JP2008192558A - In-vehicle knob switch - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an in-vehicle knob switch capable of smoothly pushing an operation key without any chattering and surely avoiding electrostatic discharged destruction. <P>SOLUTION: In the in-vehicle knob switch, a circuit board 3 is retained on a holder 2 arranged in a cylindrical housing 1, a push switch 9 and illumination LED 10 are mounted on the circuit board 3, and the operation key 5 for driving the push switch 9 by pushing is exposed in an opening 11a of the housing 1 in a moving up and down state. A relief section 2a opposite to the opening 11a is arranged on the holder 2, a guide wall 13 extending from a peripheral edge of the opening 11a to the inside of the relief section 2a is arranged on the housing 1, and a slide leg piece 5c of the operation key 5 is slidably fitted on the guide wall 13. Further, an insulation rubber sheet 7 at least covering a side edge section in the vicinity of the push switch 9 is arranged on the circuit board 3, and a tongue piece 7b of the insulation rubber sheet 7 is sandwiched between the guide wall 13 and slide leg piece 5c, and the side edge section of the circuit board. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle-mounted knob switch referred to as a stalk switch or the like in which a cylindrical housing can swing, and more particularly to a vehicle-mounted knob switch in which an operation key for pressing operation is disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the housing. .

  Generally, a vehicle-mounted knob switch called a stalk switch for controlling the operation of a wiper, a headlight or the like is disposed in the vicinity of a steering column of an automobile. In this type of vehicle-mounted knob switch, a cylindrical housing that is swingably supported on the steering column side, a circuit board held by a holder in the housing, and an operation exposed on the outer peripheral surface of the housing A key and an operation ring are provided, and various electronic components such as a push switch and a light emitting diode which are driven to be pressed by the operation key are mounted on the circuit board. Then, when the user swings the housing, presses the operation key, or rotates the operation ring, the wiper device is switched on / off, the strength and the intermittent operation are switched, or the headlight is switched on / off. And beam switching are performed.

As a conventional example of a vehicle-mounted knob switch in which an operation key for pressing operation is arranged on the outer peripheral surface of the housing in this way, the operation key is supported by a guide body arranged inside the housing so as to be movable up and down. What was comprised is known (for example, refer patent document 1). The guide body is integrated with the holder using a fixing means such as a snap coupling, and the push switch mounted on the circuit board is surrounded by the guide body. The guide body is provided with a cylindrical guide part at a position facing the push switch, and a boss protruding from the back of the operation key is slidably fitted to this guide part, so that the operation key can be smoothly moved. It can be pressed.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-269898 (page 3-4, FIG. 1)

  By the way, in this type of in-vehicle knob switch, if the internal space of the housing becomes narrow due to design restrictions, etc., it becomes difficult to secure a space for installing the guide body as in the conventional example described above. It is necessary to guide the ascending / descending operation of the operation key by the housing itself. In that case, if a guide portion extending inward along the thickness direction of the circuit board is provided at the peripheral edge of the opening of the housing where the operation key is exposed, and this guide portion is used as a sliding surface to guide the raising and lowering operation of the operation key. However, since a holder for holding the circuit board is incorporated in the housing, a structure in which the guide portion and the holder do not interfere with each other is desired.

  For example, if the length dimension of the guide portion extending inward from the peripheral edge of the opening of the housing is set to be shorter than the distance between the opening and the holder, the guide portion and the holder can be kept in non-contact. However, with such a structure, a sufficient length cannot be ensured in the guide portion, so that there is a problem that the operation keys are likely to be loose with a large amount during the pressing operation.

  In addition, when such a structure is adopted, static electricity charged on the human body or the like may enter the interior from the opening of the housing along the guide portion and the like, and the electronic components on the circuit board may be destroyed by the static electricity. That is, since a slight gap is necessary between the operation key and the opening of the housing in order to smoothly move the operation key up and down, static electricity that has entered the housing from this gap reaches the circuit board, and solder joints There is a risk that it flows into electronic parts such as switches and light-emitting diodes through the through-holes and the like, and these electronic parts cause electrostatic breakdown. Therefore, a special countermeasure against static electricity is required to ensure reliability.

  The present invention has been made in view of the actual situation of the prior art, and an object thereof is to provide an in-vehicle knob switch that can smoothly press an operation key without rattling and can reliably avoid electrostatic breakdown. There is.

  In order to achieve the above object, an in-vehicle knob switch according to the present invention has a cylindrical housing having an opening, and a notch-shape facing the opening on the opposite side wall disposed inside the housing. A holder provided with an escape portion, a circuit board held on the holder, a push switch and other electronic components mounted on the circuit board, and exposed to the opening to drive the push switch. An operation rubber key and an insulating rubber sheet covering at least a side edge near the push switch on the circuit board, and the housing is provided with a plurality of guide portions extending from the peripheral edge of the opening toward the escape portion. And a plurality of slide portions protruding into the housing on the operation key, the slide portions are slidably fitted to the guide portions, and By extending the tongue is disposed in the clearance portion on the edge rubber sheet, this tongue has a configuration that exists between the side edge of the circuit board and the guide portion and the sliding portion.

  In the vehicle-mounted knob switch configured as described above, the guide portion that slides the slide portion of the operation key during the pressing operation and guides the lifting operation extends from the peripheral edge of the opening of the housing to the escape portion of the holder. The operation key can be raised and lowered without backlash. Further, the guide part of the housing and the slide part of the operation key located in the escape part of the holder are close to the side edge part of the circuit board, and the side edge part is covered with the insulating rubber sheet, and the guide Since the tongue of the insulating rubber sheet is interposed between the side or slide part and the side edge, even if static electricity enters from the gap between the operation key and the opening of the housing, this static electricity is insulated. There is no possibility of flowing into a solder joint or a through hole that is blocked by the rubber sheet and exposed at the side edge of the circuit board.

  In the above configuration, when a light emitting diode (LED) for illuminating the push switch is mounted on the side edge on the circuit board, the light emitting diode is covered with a light-transmitting insulating rubber sheet made of, for example, silicon rubber. This is preferable since the electrostatic breakdown can be reliably prevented while using the light emitting diode as a light source for illumination.

  Further, in the above configuration, when the slide portion is a leg piece provided at the four corners of the back surface of the operation key, and the leg piece is slidably fitted in a concave groove provided in the guide portion of the housing. It is preferable because there is no possibility that the operation key is inclined during the pressing operation.

  In the vehicle-mounted knob switch of the present invention, the guide portion that slides the slide portion of the operation key during the pressing operation to guide the lifting operation extends from the peripheral portion of the opening of the housing that exposes the push switch into the clearance portion of the holder. Therefore, the operation key can be raised and lowered smoothly without rattling during the pressing operation. In addition, the guide part of the housing and the slide part of the operation key located in the escape part of the holder are close to the side edge part of the circuit board, but this side edge part is covered with an insulating rubber sheet, and the guide Insulation rubber sheet tongues are interposed between the side and slide parts and the side edge of the circuit board, so even if static electricity enters through the gap between the operation key and the housing opening, Is not blocked by the insulating rubber sheet and does not flow into the solder joints or through holes exposed at the side edges of the circuit board. Therefore, electrostatic breakdown of electronic components such as light emitting diodes that are often mounted on the side edge of the circuit board can be reliably avoided.

  An embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view of a vehicle-mounted knob switch according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle-mounted knob switch, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing the internal structure of the in-vehicle knob switch, FIG. 5 is a rear view showing the internal structure of the in-vehicle knob switch, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 5, FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 5, and FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. FIG. 10 is a plan view corresponding to FIG. 9, and FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a state in which the insulating rubber sheet is removed from FIG.

  The vehicle-mounted knob switch shown in these drawings includes a cylindrical housing 1 constituting a part of the combination switch, a holder 2 housed and held in the housing 1, and a circuit board held on the holder 2. 3, an operation ring 4 that is rotatably supported by the holder 2, an operation key 5 that is supported by the housing 1 so as to be movable up and down, an operation knob 6 that is swingably supported by the holder 2, and a circuit board 3. An insulating rubber sheet 7 or the like placed thereon is provided. The circuit board 3 includes a slider 8 that is driven when the operation ring 4 is rotated, a push switch 9 that is driven when the operation key 5 is pressed, and a switch element that is driven when the operation knob 6 is swung. 14 and various electronic components including a light emitting diode (hereinafter abbreviated as LED) 10 for illumination are mounted.

  The housing 1 includes a synthetic resin case 11 whose bottom surface is opened and a synthetic resin cover 12 which closes the bottom open end of the case 11. The case 11 and the cover 12 are integrated by snap coupling. ing. An opening 11a is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the case 11, and the operation surface 5a of the operation key 5 is exposed to the opening 11a. Further, four guide walls 13 are provided integrally with the inner wall surface of the case 11 on the back surface side of the peripheral edge of the opening 11a, and the concave grooves 13a formed in each guide wall 13 have four corners of the opening 11a. It linearly extends downward from the vicinity. In addition, separate openings 11b and 12a are provided on the outer peripheral surfaces of the case 11 and the cover 12 at opposite positions, and a part of the operation ring 4 is exposed in these openings 11b and 12a. Furthermore, a through hole 11c is provided at the tip of the case 11, and the operation surface 6a of the operation knob 6 is exposed in the through hole 11c.

  The operation key 5 is made of a synthetic resin, and a drive projection 5b suspended from the center of the operation surface 5a on the back side is mounted on the stem 9a of the push switch 9 mounted on the circuit board 3. Further, on the back side of the operation surface 5a of the operation key 5, four pieces of slide leg pieces 5c and one piece of retaining pieces 5d are suspended so as to surround the drive protrusion 5b. Since each slide leg piece 5c extends linearly downward from the four corners on the back surface side of the operation surface 5a and is slidably fitted into the corresponding groove 13a of the guide wall 13, the operation key 5 is provided with the case 11 It is supported so that it can be raised and lowered. Further, since the lower end portion of the retaining piece 5d is locked in the locking hole 3a of the circuit board 3, the operation key 5 is prevented from falling off the case 11. An illuminating portion 5e made of a light transmissive resin material is fitted to the operation key 5 and exposed to the operation surface 5a. The illuminating portion 5e is illuminated by the light of the LED 10 mounted on the circuit board 3. It is like that.

  The holder 2 is a long body made of synthetic resin that extends along the internal space of the housing 1 (case 11 and cover 12), and is fixed to the case 11 using screws 19. In a portion of the case 11 facing the opening 11a, a notch-shaped relief portion 2a is formed on the opposite side wall of the holder 2, and the width of the holder 2 is partially determined by the location where the relief portion 2a is formed. It is narrower. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 8, each guide wall 13 of the case 11 passes through the escape portion 2 a and reaches the lower side of the holder 2, and each slide leg piece 5 c of the operation key 5 straddles the holder 2. Thus, it fits in the concave groove 13a of the corresponding guide wall 13 in the escape portion 2a. A long hole 2b extending linearly along the longitudinal direction is formed in the lower part of the holder 2, and a hanging piece 8a of a slider 8 having a slider (not shown) is slidably inserted into the long hole 2b. ing. The holder 2 is formed with a semi-cylindrical portion 2 c so as to surround the slider 8, and a metal ball 16 is held on the semi-cylindrical portion 2 c via a spring 15. The holder 2 has a plurality of locking projections 2d protruding upward, and the circuit board 3 is held by the locking projections 2d.

  The operation ring 4 is externally fitted to and integrated with a cylindrical driving body 17, and this driving body 17 is rotatably held by the semi-cylindrical portion 2 c of the holder 2. The operation ring 4 and the drive body 17 are made of synthetic resin, and a click hole 17 a and a spiral hole 17 b are formed in the peripheral wall of the drive body 17. The metal ball 16 can be engaged with and disengaged from the click hole 17a, and the hanging piece 8a of the slider 8 is slidably engaged with the spiral hole 17b. When the driving body 17 rotates in the circumferential direction, the inner wall of the spiral hole 17b drives the hanging piece 8a, so that the slider 8 moves linearly along the long hole 2b and the metal ball 16 engages and disengages from the click hole 17a. A click feeling is generated. That is, when the operation ring 4 is rotated with respect to the housing 1, the rotational force of the driving body 17 that rotates in conjunction with the operation ring 4 is converted into a linear motion of the slider 8.

  The circuit board 3 is placed on the holder 2 and fixed by using a plurality of locking projections 2d in a positioning state in which the operation ring 4 and the driving body 17 are extrapolated. A push switch 9, an LED 10, and the like are mounted on the upper surface of the circuit board 3, and an operation key 5 is mounted on the stem 9 a of the push switch 9. Further, the circuit board 3 is provided with a locking hole 3a in the vicinity of the push switch 9, and the retaining key 5d is locked in the locking hole 3a to prevent the operation key 5 from falling off. . The LED 10 is disposed between one side of the circuit board 3 and the push switch 9, and the light emitted from the LED 10 illuminates the illumination portion 5 e of the operation key 5. The operation surface 5a can be clearly visually recognized. A switch element 14 driven by the operation knob 6 is mounted on the lower surface of the circuit board 3, and fixed contacts 18 slidably in contact with a slider (not shown) of the slider 8 are formed in a pattern. The fixed contact 18 constitutes a slide switch. The circuit board 3 has an elongated shape smaller than the planar shape of the holder 2, and the width dimension of the holder 2 and the circuit board 3 is substantially equal at the portion where the relief portion 2a is formed, as shown in FIGS. In other portions, the holder 2 is set wider than the circuit board 3. A flexible printed circuit board 20 is connected to one end of the circuit board 3, and an electrical signal output from the push switch 9, the switch element 14, the fixed contact 18, or the like is sent to an external circuit via the flexible printed circuit board 20. Has been derived.

  The insulating rubber sheet 7 is a light transmissive sheet made of silicon rubber. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 9, the insulating rubber sheet 7 includes a substrate covering portion 7a that covers most of the upper surface of the circuit board 3, and a pair of tongue pieces that extend from both side edges of the substrate covering portion 7a and hang down. 7b. The board covering portion 7 a includes a bulging portion 7 c for covering the LED 10, a cylindrical portion 7 d for inserting the push switch 9 and crimping it to the outer wall surface, the locking hole 3 a of the circuit board 3, and the screw 19. A plurality of window holes 7e for exposing etc. are formed. Further, the pair of tongue pieces 7 b are extended from the sides of the bulging portion 7 c and the cylindrical portion 7 d and are suspended in the escape portion 2 a of the holder 2. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 8, the tongue piece 7 b is located between the guide wall 13 or the slide leg piece 5 c and the side surface of the circuit board 3 in the escape portion 2 a, and is arranged near the side surface of the circuit board 3. The solder joints and through holes of the LED 10 provided are covered with an insulating rubber sheet 7. Therefore, even when static electricity enters from the outside through the guide wall 13 and the slide leg piece 5c, the static electricity is blocked by the insulating rubber sheet 7, so that the possibility of flowing into the LED 10 is extremely low.

  In the vehicle-mounted knob switch configured as described above, when the user rotates the operation ring 4, the driving body 17 integrally rotates to drive the hanging piece 8a, so that the slider 8 is linear along the long hole 2b. Move on. As a result, the contact position between the slider of the slider 8 and the fixed contact 18 of the circuit board 3 changes, and an electrical signal corresponding to the rotation operation of the operation ring 4 is externally transmitted from the circuit board 3 through the flexible printed board 20. Output to the circuit. Further, as the driving body 17 rotates, the metal ball 16 is engaged with and disengaged from the click hole 17a, so that a click feeling is transmitted to the user's finger.

  Further, when the user presses the operation surface 5a of the operation key 5 exposed in the opening 11a of the housing 1, the stem 9a of the push switch 9 is pressed by the drive protrusion 5b of the operation key 5, so that the push switch 9 An on / off signal is output from the circuit board 3 to the external circuit via the flexible printed board 20. When the pressing operation force is removed, the operation key 5 is pushed up to the original height position by an elastic repulsion force of a return spring (not shown) built in the push switch 9. Moreover, since the slide leg piece 5c of the operation key 5 moves along the guide wall 13 of the case 11 at the time of this pressing operation, the raising / lowering operation of the operation key 5 is performed without rattling.

  Further, when the user swings the operation knob 6 exposed in the through hole 11c of the housing 1, the switch of the switch element 14 is switched by being driven by the operation knob 6, so that the on / off signal of the switch element 14 is switched. Is output from the circuit board 3 to the external circuit via the flexible printed circuit board 20.

  As described above, in the in-vehicle knob switch according to the present embodiment, the guide wall 13 that guides the lifting operation by sliding the slide leg piece 5c of the operation key 5 during the pressing operation is provided in the housing 1 (case 11). Since it extends from the peripheral edge of the opening 11a into the escape portion 2a of the holder 2, the operation key 5 can be raised and lowered smoothly without rattling. In addition, since the guide wall 13 of the operation key 5 is integrally formed with the case 11 itself, the space occupied by the guide mechanism is reduced as compared with the case where the operation key is guided by a guide body made of a separate member. The degree of freedom in design of the knob switch can be increased. Furthermore, although the guide wall 13 and the slide leg piece 5c located in the escape portion 2a of the holder 2 are configured to be close to the side edge portion of the circuit board 3, the side edge portion is covered with the insulating rubber sheet 7. Since the tongue 7b of the insulating rubber sheet 7 is interposed between the guide wall 13 and the slide leg piece 5c and the side edge portion, the gap between the operation key 5 and the opening 11a of the case 11 is provided. Even if static electricity enters through the gap, this static electricity is blocked by the insulating rubber sheet 7 and does not flow into the solder joints or through-holes of the LED 10 exposed at the side edge of the circuit board 3, and therefore for illumination. As a result, it is possible to reliably avoid electrostatic breakdown of the LED 10 mounted close to the push switch 9.

  In the above embodiment, the vehicle-mounted knob switch in which the operation ring 4 for rotating operation, the operation key 5 for pressing operation, and the operation knob 6 for swinging operation are arranged in the housing 1 has been described. The invention can be applied to a vehicle-mounted knob switch in which at least the operation key 5 is disposed in the housing 1, and the operation ring 4 and the operation knob 6 can be omitted as needed, or can be pressed instead of the operation knob 6. An operation key may be provided.

  In the above embodiment, the housing 1 is configured by combining the case 11 and the cover 12, and the case 11 is provided with the opening for the operation key. However, the opening for the operation key is provided in the cover 12. The housing may be formed in a cylindrical shape in advance.

It is a top view of the vehicle-mounted knob switch which concerns on the example of embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of this vehicle-mounted knob switch. It is a disassembled perspective view of this vehicle-mounted knob switch. It is a partially broken perspective view which shows the internal structure of this vehicle-mounted knob switch. It is a reverse view which shows the internal structure of this vehicle-mounted knob switch. It is sectional drawing which follows the AA line of FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows the BB line of FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows the CC line of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the principal part of this vehicle-mounted knob switch. FIG. 10 is a plan view corresponding to FIG. 9. It is a top view which shows the state which removed the insulating rubber sheet from FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Housing 2 Holder 2a Escape part 3 Circuit board 3a Locking hole 5 Operation key 5c Slide leg piece (slide part)
5d Retaining piece 5e Illuminating part 7 Insulating rubber sheet 7a Substrate covering part 7b Tongue piece 9 Push switch 10 Light emitting diode (LED)
11 Case 11a Opening 12 Cover 13 Guide wall (guide part)
13a groove

Claims (4)

A cylindrical housing having an opening, a holder provided inside the housing and provided with a notch-shaped relief portion facing the opening on opposite side walls, and a circuit board held on the holder A push switch and other electronic components mounted on the circuit board, an operation key that is exposed in the opening and can drive the push switch, and at least a side near the push switch on the circuit board An insulating rubber sheet covering the edge,
The housing is provided with a plurality of guide portions extending from the peripheral edge of the opening toward the escape portion, and the operation key is provided with a plurality of slide portions protruding into the housing, and the slide portions are slid onto the guide portion. A tongue piece arranged at the relief portion is extended to the insulating rubber sheet, and the tongue piece is provided between the guide portion and the slide portion and the side edge portion of the circuit board. An on-vehicle knob switch characterized by having a configuration of   The light emitting diode for illuminating the push switch is mounted on the side edge portion on the circuit board according to claim 1, and the insulating rubber sheet covering the light emitting diode is made of a light transmissive material. In-vehicle knob switch.   The in-vehicle knob switch according to claim 2, wherein the insulating rubber sheet is made of silicon rubber.   The slide part according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the slide part is a leg piece provided at four corners on the back surface of the operation key, and the leg piece slides in a concave groove provided in the guide part. An in-vehicle knob switch characterized by being freely fitted.

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