Patent Application
20120217144
This application claims benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-039727 filed on Feb. 25, 2011, which is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to a switch device that performs a switching operation by a operating body is held in a case made rockable, and particularly, to a switch device that performs a switching operation via a driving body in cooperation with the operating body.
2. Description of the Related Art
In automobiles, a switch device including a rockable operating body is used as a switch for operating a power window or a switch of a parking brake. Such a switch device is known in which a rockable operating body is provided in a case, a driving body that moves up and down with the rocking of the operating body is provided within the case, and a switch element is provided so as to face the driving body.
In this case, if the operating body is operated so as to be rocked, the driving body moves down to press the switch element, thereby performing a switching operation. If the operation state is released, the driving body and the operating body can return to their original state by the restoring force of the switch element. As such a switch device, for example, there is a switch device as mentioned in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-265740.
A switch element including two switching contacts that are simultaneously turned on and off is used as the switch device used for a parking brake. In this case, if the switch element is pressed and operated by a rocking operation of the operating body, the two switching contacts can be simultaneously switched. This allows a reliable operation even if there is an abnormality in any one of the switching contacts. If the outputs from the two switching contacts are detected within a predetermined time (for example, 100 ms), a control unit on the vehicle side determines this to be normal. Accordingly, with the rocking operation of the operating body, it is necessary to allow the two switching contacts in the switch element to be reliably switched within the predetermined time.
In the related-art switch device used for a power window, the driving body does not operate at very high speed because the rocking speed of the operating body and the up-down movement speed of the driving body are almost the same. For this reason, when the switch element is pressed, there is a concern that a time difference may be caused in the switching of the two switching contacts, and an abnormality may be erroneously detected even though there is not abnormality in the switch element. Since such a problem does not occur if the driving body presses the switch element at high speed, a switch device in which the driving body can operate at higher speed than the operating body is desired.
A switch device includes a operating body held in a case and made rockable; a driving body held within the case and made rockable by the operating body; and a switch element pressed by the driving body. The rockable operating body is held with respect to the case by a first rotating portion apart by a predetermined distance from a position where the operating body is operated. The rockable driving body is held with respect to the case by a second rotating portion apart by predetermined distance from a position where the driving body presses the switch element. A rocking portion that makes the operating body and the driving body rockable relative to each other between the first rotating portion and the second rotating portion is constituted by the operating body and the driving body.
An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. An exploded perspective view of a switch device in the present embodiment is shown in
An operating body holding portion 10a holding the operating body 2 is formed in the upper case 10 constituting the case 1 so as to protrude upward. Projection-like shaft portions 10b are formed on both sides of the operating body holding portion 10a, respectively. Corresponding to this, hole-shaped first rotating portions 20 are formed also in both sides of the operating body 2, respectively, and the operating body 2 is made rockable about the first rotating portions 20 with respect to the case 1 by causing the shaft portions 10b to be inserted through the first rotating portions 20.
In the operating body 2, an operating portion 22 including a concave surface is formed in one of the surfaces that face each other adjacent to a pair of surfaces having the first rotating portions 20. As an operator hooks his/her finger on the operating portion 22 to pull the operating portion upward, the operating body 2 can be rocked in one direction (in the counterclockwise direction in
The switch device is provided with a mechanism for giving a click feel with respect to the rocking of the operating body 2. Cam members 5 fixed to the inner surface of the upper case 10 and sliding members 14 attached to the operating body 2 via elastic members 13, respectively, constitute the mechanism for giving a click feel. A rolling cylindrical distal end member 15 is attached to a distal end portion of each sliding member 14.
The cam members 5 are provided with cam surface portions 5b that are upwardly inclined, respectively, toward both side portions from a central portion. Each cam surface portion 5b is formed with a point that changes in the angle of inclination on the way. Additionally, the sliding member 14 is biased in a direction in which the sliding member is pressed against the cam surface portion 5b by the elastic member 13, and the cam surface portion 5b can smoothly slide by the distal end member 15.
For this reason, if the operating body 2 is rocked, a biasing force to the sliding member 14 becomes a resistance force to a rocking operation, so that a moderate feeling of operation can be given. Additionally, a click feel can be given when the sliding member 14 passes through the point where the angle of inclination of the cam surface portion 5b changes.
Additionally, the cam member 5 has a hole-shaped pivot portion 5a at a lower portion thereof. A rockable driving body 3 is attached to the pivot portions 5a. As the rockable driving body 3 is attached to the cam members 5 fixed to the upper case 10, the driving body 3 is made rockable with respect to the case 1.
The driving body 3 has second rotating portions 30 inserted through the pivot portions 5a. The second rotating portions 30 are formed in the shape of projections that turn to the inside of the driving body 3, and is fitted to the pivot portions 5a from the external surface side of the pivot portions, and is made rotatable with respect to the case 1. In addition, although one second rotating portion 30 is illustrated in
Additionally, the driving body 3 has projection-like shaft portions 31 above the second rotating portions 30. The shaft portions 31 are formed in the shape of projections that turn to the outside of the driving body 3. The operating body 2 has holding portions 21 formed substantially in the shape of the letter U below the first rotating portions 20. A rocking portion 16 that enables the driving body 3 to be rockable with respect to the operating body 2 is constructed by each shaft portion 31 of the driving body 3 through each holding portion 21. As such, the driving body 3 is rockable with respect to the case 1, and is also made rockable with respect to the operating body 2.
Moreover, pressing portions 32 are formed at the driving body 3 so as to extend respectively toward both side portions from a central portion where the second rotating portions 30 and the shaft portions 31 are formed. The pressing portions 32 are arranged to face the two switch elements 4 and 4 arranged on the board 12 so as to be able to press the switch elements, respectively. As the driving body 3 rocks with the rocking operation of the operating body 2, a pressing portion 32 presses a pressed portion 4a of one of the switch elements 4 on a lower surface thereof at the distal end.
A cross-sectional view of a switch device is shown in
When the operating body 2 is at the neutral position, the first rotating portion 20 of the operating body 2, the second rotating portion 30 of the driving body 3, and the rocking portion 16 are located on a straight line, and the rocking portion 16 is arranged at a position between the first rotating portion 20 and the second rotating portion 30.
In
In order to press the switch element 4 at as high a speed as possible in the pressing portion 32 of the driving body 3 with the operation of the operating body 2, it is necessary to make the rocking speed in the rocking portion 16 as high as possible, and make the rocking speed in the pressing portion 32 as high as possible. In order to make the rocking speed in the rocking portion 16 as high as possible, it is desirable that the ratio of the distance L2 from the first rotating portion 20 to the rocking portion 16 to the distance L1 from the operation position 22a to the first rotating portion 20 be made as large as possible. Additionally, in order to make the rocking speed in the pressing portion 32 as high as possible, it is desirable that the ratio of the distance L4 from the second rotating portion 30 to a position where the pressed portion 4a of the pressing portion 32 is pressed to the distance L3 from the rocking portion 16 to the second rotating portion 30 be made as large as possible.
However, since the operating body 2 is required to have a certain degree of size for the rocking operation, and to secure a certain degree of radius of rotation from the operation position 22a, L1 cannot be made so small. Additionally, in the switch device, there are also limitations to the dimensions in the height direction and the length direction. Thus, the position of the first rotating portion 20 of the operating body 2 and the pressing position of the switch element 4 cannot be moved much.
On the other hand, the rocking portion 16 can be formed at as lower a position as possible within a range of dimensional limitations of the switch device. Thereby, L2 can be made as large as possible, L3 can be made as small as possible, and the ratio of L2 to L1 can made large, the ratio of L4 to L3 can be made large, and the pressing speed of the switch element 4 by the pressing portion 32 to the operation speed at the operation position 22a of the operating body 2 can be set large.
A cross-sectional view of the switch device when the operating body 2 is rocked and operated is shown in
Since the driving body 3 is made rockable about the second rotating portions 30 with respect to the case 1, if the holding portion 21 rocks the shaft portion 31 in the rocking portion 16, the driving body tilts to the side opposite to the tilting direction of the operating body 2, and the pressing portions 32 presses the pressed portion 4a of the switch element 4.
When the operating body 2 is rocked and operated in a direction opposite to that of
As such, the driving body 3 that is rocked by the rocking operation of the operating body 2 to press the switch element 4 is provided, and the rocking portion 16 that makes the operating body 2 and the driving body 3 rockable relative to each other is formed between the first rotating portion 20 that becomes the center of rotation of the operating body 2 with respect to the case 1 and the second rotating portions 30 that becomes the center of rotation of the driving body 3 with respect to the case 1. Thereby, the ratio of the pressing speed in the pressing portion 32 of the driving body 3 to the operation speed in the operation position 22a of the operating body 2 can be set using two ratios, that is, the ratio of L1 and L2, and the ratio of L3 and L4, and such a design that the pressing speed in the pressing portion 32 can be made as high as possible within limitations, such as the dimensions of the switch device, can be allowed.
Particularly by arranging the position of the rocking portion 16 at as lower a position as possible, the ratio of L2 to L1 can be made large, the ratio of L4 to L3 can be made large, and the pressing speed in the pressing portion 32 can be set large compared to the operation speed at the operation position 22a of the operating body 2. Thereby, when two contacts are placed side by side inside the switch element 4, the difference in the time taken when both contacts operate at the time of a pressing operation can be made small, and a reliable switching operation can be ensured.
Although a plurality of rotating and rocking portions is provided in the present embodiment, in these portions, the relationship between a protruding portion that comprise a rotating shaft and a hole portion that holds the protruding portion may be reversed. In the present embodiment, the first rotating portion 20 provided in the operating body 2 has a hole shape, and the case 1 is formed with the shaft portion 10b that journals the first rotating portion. However, the operating body 2 may be provided with the shaft portion, and the case 1 may be formed with the hole portion. Similarly, also as for the second rotating portions 30, the driving body 3 may be provided with the hole portion, and the case 1 may be provided with the shaft portion.
Similarly, also as for the rocking portion 16, the driving body 3 may be provided with the holding portion, and the operating body 2 may be provided with the shaft portion. Additionally, in the present embodiment, the holding portion 21 that constitutes the rocking portion 16 is formed as a substantially U-shaped slit. However, the holding portion 21 may be formed as arbitrary shapes as long as the holding portion can hold the shaft portion 31 while allowing it to rotate and slide, and can for example be formed in the shape of a long hole.
Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described hitherto, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment in the application thereof, and may be variously applied within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention.
It should be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications, combinations, sub-combinations and alterations may occur depending on design requirements and other factors insofar as they are within the scope of the appended claims of the equivalents thereof.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-039727 | Feb 2011 | JP | national |
