Push and rotary operating type electronic device

Details Push and rotary operating type electronic device Push and rotary operating type electronic device

2000-02-10

2001-04-17

Friedhofer, Michael (Department: 2832)

Electricity: circuit makers and breakers

Solid contact

Rotating actuator

C200S004000, C200S0110TC, C200S014000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06218635

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a push and rotary operating type electronic device mainly employed in communication terminal equipment such as a portable telephone. Such a push and rotary operating type electronic device is operated by rotating a portion of an outer periphery of a cylindrical operating knob projecting from an operating surface of the equipment toward a tangential direction and also by depressing the same toward a center of rotation.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A rotary encoder equipped with a push switch such as one shown in a general perspective view of
FIG. 12
is a type of push and rotary operating type electronic devices heretofore known.
This rotary encoder equipped with a push switch includes a mount board
1
having contact points, a rotary encoder unit
2
as a rotary operating type electronic component disposed on the mount board
1
, and a push switch unit
3
as a push-to-operate type electronic component also disposed on the mount board
1
at an opposite side of the rotary encoder unit
2
, as shown in
FIG. 12 and a
sectioned side view of FIG.
13
. The rotary encoder unit
2
is fixed in such a manner as to be movable for a certain extent in a vertical direction (the direction of an arrow V shown in FIG.
12
and FIG.
13
). The push switch unit
3
is fixed so as not to be movable.
The mount board
1
having contact points includes a plate-shaped plastic body provided with a recess
5
including guide rails
4
for the rotary encoder unit
2
to move along, another recess
6
for fixing the push switch unit
3
, and contact plates
8
having terminals
7
protruding downwardly for leading an electric signal of the rotary encoder unit
2
to an outside, as shown in a general perspective view of FIG.
14
.
The rotary encoder unit
2
includes: (a) a sliding contact body
9
made of plastic, inserted into the recess
5
of the mount board
1
having contact and retained by the guide rails
4
so as to be movable within a certain extent in the vertical direction (the direction of the arrow V shown in FIG.
12
and FIG.
13
); (b) a resilient metal plate
10
mounted in plastic resin of the sliding contact body
9
by insertion molding, and having flexible contact blades
11
A and
11
B extending both forward and backward; (c) a rotor
14
made of plastic provided on its back surface with a radially-extended movable contact plate
13
, to which the flexible contact blade
11
A makes resilient contact, and held rotatably with a cylindrical axle
12
, which is fixed in a center of the sliding contact body
9
; and (d) a disk-shaped operating knob
15
mounted with the cylindrical axle
12
in between so as to rotate the rotor
14
, as shown in the sectioned side view of FIG.
13
. The flexible contact blade
11
B extending backward from the sliding contact body
9
is in resilient contact with the contact plates
8
on the mount board
1
having contact points in order to lead an electric signal from the rotary encoder unit
2
.
A leaf spring
16
protruding from a bottom end of the sliding contact body
9
provides for a biasing force by contacting resiliently against pin-shaped projections
17
(refer to
FIG. 14
) on a front surface of the mount board
1
having contact points in order to maintain the rotary encoder unit
2
in a position apart from the push switch unit
3
in an ordinary condition.
The push switch unit
3
is fixed on the mount board
1
having contact points by being inserted in the recess
6
on a surface opposite to the rotary encoder unit
2
in a manner that an actuating button
18
of the push switch unit
3
is in contact with a pushing section
12
A at the backside of the cylindrical axle
12
of the rotary encoder unit
2
, as shown in FIG.
13
. Terminals
19
for leading an electric signal to the outside protrude downwardly below the mount board
1
.
As the rotary encoder equipped with a push switch is constructed as above, it is mounted on a wiring board
20
in equipment, with the terminals
7
of the rotary encoder unit
2
and the terminals
19
of the push switch unit
3
, all protruding from a mount surface at the underside of the mount board
1
, inserted into mount holes
21
and
22
and soldered, as shown in
FIG. 15
, when it is installed in the communication terminal equipment and the like.
The rotary encoder is installed in a manner that a peripheral rim
15
A of the disk-shaped operating knob
15
protrudes from an operating surface
23
on an upper enclosure of the equipment in order that the peripheral rim
15
A is manipulable.
The rotary encoder equipped with a push switch constructed as above operates in a manner, which will be described hereinafter.
When the peripheral rim
15
A of the disk-shaped operating knob
15
is turned by applying a force in a tangential direction (the direction of an arrow H shown in FIG.
12
), the rotor
14
rotates about the cylindrical axle
12
.
A flexible contact blade
11
A fixed to the sliding contact body
9
at a front side slides resiliently over the radially-extended movable contact plate
13
on the back surface of the rotor
14
so as to make and break an electric current, thereby functioning as the rotary encoder unit
2
. The electric current is transferred from the flexible contact blade
11
A to the contact plate
8
on the mount board
1
having contact points via the flexible contact blade
11
B in the back. The electric current is then communicated to a circuit on the wiring board
20
of the equipment through the terminals
7
provided for external connection.
As shown in
FIGS. 13 and 15
, a depressing force is given on the peripheral rim
15
A of the disk-shaped operating knob
15
in a vertically downward direction (the direction of the arrow V
1
) toward a center of the disk-shaped operating knob
15
against a biasing force of the leaf spring
16
, which thrusts the rotary encoder unit
2
upward, to move the whole rotary encoder unit
2
along the guide rails
4
on the mount board
1
having contact points. This causes the pushing section
12
A of the cylindrical axle
12
to press the actuating button
18
, and actuates the push switch unit
3
. Contacts of the push switch unit
3
close a circuit of the wiring board
20
of the equipment via the terminals
19
.
The rotary encoder unit
2
is thrust back and returns into its original position by the resilient restoring force of the leaf spring
16
, when the depressing force being given to the disk-shaped operating knob
15
is removed.
When mounting the push and rotary operating type electronic device of the prior art on communication terminal equipment or the like, however, it shall be so mounted as to avoid the mount board
1
having contact points from coming out of the operating surface
23
of the upper enclosure. Since the mount surface of the mount board
1
to be mounted on the wiring board
20
is designed to locate in a position considering the lowest portion of the outside diameter and upward/downward within its movable range of the peripheral rim
15
A of the disk-shaped operating knob
15
, a space between the operating surface
23
and the wiring board
20
in the equipment needs to be widened. This causes a problem that a thickness of the equipment from the operating surface
23
of the upper enclosure to a rear surface of a bottom enclosure becomes so bulky.
In addition, the push and rotary operating type electronic device of the prior art requires a circuit for the signal of the rotary encoder unit
2
to include a path through the flexible contact blade
11
B on the sliding contact body
9
and the contact plates
8
on the mount board
1
, thereby giving rise to another problem that demands great care in handling during assembling and for maintaining reliable electrical contacts in a long term of usage due to many flexible contacts and sliding contact plates.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A push and rotary operating type electronic device includes: (a) an operating knob having an extended width and a cylindrical shape, and an outer peripheral surface of w

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