Communications: electrical – Visual indication – Switchboard or panel type
Reexamination Certificate
2002-04-18
2004-04-27
Hofsass, Jeffery (Department: 2636)
Communications: electrical
Visual indication
Switchboard or panel type
C340S815480, C340S815730, C340S815560, C340S815650, C341S022000, C341S026000, C341S028000, C341S034000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06727825
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an operation panel device which is suited to an apparatus equipped with a large number of operation switches such as a motor vehicle.
In recent years, a vehicle such as a motor vehicle incorporates various kinds of electric appliances inclusive of a television, navigation system, an audio mechanism such as a CD player, a cassette player, etc. an air conditioner, etc. To this end, various kinds of operation panel devices
8
have been developed in which as seen from
FIGS. 12 and 13
, a display
1
, a CD entrance
2
, a cassette entrance
3
, a television
avigation operation button
4
, an audio operation button
5
, an air conditioner operation button
6
, indicators
7
are collectively arranged on a center cluster of a dash board.
An operation panel
8
a
of the operation panel device
8
adopts a number of curved surfaces so that the arrangement and angle of the operation buttons
4
,
5
and
6
can have variations taking a design into consideration.
However, since the operation panel
8
a
of the operation panel device
8
adopts a number of curved surfaces so that the arrangement and angle of the operation buttons
4
,
5
and
6
can have variations, it was requested that printed boards on which switches
10
to be operated by the operation buttons
4
,
5
and
6
are mounted are arranged divisionally so as to correspond to the positions of the operation buttons
4
,
5
and
6
according to the curved surfaces.
Thus, there was necessity of connecting the divided printed boards
11
to one another via connectors or jumper wires. This led to the cost-up.
Each switch
10
was designed as a “rubber contact switch” to provide tactile feeling when the operation button
4
,
5
,
6
is pressed. Specifically, as seen from
FIGS. 14
to
17
, when the operation button
4
,
5
,
6
is pushed in, an operation shaft
12
of the operation button
4
,
5
,
6
pushes the switch
10
. In this case, the switch
10
is shifted from an initial state as shown in
FIG. 15
into a state where a rubber contact
13
is elastically deformed under predetermined force as shown in FIG.
16
. Thereafter, as shown in
FIG. 17
, the rubber contact
13
is abruptly elastically deformed by small operation force. As a result, each switch contact
15
arranged on a switch board
14
is communicated with a contact conductor
16
on the lower surface of the rubber contact
13
so that a predetermined operation signal is produced. Thus, the switch
10
does not almost encounter any operation obstacle while it is shifted from the state of
FIG. 16
into the state of FIG.
17
, thereby providing the tactile feeling.
Incidentally, in
FIG. 14
, reference numeral
17
denotes a supporting portion attached to the operation panel
8
a
. In
FIGS. 15
to
17
, reference numeral
18
denotes a switch cap,
18
a switch gap,
19
a lower case, and
20
an upper cover.
However, the adoption of the rubber contact switch also led to the cost-up.
Further, in order to disperse light by the printed boards
11
, the conventional operation panel device incorporates a plurality of light sources
21
for illuminating the operation buttons
4
,
5
and
6
and the indicators on the printed board
11
and also a light guiding plate
22
of acryl resin for guiding the light from the light source
21
to the character or graphic on each of the buttons
4
,
5
,
6
and another light guiding plate
22
for guiding light to each indicator. In this case, the light guiding plates
22
must be designed so that light with predetermined luminous intensity can be guided. This is troublesome and hence leads to the cost up.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide an operation panel device with freedom of design which can deal with the complicate curved surface of an operation panel at low cost.
The technical means for solving the above problem is an operation panel device equipped with a plurality of operation buttons from each of which the corresponding operation signal is produced according to the operation of each button, characterized in that a string-like resistor body is held in a resistor holding plate, the resistor body having a tube-like elastic outer resistor member, an inner resistor member loosely arranged within the outer resistor member and insulating spacers arranged between the inner resistor member and the outer resistor member at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction of the inner resistor member so that the inner periphery of the outer resistor member and outer periphery of the inner resistor member are constantly separated from each other; and a control unit is provided to produce the operation signal, whereby when each operation button is pressed, at the corresponding position, the outer resistor member is elastically deformed to be brought into contact with the inner resistor member so that the control unit decides which operation button is pressed on the basis of the resistance at an individual contact position and produces the corresponding operation signal.
The operation panel device may have a structure in which the resistor holding plate has a groove in which the resistor body is to be firmly positioned.
The operation panel device may have a structure in which a plurality of rubber contacts of an elastic material are arranged so as to correspond to the positions where the outer resistor member is pushed by pressing each the operation buttons, the rubber contacts each including a push-in operation member and a skirt member which is enlarged in the hem toward the outer resistor member.
The operation panel device may have a structure in which a coupling plate is integrally provided to couple the plurality of rubber contacts with one another on the side of their hems.
The operation panel device may have a structure in which the rubber contacts are attached to the resistor holding plate so that the resistor body is held in the groove.
The operation panel device may have a structure in which a light source for illumination is provided within a case of the operation panel device and the resistor holding plate constituting the case is made smooth in the inner surface.
The operation panel device may have a structure in which optical fibers are provided for guiding light to respective indicators of the operation buttons.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4253044 (1981-02-01), Smith
patent: 4893115 (1990-01-01), Blanchard
Kobayashi Yoshinobu
Okamoto Kenji
Yoshida Motomasa
Autonetworks Technologies Ltd.
Hofsass Jeffery
Nguyen Hung T.
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
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