the thumb wheel 7 is moveable in opposite rotational directions (arrows 10, 11) about an axis of rotation 12. For this purpose, the thumb wheel 7 is rotatably mounted on a bearing stub 13.
The thumb wheel 7 is provided with an array 14 of catches—of which some are designated by reference numerals 15—extending the directions of movement 10, 11. According to this example, the array 14 is provided in the topmost face of the thumb wheel 7, but other positions, such as the lowermost face or the periphery of the thumb wheel 7 or positions on the support structure 9, are conceivable as well.
A clicking pawl 16 is resiliently accommodated for consecutive engagement with and disengagement from consecutive catches 15 of the array 14 in response to a movement of the thumb wheel 7 in one of the directions of movement 10, 11. The clicking pawl 16 is integrally formed with a leaf spring 17 that in its turn is cut from steel plating integrally with a carrier plate 18. The carrier plate 18 is provided with a circular hole 19 adapted to receive a base portion 20 of the stub 13 with a non-clamping (for instance sliding or loose) fit. In mounted position, the clicking pawl 16 is thus rotatable co-axially with the thumb wheel 7 about the stub 13, and the array 14 of catches 15 extends coaxially with the thumb wheel 7.
However, the carrier plate 18 is provided with a recess 21 receiving a projection 22 from a flange 23 of the support structure 9. This limits the freedom of rotation of the carrier plate 18 and the clicking pawl 16 connected thereto about the axis 12 to a certain clearance 32 in the direction of movement of the thumb wheel 7 (see detail
The support structure 9, to which the thumb wheel 7 is rotatably mounted, is mounted in a recess 25 in the base 8 under the shaving head holder 3, and a section of the thumb wheel 7 projects from a recess 33 in the support structure 9 so that it can be operated by the thumb or index finger of the hand of the user.
In operation, if the thumb wheel 7 is rotated for instance clockwise (direction of rotation indicated by arrow 10), the clicking pawl 16, which is engaged in one of the catches 15, is initially entrained in the same direction of rotation about the axis 12, until the limit of the freedom of rotation relative to the support structure 9 of the unit comprising the clicking pawl 16, the leaf spring 17, and the carrier plate 18 has been reached. Then, as the thumb wheel 7 is rotated further, the catch 15 in which the clicking pawl 16 was engaged moves further, so that the clicking pawl 16 is pressed from the catch 15 by the trailing flank 15a or edge of that catch 15 and urged away from the thumb wheel 7 against the force exerted on the clicking pawl 16 by the leaf spring 17 that presses the clicking pawl 16 against the array 14 of catches. As the thumb wheel 7 is turned further, a next catch 15 of the array 14 of catches 15 reaches the clicking pawl 16. Because of the clearance 32 in the direction of rotation with which the clicking pawl is accommodated, the clicking pawl 16 can slip into the next catch 15 very quickly under the influence of the action of the leaf spring 17, even if the thumb wheel 7 is rotated very slowly. This effect is achieved because the clearance with which the clicking pawl 16 is accommodated allows the clicking pawl 16 to shift back slightly against the direction of rotation of the thumb wheel 7 while slipping into the next catch 15. In the absence of such a clearance 32, the rate at which the clicking pawl 16 could slip into the next catch 15 would be determined by the slope of at least one of mutually contacting surfaces of the clicking pawl and the catch relative to the direction of displacement of the operating member in the area of the catch and the clicking pawl, and by the velocity with which the thumb wheel 7 is rotated.
The quick engagement of the clicking pawl 16 with the catches 15 results in the clicking pawl 16 and the leaf spring 17 abruptly stopping when reaching their next positions associated with engagement of the clicking pawl 16 with one of the catches 15. This abrupt stopping causes the desired audible clicking effect. For a clear clicking action, it is also advantageous that the parts that are allowed to accelerate owing to clearance with respect to the slowly moving operating member 7 are of a weight that is substantially smaller than the weight of the operating member 7, so that a relatively small amount of energy, stored in the leaf spring when the clicking pawl 16 is pressed inwards will suffice to cause it to spring back very quickly, thus causing a clearly audible clicking sound. It is observed, however, that it is also within the scope of the present invention to allow portions of the support structure to move along with the clicking pawl within a range of clearance in an operating direction relative to the rest of the operating member 7.
For an effective clicking effect, it is furthermore advantageous if the materials that hit each other for causing the clicking effect are relatively hard and exhibit little damping, such as metal, hard plastic, or ceramic material. Furthermore, thin-walled constructions are advantageous for the clicking elements as such elements typically have relatively large surfaces for converting shocks of the elements into sound.
The amount of clearance 32 of the clicking pawl 16 in the direction of movement of the thumb wheel 7 is preferably at least such that the clicking pawl 16 can slide from one extreme position within its range of clearance and at the edge of a catch 15 away from that position into a position fully engaging the respective catch 15 without requiring any rotation of the thumb wheel. Thus an effective clicking action is ensured. On the other hand, for obtaining a fairly accurate feedback, the amount of clearance 32 (movability) of the clicking pawl 16 in the direction of movement of the thumb wheel 7 is preferably less than the pitch and more preferably less than one half of the pitch between consecutive catches 15.
Although the obtained clicking action is already by itself very useful for providing feedback indicating the operation of the operating member 7, a particularly positive feedback is achieved if the clicking action is associated with the reaching of predetermined indexing positions of the operating member 7, in which the operating member 7 is maintained at least under normal operating circumstances and without operation of the operating member by the user. To achieve this, the operating assembly 5 further comprises an indexing structure for retaining the operating member 7 in each of a plurality of consecutive and predetermined indexing positions. The indexing positions are determined such that the clicking pawl 16 is in engagement with one of the catches 15 if the operating member 7 is in one of the indexing positions.
According to the present example, this is achieved in a simple manner by providing the indexing structure with an indexing pawl 26 resiliently accommodated for consecutive engagement with and disengagement from the array 14 of catches 15 in response to a movement of the operating member 7 in one of the directions of movement 10, 11.
A compact and simple construction with reliable synchronization of the operation of the indexing pawl 26 and the clicking pawl 16 is obtained because the indexing pawl 26 and the clicking pawl 16 are arranged for engagement with and disengagement from the same array 14 of catches 15. For the compactness of the operating assembly, it is furthermore advantageous that the clicking pawl 16 and the indexing pawl 26 operate with the same array of catches 15, or that the tracks of the array or arrays of catches along which the indexing pawl 26 and the clicking pawl 16 are operative extend coaxially with each other.
Like to the clicking pawl 16, the indexing pawl 26 is also integral with the leaf spring 27 which is a portion of a mounting plate 28. The clicking pawl 16 extends through an opening 35 of the mounting plate 28 adjacent the leaf spring 27 so that a compact, flat and simple construction is also obtained. However, in contrast to the hole 19 in the carrier plate 18 integral with the clicking pawl 16, the hole 29 in the mounting plate 28 integral with the indexing pawl 26 is provided with clamping flanges 30 for fixedly engaging the stub 13. Furthermore, the recess 31 in a straight side 34 of the mounting plate 28 for engaging the projection 22 from the flange 23 of the support structure 9 is narrower than the recess 21 in the carrier plate 18 integral with the clicking pawl 16. Accordingly, the indexing pawl 26 is accommodated relative to the support structure with no or at most significantly less movability relative to the support structure 9 in the directions of movement 10, 11 of the thumb wheel 7 than the clicking pawl 16, which is advantageous for the accuracy of the indexing function.
The leaf spring 17 carrying the clicking pawl 16 extends closely adjacent the mounting plate 28 carrying the indexing pawl 26 for causing the leaf spring 17 carrying the clicking pawl 16 to hit the mounting plate 28 when the clicking pawl 16 moves quickly towards one of the catches 15. The leaf spring 17 hits the mounting plate 28 at the locations 28a near the edges of the opening 35. Preferably, the mounting plate 28 is a metal plate, so that a distinctly audible “metallic” clicking action is obtained in a very flat and simple construction. It is also observed that the plate-shaped units comprising the clicking pawl 16 and the indexing pawl 26 as well as the thumb wheel 7 can be mounted to the support structure 9 in a common direction parallel to the axis 12, so that the operating assembly 5 is particularly suitable to be assembled automatically.
Irrespective of the direction of movement 10, 11 of the thumb wheel 7, the clicking pawl 16 and the indexing pawl 26 each have a flank 16a, 26a, respectively, trailing with respect to the movement of the pawls 16, 26 relative to the array 14 of catches 15. As is best seen in
To obtain a quick movement of the clicking pawl and a smooth indexing action, it is also advantageous if the trailing flanks 16a or flank portions of the clicking pawl 16 are steeper than the trailing flanks 26a or flank portions of the indexing pawl 26.
On one side of the operating member 57, a clicking pawl 66 is arranged in the form of a bump integral with a leaf spring 67 and facing one of the arrays 64. On the opposite side of the operating member 57, an indexing pawl 76 is arranged in the form of a bump integral with a leaf spring 77 and facing the opposite one of the arrays 64. The leaf spring 67 with which the clicking pawl 66 is integral is retained between flanges 73 of the operating member 57 with some clearance 63 parallel to the directions 60, 61 in which the operating member 57 is moveable. The leaf spring 77 with which the indexing pawl 76 is integral is also retained between flanges 73 of the operating member 57, but with significantly less clearance parallel to the directions 60, 61 in which the operating member 57 is moveable than the clearance in that direction with which the clicking pawl 66 and the spring 67 are enclosed. The clearance between the leaf spring 77 with which the indexing pawl 76 is integral and the flanges 73 is just sufficient to avoid that the flanges 73 interfere with the flexing of the spring 77 when the operating member 57 is shifted along the slot 87. The operating assembly is further equipped with a clicking strip 90 that extends parallel to the one of the arrays 64 at the side of the clicking pawl and that is positioned such that in its released condition the clicking pawl 66 is in contact with the clicking strip, whereas in its compressed condition between two catches 65 the clicking pawl 66 is spaced from the clicking strip 90. According to the present example, the clicking strip 90 is of an essentially straight design, but other designs, such as a wavy and/or comb-like shape are also conceivable.
Operation of the operating member 57 will typically start from an indexing position as shown in
A reaction force will also be exerted on the clicking pawl 66 when it encounters the flank 65a of the catch 65 into which it projects. This initially results in the clicking pawl 66 and the leaf spring 67 with which it is integral shifting to an extreme left position within the range of movement relative to the operating member 57 that is allowed by the clearance between the leaf spring 67 and the flanges 73. Subsequently, as the operating member 57 is shifted further, the clicking pawl 66 is also gradually pushed inwards towards the operating member 57 into a position spaced from the clicking strip 90.
When the indexing pawl 76 is about half-way between the centers of consecutive catches 65 (
In principle, this reaction force to the right may cause the operating member to shift to the next indexing position quickly and to stop abruptly in that next indexing position, so that a positive feedback indicating that the next indexing position is reached may be achieved. However, in practice such an effect is generally not achieved, or only to a marginal extent, because the user holding the operating member 57 inhibits a quick movement of the operating member 57.
This is different for the clicking pawl 66, which is accommodated with clearance 63 parallel to the directions 60, 61 in which the operating member 57 is movable—the clearance being provided at least relative to the portion of the operating member 57 that is normally held by the user. After the clicking pawl 66, which has been urged into an extreme left position within its range of clearance as it was urged out of the catch 65 into which it initially projected, has passed its dead center position between consecutive catches 65, contact pressure between the clicking pawl 66 and a flank 65b of the next catch 65 facing in the direction of movement 61 (to the right) results in a reaction force exerted on the clicking pawl 66 with a component in the direction of movement 61 (to the right). This reaction force causes the clicking pawl 66 and the leaf spring 67 with which it is integral to be displaced very quickly to the right from its extreme left position within its range of clearance relative to the operating member 57. Accordingly, the leaf spring 67 is also suddenly released from its bent state caused by the displacement of the clicking pawl 66 towards the clicking member and shoots outwards, which causes the clicking pawl 66 to hit the clicking strip 90, thus generating a clicking sound and a clicking action that may also be felt by the user via the operating member 57.
Instead of a clicking strip or some other dedicated member forming an abutment that causes the clicking effect when it is hit by the clicking pawl, it may also be provided that the rapid release of the leaf spring 67 after the clicking pawl has passed a dead center position between consecutive catches 65 is stopped when the leaf spring 67 hits a part of the operating member 57, (e.g. the flange 73 of the operating member 57 to the right of the leaf spring 67) or when the clicking pawl 66 hits a flank 65b of the catch 65 it has just entered that faces away from the direction of movement 11 of the operating member 57.
In each of these embodiments, the clicking pawl 66 and the leaf spring 67 with which it is integral are allowed to shoot quickly into the next catch 65 and stopped abruptly, which causes a clicking effect, independent of the velocity with which the operating member 57 is moved into or through its new indexing position.
According to the present example, the thickness of the clicking strip 90 varies along the length of the range of displacement of the operating member 57, this causes the clicking sound to vary with displacement of the operating member 57. A suitable design of the clicking member or members may cause the tone, volume, and/or duration of the clicking sound to vary along the length of the range of displacement of the clicking member, for instance in a gradual and/or repetitive (for instance alternating) manner. It is also possible to design the clicking pawl, the array, and/or the clicking member or members such that different clicking sounds are obtained in dependence on the direction in which the operating member is displaced. A comb-shaped design of the clicking member allows to provide each tooth with an individual design for causing a different clicking sound when the clicking pawl hits the respective tooth.
It is observed that many embodiments other than those described by way of example are conceivable within the scope of the present invention. For instance, the clicking and indexing pawls are consistently described as projections arranged for engaging catches in the form of recesses, but, it is also possible to provide an inverse solution in which one or both pawls are provided with recesses that cooperate with an array of catches in the form of projections such as bumps that may be consecutively received in the recesses of the pawl or pawls when the operating member is operated. Also, both the pawls and the catches may be provided with mutually engaging successions of bumps and recesses, such as comb-like structures.
Furthermore, the pawls need not be integral with the resilient structure urging the pawls into contact with at least some parts of the catches, and the resilient structures may also be provided in forms other than as leaf springs.
According to yet another variant, the number of catches for receiving the clicking pawl may be larger or smaller than the number of catches for receiving the indexing pawl. For instance, a clicking effect may only be generated if the operating member reaches selected ones of the indexing positions or a plurality of clicking effects may be generated if the operating member is moved from one indexing position to the next. In such an embodiment it may be advantageous to generate a stronger clicking effect if the operating member reaches an indexing position than while the operating member moves between indexing positions. Similarly, also the other features of the claimed invention are not limited to the above embodiments, which are shown by way of example.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 03100415.3 | Feb 2003 | EP | regional |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/IB04/50132 | 2/19/2004 | WO | 8/16/2005 |
