Electricity: circuit makers and breakers – Solid contact – Reciprocating actuator
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-26
2001-12-11
Scott, J. R. (Department: 2832)
Electricity: circuit makers and breakers
Solid contact
Reciprocating actuator
Reexamination Certificate
active
06329622
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an oscillating-operation type switch apparatus where plural switch devices such as tact switches or the like are selectively on-operated by oscillate-operating an operating body.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a conventional art of oscillating-operation type switch apparatus of this type, as disclosed in Japanese Published Utility Model Registration No. 2541120, an apparatus where an operating body having plural press projections is oscillate-movably supported on a support member and plural tact switches are provided to be opposite to the respective press projections is known. The tact switches are selectively on-operated by the press projections by oscillate-operating the operating body in an arbitrary direction.
In the oscillating-operation type switch apparatus disclosed in the above publication, an attachment member connected via plural elastic arms is provided at the center of the support member. The operating body is supported displaceably with respect to the support member, by welding four connection projections, provided on a lower surface of the operating body, to the attachment member. The support member is fixed on an upper surface of an outer casing. A support shaft provided at the center of the lower surface of the operating body is in contact with the upper surface of the outer casing, through the attachment member of the support member. Further, four press projections are provided at 90° intervals in a circumferential direction on the lower surface of the operating body. The press projections extend downward through the support member and the outer casing. The respective press projections are located in an outer periphery of the respective connection projections. That is, two connection projections are provided on one straight line connecting the support shaft and two press projections, and on the whole, a couple of connection projection and press projection are provided on the same straight line extending crosswisely from the support shaft as the center. Further, a circuit board is fixed to a lower surface of the outer casing. Plural tact switches opposed to the respective press projections of the operating body are provided on the circuit board.
In the conventional oscillating-operation type switch apparatus schematically having the above structure, when the upper surface of the operating body is depressed and tilted in an arbitrary direction, as the operating body oscillates in the depressed direction with the support shaft as the center, one tact switch is on-operated by its corresponding press projection. Further, when the pressing force to the operating body is removed, the attachment member of the support member returns to a horizontal position by elastic forces of the respective elastic arms, and the operating body fixed to the attachment member automatically returns to an initial position. Accordingly, when a user selects a pressing position on the operating body, one of the four tact switches is selectively on-operated. For example, various operations including menu selection and the like are performed based on operation signals from the respective tact switches.
In the above-described conventional oscillating-operation type switch apparatus, the operating body is supported displaceably with respect to the support member by welding the plural connection projections provided on the operating body to the attachment member of the support member. As two connection projections are provided via the support shaft on the same straight line connecting two press projections, when an arbitrary press projection presses a tact switch in accordance with oscillating operation of the operating body, a force in a direction opposite to a pressing direction acts on a connection projection provided in a position 180° opposite to the press projection via the support shaft, and a strong force occurs in a direction to move the connection projection away from the attachment member. Accordingly, it is necessary to prolong the length of elastic arm as much as possible to reduce the force that acts on the connection projection. As a result, the elastic arms becomes large in a diameter direction, and the diametral size of the operating body attached to the support member having the elastic arms increases, thus the entire oscillating-operation type switch apparatus becomes large.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, plural press projections and connection projections are provided alternately in a circumferential direction on an operating body, and the respective connection projections are fixed to plural elastic arms provided on a support member. In this structure, even if the respective press projections are provided in positions approached to the center of oscillation, upon oscillate-operation of the operating body, as a force almost does not act between the connection projection and the elastic arm in a direction to move them away from each other, the entire oscillating-operation type switch apparatus, including the operating body and the support member, can be downsized.
According to the present invention, provided is an oscillating-operation type switch apparatus comprising an operating body having plural press projections provided at predetermined intervals in a circumferential direction, a support member oscillate-movably supporting the operating body, and plural switch devices opposed to the respective press projections, the switch devices being selectively operated by the press projections by oscillate-operating the operating body in an arbitrary direction, wherein plural connection projections are provided in the operating body, respectively in an approximately middle position between the respective press projections adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction, and the respective connection projections are fixed to plural elastic arms provided on the support member.
In this structure, even if the respective press projections are provided in positions approached to the center of oscillation, upon oscillate-operation of the operating body, as a force almost does not act between the connection projection and the elastic arm in a direction to move them away from each other, the entire oscillating-operation type switch apparatus, including the operating body and the support member, can be downsized.
In the above structure, it is preferable for downsizing that the respective elastic arms are provided in the manner of cantilever on the support member, and free end sides are extended radially from sides in a central portion of the support member as a starting point, and the respective connection projections are fixed to the free end sides of the respective elastic arms. In this case, as the respective connection projections are fixed to the free end sides of the respective cantilever elastic arms sufficiently away from the center of oscillation of the operating body, the respective elastic arms can be comparatively greatly elastically-deformed independently, and the force that acts between the connection projection and the elastic arm in a direction to move them away from each other can be further reduced.
Further, in the above structure, it may be arranged such that openings or notches, through which the respective press projections are inserted, are provided in a plate portion of the support member, and the respective elastic arms are extended upward with respect to an upper surface of the plate portion. In this case, as the amount of elastic deformation of each elastic arm can be increased, a pressing stroke upon oscillating-operation of the operating body can be set to a large value.
Further, in the above structure, it may be arranged such that a snap leg is perpendicularly positioned in a central portion of the support member and plural bosses are perpendicularly positioned around the snap leg, and the snap leg is snap-fixed, and the respective bosses are swaged, to a fixed plate carrying a switch device. In this case, assembly work of the oscill
Alps Electric Co. ,Ltd.
Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione
Scott J. R.
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