JP2013118135A - Thumbwheel switch device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a thumbwheel switch device that is free of trouble associated with output of an encode signal indicative of a rotational amount of a thumbwheel knob even if a liquid enters a switch case while configured to output the encode signal from a printed wiring board.SOLUTION: Rotation of a thumbwheel knob 4 is converted from rotation of a cam 11 to swings of respective arms 13-15 to turn on respective switches 7-9 through a waterproof rubber 10 covering the entire upper surface of a printed wiring board 6. Consequently, even if a liquid enters a switch case 2, the entire mounting surface for the switches 7-9 of the printed wiring board 6 is protected by a waterproof member, so that trouble associated with output of a pulse signal from the printed wiring board 6 is not caused.

Description

  The present invention relates to a thumbwheel switch device having a waterproof function.

  The thumbwheel switch device is configured to transmit the rotation of the thumbwheel knob directly or through a gear to the encoder, and output an encode signal in accordance with the rotation of the thumbwheel knob from the printed circuit board on which the encoder is mounted. (See cited document 1).

JP 2001-266717 A

  By the way, since the thumb wheel switch device is structured to rotate and operate the thumb wheel knob, there is a gap between the thumb wheel knob and the switch case, and if liquid spills on the switch case, May enter the switch case and adhere to the printed circuit board, which may cause a problem in the output of the encode signal from the printed circuit board. In this case, although the intrusion of liquid into the encoder can be prevented by devising the shape of the encoder, since the encoder is mounted on the printed wiring board, the electrical joint between the encoder and the printed wiring board There is still a possibility that a malfunction may occur in the output of the encode signal when the liquid adheres to.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its object is to output an encode signal indicating the amount of rotation of the thumb wheel knob from the printed wiring board, even when liquid enters the switch case. An object of the present invention is to provide a thumbwheel switch device that does not cause a problem in the output of an encode signal.

  The present invention is equipped with a thumb wheel knob that can be rotated through a window of a switch case, a pressing means that operates in conjunction with the rotation of the thumb wheel knob, and a plurality of switches. And a printed wiring board that outputs an encoding signal indicating the amount of rotation of the thumb wheel knob to the outside, and a waterproof member that covers the entire mounting surface of the switch on the printed wiring board, and the pressing means includes the thumb wheel. The switch is turned on via the waterproof member according to the rotation of the knob.

  When the thumb wheel knob is rotated, the pressing means turns on the switch mounted on the printed wiring board via the waterproof member, so that the encode signal is output from the printed wiring board in response to the switch being turned on. Here, even when liquid enters the switch case from the gap between the thumb wheel knob and the switch case, the entire mounting surface of the switch on the printed circuit board is protected by a waterproof member. There is no problem in the output of the encode signal from the substrate.

The whole front view which removes and shows the switch case in 1st Embodiment of this invention Overall plan view with the switch case removed Overall left side view with switch case removed Overall right side view with switch case removed Side view showing pressing state against first arm by cam Side view showing pressing state against second arm by cam Side view showing pressing state against third arm by cam Perspective view showing the swing base A diagram showing when to feel a click Diagram showing pulse signal output timing FIG. 10 equivalent view showing the second embodiment of the present invention.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
1 to 4 are a front view, a plan view, a left side view, and a right side view of the entire thumbwheel switch device with the switch case removed. The switch case 2 forming the housing of the thumbwheel switch device 1 is made of a container-like resin having an open bottom surface, and a window portion 3 is formed on the top surface thereof. A plurality of ribs 2a to 2c are formed to protrude on the back surfaces on both sides of the window portion 3, and a resin-made container-shaped middle with the shaft 4a of the thumb wheel knob 4 supported by the ribs 2a to 2c. Case 5 is attached.

  Ribs 5a and 5b are formed in the middle case 5, and the shaft 4a of the thumb wheel knob 4 is rotatably held between the ribs 5a and 5b and the ribs 2a and 2b on the switch case 2 side. Thus, the thumb wheel 4 can be rotated. In this case, the thumb wheel knob 4 slightly protrudes outward from the window portion 3 of the switch case 2, thereby enabling a rotation operation by the user.

  A printed wiring board 6 is disposed on the step formed on the back side of the middle case 5. First to third switches 7 to 9 are mounted on the upper surface of the printed wiring board 6, and the entire mounting surface of the switches 7 to 9 is covered with a waterproof rubber 10 (corresponding to a waterproof member). In this waterproof rubber 10, protrusions 10 a are respectively formed at portions facing the switches 7 to 9, and these protrusions 10 a are in contact with the switches 7 to 9. Here, the 1st-3rd switches 7-9 are arrange | positioned in the position eccentric from the site | part facing the shaft 4a of the thumbwheel knob 4, as shown in FIGS. Further, a support portion 10b is integrally formed at a portion of the protruding portion 10a opposite to the switches 7 to 9 with respect to the portion of the thumb wheel knob 4 facing the shaft 4a, and the support portion 10b is printed. It is in contact with the wiring board 6.

A square columnar metal cam 11 (corresponding to a pressing means) is attached to one shaft 4 a of the thumb wheel knob 4, and the cam 11 rotates as the thumb wheel knob 4 rotates.
A window-like arm storage portion 12 is formed in a portion of the middle case 5 facing the cam 11. In the arm storage portion 12, metal first to third arms 13 to 15 (corresponding to pressing means) oriented in a direction orthogonal to the shaft 4a of the thumb wheel knob 4 are disposed, and these are waterproof rubbers. 10 abuts. In this case, each protrusion 10a of the waterproof rubber 10 corresponds to each arm 13-15. The proximal ends of the first arm 13 and the third arm 15 are located on the same side, and the proximal ends of the second arm 14 are located on the opposite side of the proximal ends of the first arm 13 and the third arm 15. . These arms 13 to 15 are supported by the middle case 5 at their base ends, and are formed into shapes that are pressed at different timings according to the rotation of the cam 11.

5-7 is a side view which shows the press state with respect to the 1st-3rd arms 13-15 by the cam 11, and the 1st arm 13 and the 2nd arm 14 are formed in the same shape. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a moderate slope portion 13 a (14 a) is formed in the middle portion of the upper surface of the first arm 13 (second arm 14), and the moderate slope portion 13 a (14 a). The thin-walled portion 13b (14b) continuing from the base end portion and the thick-walled portion 13c (14c) continuing from the distal end portion are connected. As shown in FIG. 7, a moderately inclined surface portion 15a is formed in the middle portion of the upper surface of the third arm 15, and the thinned portions 15b and 15b continuing from the end portion and the tip portion by the moderately inclined surface portion 15a The thick portion 15c sandwiched between the moderating slope portions 15a is connected.
Then, as described above, the cover 16 is mounted on the bottom opening surface of the switch case 2 with the thumb wheel knob 4, the middle case 5, and the printed wiring board 6 being stored in the switch case 2 in this order, so that each component can be mounted. It is positioned.

  With the above configuration, when the cam 11 rotates with the rotation of the thumb wheel knob 4, the cam 11 presses the moderation slope portions 13 a to 15 a of the arms 13 to 15, whereby the ridge portion 10 a of the waterproof rubber 10. Elastically deforms and presses the switches 7-9. In other words, as shown in FIG. 5, the first arm 13 swings downward with the corner portion of the cam 11 slidingly contacting the moderation slope portion 13a, and the first arm 13 moves between the moderation slope portion 13a and the thick portion 13c. The first switch 7 is turned on in the state of being located at the boundary. As shown in FIG. 6, the second arm 14 swings downward with the corner portion of the cam 11 slidingly contacting the thick portion 14c, and at the boundary between the thick portion 14c and the moderate slope portion 14a. The second switch 8 is turned on in the positioned state. As shown in FIG. 7, the third arm 15 swings downward in a state where the corner portion of the cam 11 is in sliding contact with the moderate slope portion 15a, and the third arm 15 is in contact with the central portion of the thick portion 15c. Switch 9 is turned on.

  Here, according to the rotation of the cam 11, the corners of the arms 13 to 15 pass through the boundaries between the moderate slopes 13a to 15a and the thick portions 13c to 15c so that the user feels a click. The corresponding switches 7 to 9 are turned on at the timing when the click is felt, and the pulse signal constituting the encode signal is output from the printed wiring board 6. The output timing of this pulse signal differs depending on the rotation direction of the thumb wheel knob 4.

  FIG. 9 shows the timing when a click is felt, and FIG. 10 shows the output timing of a pulse signal. While the thumb wheel knob 4 is rotated 360 °, twelve clicks (indicated by “1” in the figure) are sensed every 30 °, and the switches 7 to 9 are turned on at the timing when the click is sensed, as shown in FIG. A pulse signal constituting the encode signal is output at the timing. In this case, the timing at which the switches 7 to 9 are turned on, that is, the output timing of the pulse signal differs in accordance with the clockwise or counterclockwise rotation of the thumb wheel knob 4. That is, when the thumb wheel knob 4 is located at 0 ° of the reference position, the switches 7 to 9 are off, and the second switch 8 is turned on when the thumb wheel knob 4 is rotated 22.5 ° to the right. Is turned on, the third switch 9 is turned on at a timing rotated 45 °, and the first switch 7 is turned on at a timing rotated 67.5 °. On the other hand, the first switch 7 is turned on when the thumb wheel knob 4 is rotated 22.5 ° in the left direction, the third switch 9 is turned on when the thumb wheel 4 is rotated 45 °, and is rotated 67.5 ° Then, the second switch 8 is turned on. Therefore, it is possible to determine the rotation direction and the rotation amount of the thumb wheel knob 4 by tracking the output timing of the pulse signal output from the printed wiring board 6.

  When the cam 11 is positioned on the moderation slopes 13a to 15a of the arms 13 to 15 as shown by two-dot chain lines in FIG. 5 and FIG. The cam 11 is pressed and rotated by the moderating slope portions 13a to 15a, and finally rotates to a position where it escapes from the moderation slope portions 13a to 15a. Further, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 7, the state where the corner portion of the cam 11 is positioned on the thick portion 15 c of the third arm 15 is an unstable state. Is rotated by being pressed to the position where it escapes from the thick portion 15c. Therefore, when the rotation operation of the thumb wheel knob 4 is completed, the switches 7 to 9 are turned off, and no pulse signal is output from the printed wiring board 6.

The thumb wheel knob 4 is configured to be able to be pressed in addition to the rotation operation. That is, in the middle case 5, the rib 5 a that supports the shaft 4 a of the thumb wheel knob 4 on the side opposite to the cam 11 is provided on the rocking base 17 that can be elastically deformed. It swings downwards elastically.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the swing base 17. The rocking base 17 is cantilevered at the inner wall of the opening 18 formed in the middle case 5, and the rib 5a is integrally formed at the tip. An auxiliary rib 17a is integrally formed on the base end side of the swing base 17, and a long hole 17b elongated in the vertical direction is formed in the auxiliary rib 17a. The shaft 4a of the thumb wheel knob 4 is inserted into the elongated hole 17b of the auxiliary rib 17a while being supported from below by the rib 5a. A switch 19 is mounted on a portion of the printed wiring board 6 that faces the tip of the swing base 17. As shown in FIG. 3, a protrusion 10 a is formed on a portion of the back surface of the waterproof rubber 10 that faces the switch 19, and the protrusion 10 a is in contact with the switch 19. In addition, a pair of support portions 10b is formed in a portion where the switch 19 is sandwiched in the ridge portion 10a.

  With the above configuration, when the thumb wheel knob 4 is pressed, the thumb wheel knob 4 swings around the rib 5b of the middle case 5 as shown in FIG. Is inclined and presses the rib 5 a provided on the swing base 17. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3, the tip of the swing base 17 swings downward and the switch 19 is turned on via the waterproof rubber 10. Therefore, the switch 19 is turned on from the printed wiring board 6. A decision signal which is a pulse signal indicating this is output. In this case, the rib 5a is displaced downward by the pressing force, so that a gap is formed between the rib 5a and the rib of the switch case 2. However, the shaft 4a of the thumb wheel knob 4 has a long hole 17b of the auxiliary rib 17a. Thus, the shaft 4a of the thumb wheel knob 4 is prevented from being detached from the rib.

  The encode signal from the thumbwheel switch device 1 is output to, for example, a navigation ECU (Electronic Control Unit), and the navigation ECU calculates the rotation direction and amount of rotation of the thumbwheel knob 4 based on the encode signal. The displayed icons are sequentially selected according to the rotation of the thumb wheel knob 4, and a process based on the selected icon is executed by inputting a decision signal.

Now, there is a gap between the window portion 3 of the switch case 2 and the thumb wheel knob 4 because of the structural circumstances that allow the thumb wheel knob 4 to be rotated. For this reason, when liquid spills on the upper surface of the thumb wheel switch device 1, the liquid enters the switch case 2 from the gap between the thumb wheel knob 4 and the switch case 2.
However, since the entire upper surface of the printed wiring board 6 is covered and protected by the waterproof rubber 10 including the switches 7 to 9, no liquid adheres to the printed wiring board 6. In this case, since no hole for connecting the printed wiring board 6 positioned below the waterproof rubber 10 and the member positioned above is formed in the waterproof rubber 10, any portion of the waterproof rubber 10 is provided. Even if the liquid adheres, it is possible to prevent the liquid from adhering to the printed wiring board 6.

  According to such an embodiment, the rotation of the thumb wheel knob 4 is converted from the rotation of the cam 11 to the swing of the arms 13 to 15 so that each switch is provided via the waterproof rubber 10 that covers the entire upper surface of the printed wiring board 6. Since the switches 7 to 9 are turned on, the printed wiring board 6 is protected by the waterproof rubber 10 even when the liquid enters the switch case 2, and the encoder signal is output from the printed wiring board 6. Will not cause any problems.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The second embodiment is characterized in that the encode signal output from the thumbwheel switch device 1 is composed of two pulse signals, and the third switch 9 and the third arm 15 of the first embodiment are omitted. ing.
A pulse signal as shown in FIG. 11 is output from the thumbwheel switch device 1 in accordance with the rotation of the thumbwheel knob 4. In this case, the output timing of the pulse signal is the same regardless of the rotation direction of the thumb wheel knob 4, and it cannot be determined during the rotation operation of the thumb wheel knob 4, but was output last in the previous rotation operation. By storing which of the first and second switches 7 and 8 the pulse signal is output from, the rotation direction can be determined. That is, when the rotation operation of the thumb wheel knob 4 is finished, no pulse signal is output from each of the switches 7 and 8, so that the first switch 7 is “0” and the second switch 8 outputs the previous stop position. Becomes “0”. At this time, when a pulse signal is output from the second switch 8 as the last pulse output of the previous time, that is, when the first switch 7 is “0” and the second switch 8 is “1”, the rotation operation is started. When the first pulse signal is a pulse signal from the first switch 7, it can be determined that the rotation is clockwise, and when it is a pulse signal from the second switch 8, it is determined that the rotation is counterclockwise.
According to such an embodiment, since the number of parts constituting the thumbwheel switch device 1 can be reduced, the overall cost can be reduced.

(Other embodiments)
Instead of providing the cam 11 integrally with the shaft 4a of the thumb wheel knob 4, the rotation of the thumb wheel knob 4 may be transmitted to the cam 11 by a gear or the like and rotated.
You may make it provide a some cam corresponding to the 1st-3rd arms 13-15.
Although an urging force is applied to each of the arms 13 to 15 that are swung by the waterproof rubber 10, the urging force may be applied by a spring member.
The configuration is not limited to the configuration in which the arms 13 to 15 are pressed and swung by the cam 11, but may be any configuration as long as the switch is turned on via the waterproof rubber 10 by the rotation of the thumb wheel knob 4.

  In the drawings, 1 is a thumbwheel switch device, 3 is a window portion, 4 is a thumbwheel knob, 6 is a printed wiring board, 7 to 9 are first to third switches, 10 is a waterproof rubber (waterproof member), and 11 is a cam. (Pressing means), 13 to 15 are first to third arms (pressing means), and 15a to 17a are moderation slope portions.

Claims (4)

A thumbwheel knob provided so that it can be rotated through the window of the switch case;
A pressing means that operates in conjunction with rotation of the thumb wheel knob;
A plurality of switches are mounted, and a printed wiring board that outputs an encode signal indicating the amount of rotation of the thumbwheel knob to the outside in response to turning on the switch;
A waterproof member covering the entire mounting surface of the switch in the printed wiring board;
A thumbwheel switch device, wherein the pressing means turns on the switch via the waterproof member in response to rotation of the thumbwheel knob. The pressing means includes a cam that rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the thumb wheel knob, and an arm that is pressed according to the rotation of the cam.
2. The thumbwheel switch device according to claim 1, wherein the arm turns on the switch via the waterproof member when pressed by the cam. The waterproof member is a waterproof rubber having elasticity,
The thumbwheel switch device according to claim 2, wherein the arm abuts against the waterproof rubber and elastically presses the waterproof rubber in a state of being pressed by the cam.   The thumbwheel switch device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the arm includes a moderation slope portion that is pressed by the cam at a timing when the switch is turned on to swing the arm.

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