JP2007329070A - Multidirectional input device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a multidirectional input device with a push switch capable of smoothly press-operating the push switch. <P>SOLUTION: The device is provided with an operating shaft 1 with one end side protruded from an opening 2b of a case 2 and the other end housed, detecting means 12, 13, 14b, 9 for detecting a slanting movement of the operating shaft 1, push switches 14 (14a, 14b), 15 operated in accordance with the slanting movement or pressing movement of the operating shaft 1, and a pressing member 5 press-operating the push switches 14, 15, arranged between the push switches 14, 15 and the other end of the operating shaft 1. A cylindrical guide wall 4a is provided outside push switches 14, 15 inside the housing part so as to surround an outer periphery of the movable contact piece 15, and a cylindrical protruded wall 5a equipped with an inner periphery face guided to the outer periphery face of the guide wall 4a is provided at the pressing member 5, so that the pressing member 5 is arranged to be in free sliding in an axis direction of the operating shaft 1 by engaging the protruded wall 5a and the guide wall 4a. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a multidirectional input device, and more particularly, to a tilted multidirectional input device with a center push switch having a push switch for pressing operation at the center.

  The tilt type multi-directional input device with a conventional center push switch is equipped with a push switch that turns the switch on and off by the movement of the operation axis in the axial direction. The thing of the structure which operated this is known (for example, refer patent document 1).

  The structure of this conventional multidirectional input device is shown in FIGS. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional multidirectional input device, and FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view thereof. In FIG. 14, reference numeral 21 denotes a lower case made of an insulating resin having a recess with an upper opening. A first fixed contact 24 including a fixed contact 22 and an outer fixed contact 23 is provided, and terminals 22A and 23A that are electrically connected to the fixed contacts 22 and 23 are led out to the outside. On the outer fixed contact 23, an outer peripheral lower end 25A of a circular dome-shaped movable contact 25 made of a conductive metal thin plate is placed in contact.

  In addition, an upper case 26 made of an insulating resin having a circular hole 26A at the center and provided with a second fixed contact 27 on the back surface is coupled to the lower case 21 so as to cover the upper opening of the lower case 21. ing. The upper case 26 is composed of a spherical wall portion 26B formed in a spherical shape on the back side of the end portion constituting the hole portion 26A, and includes a concave portion 26C having a regular octagonal downward opening. A total of sixteen second fixed contacts 27 are provided on the exposed portion of the top surface of 26C.

  The hole 26A and the recess 26C of the upper case 26 are provided with their center positions aligned. The sixteen second fixed contacts 27 are arranged at two equal distances from the center position of the hole 26A and one side of the concave portion 26C formed in the regular octagon of the upper case 26. One by one. In addition, a total of eight terminals 28 arranged in an electrically independent state are led out from the upper case 26, and each of the terminals 28 is a corner of the recess 26 </ b> C in the second fixed contact 27. Are electrically connected to one disposed on one side of the adjacent side and one disposed on the other side.

  Reference numeral 29 denotes a cylindrical member made of insulating resin, which has a through hole 30 with a circular hole 30A on the upper side and an oval hole 30B on the lower side, and is formed in a regular octagon whose outer shape is slightly smaller than the concave part 26C at the outer peripheral middle part. The conductive flange 31 is fixed by insert molding, and the cylindrical member 29 and the flange 31 constitute a movable contact body 32. The cylindrical member 29 includes an upper sphere portion 29A whose upper outer peripheral portion is processed into a spherical shape having the same diameter as the spherical wall portion 26B.

A coil spring 33, which is an elastic member made of a conductive material, is housed in the lower case 21 with its lower end electrically connected to the outer fixed contact 23, and its upper end is made of a ring-shaped conductive material with a flat upper surface. An upward biasing force is applied to the presser member 34 in contact with the back surface of the presser member 34. In the movable contact body 32, the conductive flange 31 is placed on the upper surface of the inner peripheral portion of the pressing member 34, and the upper spherical portion 29A of the cylindrical member 29 is placed on the spherical wall portion 26B of the upper case 26. Arranged to engage.
That is, since the movable contact body 32 receives the upward biasing force of the coil spring 33 on the collar portion 31 via the presser member 34 and is engaged with the upper case 26 in a spherical shape, the movable contact body 32 is in a horizontal state. Can be kept.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 14, the flat upper surface outer peripheral portion of the pressing member 34 is brought into contact with the lower end surface 26D of the side wall portion constituting the concave portion 26C of the upper case 26 and stopped. If the upper sphere portion 29A is configured to have a size that engages with the spherical wall portion 26B of the upper case 26, the horizontal state of the pressing member 34 can be easily stabilized, and the movable contact body 32 can also be stabilized in a horizontal state. Can be maintained.
Further, in this case, the collar portion 31 is accommodated in the concave portion 26C of the upper case 26, and each is formed in a regular octagonal shape, so that it is movable with respect to the concave portion 26C of the upper case 26. The rotation of the contact body 32 can be easily prevented.

A rod-like operation shaft 35 is inserted into the through hole 30 of the movable contact body 32, and an upper portion thereof protrudes outward from the hole portion 26A of the upper case 26 to become an operation portion 35C. The formed lower end portion 35 </ b> A is disposed in contact with the upper surface of the insulating pressing member 36 placed on the apex portion 25 </ b> B of the movable contact 25.
Further, the operation shaft 35 includes an oval portion 35B at the center outer peripheral portion, and the oval portion 35B is engaged with the oval hole 30B of the through hole 30 of the cylindrical member 29, whereby the operation shaft 35 is engaged. Is not rotated with respect to the movable contact body 32 and is held so as to move up and down a predetermined distance.

  As described above, the movable contact body 32 through which the operation shaft 35 is inserted and held is held in a horizontal state in the normal state. Therefore, when the operation force is not applied, the cylindrical shape of the movable contact body 32 is obtained. The operation shaft 35 held by the member 29 also maintains a vertical neutral position. Then, the upper case 26 and the lower case 21 are joined by the caulking and fixing of the legs 37A of the metal cover 37 attached from above the upper case 26 to the bottom surface of the lower case 21.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-110278

  However, in the conventional multidirectional input device described above, the pressing member 36 that presses the movable contact 25 is housed in the cylindrical wall portion so as to be movable in the vertical direction, but the pressing member 36 is plate-shaped. For this reason, there is a problem in that it tilts and engages with the wall portion, and a smooth push switch pressing operation cannot be obtained.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide a multidirectional input device with a push switch that can smoothly push the push switch.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, in the multi-directional input device of the present invention, as a first solving means, a housing having a housing portion and an opening communicating with the housing portion, and one end side of the housing protrudes from the opening. And an operation shaft having the other end side accommodated in the storage portion so as to be capable of tilting in multiple directions and being capable of pressing in the axial direction, and detecting means disposed in the storage portion and detecting the tilting operation of the operation shaft. A movable contact piece comprising a reversible dome-shaped leaf spring disposed in the storage portion and operated in accordance with a tilting operation and a pressing operation of the operation shaft, and a central fixed contact contacting and moving away from the movable contact piece A push switch disposed between the push switch and the other end side of the operation shaft, and a push member that pushes the push switch. A cylindrical guide wall is provided so as to surround the outer periphery of the guide wall, and a cylindrical protruding wall having an inner peripheral surface guided by the outer peripheral surface of the guide wall is provided on the pressing member, and the protruding wall and the guide wall And the pressing member is slidably disposed in the axial direction of the operation shaft.

As a second solution, an elastic member is provided between the guide wall and the pressing member, and the elastic shaft biases the operation shaft toward the operation portion through the pressing member. The configuration.
As a third solution, the guide wall is provided with a notch that penetrates from the inside to the outside of the guide wall.
Further, as a fourth solving means, a stopper is formed on the guide wall and the pressing member so as to face each other in the axial direction of the operation shaft, and the opposing surface is restricted from moving in the axial direction of the pressing member. It was set as the structure which provided the part.

Further, as a fifth solving means, the pressing member is provided with a recess for accommodating the other end of the operation shaft at the center of the protruding wall facing the other end of the operation shaft. The configuration.
Further, as a sixth solving means, the operation shaft can be tilted in a predetermined direction in the opening, and a restricting portion for restricting the operation shaft from tilting in a direction other than the predetermined direction is provided in the opening. The restriction portion is formed by a plurality of jetties provided along the operation axis.
Further, as a seventh solving means, the detection means is provided in a common fixed contact and an individual fixed contact provided in the storage unit, and a drive body that tilts with a tilting operation of the operation shaft, and the individual fixed contact A movable contact plate that comes in contact with and separates from the contact point, and is elastically contacted between the movable contact plate and the common fixed contact, electrically connects the common fixed contact and the movable contact plate, and individually fixes the movable contact plate. The coil spring is configured to be biased toward the contact side.

  As described above, the multidirectional input device of the present invention includes a housing having a housing and an opening communicating with the housing, one end projecting from the housing opening, and capable of tilting in multiple directions and being axial An operation shaft whose other end is accommodated in the storage unit so as to be capable of pressing in the direction, detection means disposed in the storage unit for detecting the tilting operation of the operation shaft, and tilting operation and pressing of the operation shaft disposed in the storage unit Between the push switch and the other end side of the operating shaft, a push switch having a movable contact piece made of a reversible dome-shaped leaf spring that is operated in accordance with the operation and a central fixed contact that is in contact with and away from the movable contact piece And a pressing member for pressing the push switch, and a cylindrical guide wall is provided outside the push switch in the housing so as to surround the outer periphery of the movable contact piece, and the pressing member has an outer peripheral surface of the guide wall. Be guided to A cylindrical projecting wall having a peripheral surface is provided, and the pressing member is slidable in the axial direction of the operation shaft by engaging the projecting wall and the guide wall. As the protruding wall is guided and the pressing member slides in the axial direction of the operation shaft, the guiding of the pressing member is ensured, and the appropriate position is smoothly pressed when pressing the movable contact piece of the push switch. Therefore, the reversing operation of the movable contact piece made of a reversible dome-shaped leaf spring can be reliably performed, and a clear click feeling can be obtained.

In addition, an elastic member is provided between the guide wall and the pressing member, and the operating shaft is biased by the elastic member via the pressing member to the operating portion side, thereby suppressing backlash in the axial direction of the operating shaft. Therefore, stable guidance is possible by the outer wall of the guide wall and the inner wall of the protruding wall.
In addition, since the notch that penetrates the guide wall from the inside to the outside of the guide wall is provided, the notch enables the air inside and outside the guide wall to flow, so that the inside of the protruding wall becomes a vacuum state. Therefore, the operation of the push switch is made smoother and the return of the pressing member is ensured.
In addition, since the guide wall and the pressing member are formed with a surface facing the axial direction of the operation shaft, and a stopper portion that restricts the movement of the pressing member in the axial direction is provided on this facing surface, Even if an excessive load in the direction is applied, it is possible to prevent the pressing member from being deformed and to prevent an excessive force from acting on the movable contact piece of the push switch.

In addition, the pressing member is provided with a recess for accommodating the end of the other end of the operating shaft at the center of the protruding wall facing the other end of the operating shaft. Even in the case where the device is provided, the entire thickness can be reduced, so that the device can be made thinner.
Further, the operation shaft can be tilted in a predetermined direction in the opening, and a restricting portion for restricting the operation shaft from tilting in a direction other than the predetermined direction is provided in the opening, and the restricting portion is provided along the operation shaft. Since the operation axis is regulated by the elongated jetty provided along the operation axis, the tilting operation of the operation axis in a direction other than the predetermined direction can be reliably regulated. it can.
In addition, the detection means is provided in a common fixed contact and individual fixed contact provided in the storage unit, a movable contact plate provided in a drive body that is tilted in accordance with a tilting operation of the operation shaft, and a movable contact plate It has a simple structure because it consists of a coil spring that is elastically contacted between the contact plate and the common fixed contact, electrically connects the common fixed contact and the movable contact plate, and biases the movable contact plate toward the individual fixed contact. Thus, the tilt direction of the operation shaft can be reliably detected and the operation shaft can be easily returned to the center position.

  Embodiments of the present invention are shown in FIGS. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a multidirectional input device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the multidirectional input device of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an upper case of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the lower case of the present invention, FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 in FIG. 5, FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing the pressing member of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the elastic member of the present invention, FIG. 10 is a front view showing the elastic member of the present invention, and FIG. 11 explains the tilting operation of the multidirectional input device of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a sectional view for explaining the tilting operation of the multidirectional input device of the present invention, and FIG. 13 is a sectional view for explaining the pressing operation of the multidirectional input device of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the multidirectional input device of the present invention has an operation shaft 1 that can be tilted and pressed, and an opening through which the operation shaft 1 is inserted, and detects a tilting operation of the operation shaft 1. An upper case 2 provided with an individual fixed contact 12 constituting means, a drive body 3 having a movable contact plate 13 that is tilted in accordance with the tilting operation of the operation shaft 1 and contacts and separates from the individual fixed contact 12; The lower case 4 provided with the central fixed contact 14a and the common fixed contact 14b constituting a part of the switch, and the pressing that presses the movable contact 15 that contacts and separates from the central fixed contact 14a when the operating shaft 1 is pressed. A coil spring which is elastically contacted between the member 5 and the common fixed contact 14b and the movable contact plate 13 and biases the movable contact plate 13 and the driving body 3 toward the upper case 2 in which the individual fixed contact 12 is disposed. 9 and a code pattern 16 are provided. Mainly from an intermediate case 6 that rotatably accommodates a rotating body 7 having a slider 17 that is in sliding contact with a pattern 16, and an upper case 2, an attachment plate 8 that integrally superimposes the intermediate case 6 and the lower case 4. It is configured. Note that the upper case 2, the middle case 6, the lower case 4, and the mounting plate 8 constitute a housing of the multidirectional input device of the present invention.

  5 and 6 show the lower case 4, and the lower case 4 is made of an insulating material such as a synthetic resin and has an outer shape that is substantially octagonal. A cylindrical guide wall 4 a having a substantially annular shape is provided at the center of the lower case 4. Further, a part of the cylindrical guide wall 4a is provided with a notch 4b penetrating from the inside to the outside of the cylinder part. By providing this notch part 4b, air in and out of the guide wall 4a can be provided. Allowed. A substantially annular step 4c having a flat surface is provided below the outer peripheral portion of the guide wall 4a, and the step 4c and a tip of a protruding wall 5a of the pressing member 5 described below face each other. Are arranged. In addition, guide holes 4d penetrating vertically are provided in four opposite sides of the lower case 4 in the orthogonal direction, and mounting legs 8c of a mounting plate 8 to be described later are inserted into the guide holes 4d. It has become a thing.

  In addition, the inner plane (inner bottom surface) and the outer outer peripheral plane of the guide wall 4a are formed in a concave shape that is one step lower than the plane (inner bottom surface) of the lower case 4. At the center of the inner bottom surface of the guide wall 4a, a central fixed contact 14a made of a conductive metal plate is partially exposed and embedded by a method such as insert molding, and is opposed to the outside of the central fixed contact 14a. Similarly, a pair of common fixed contacts 14b are partly exposed and embedded by a method such as insert molding. The common fixed contact 14b is also led to the outer peripheral plane of the guide wall 4a to form an arc-shaped common fixed contact 14b. Further, an external terminal 14 c led out from the central fixed contact 14 a and the common fixed contact 14 b is provided so as to protrude outward from the lower case 4.

Further, on the central fixed contact 14a and the common fixed contact 14b disposed on the inner bottom surface of the guide wall 4a, there is disposed a movable contact piece 15 made of a conductive inverting plate-shaped leaf spring, At this time, the outer peripheral edge portion of the movable contact piece 15 is in contact with the common fixed contact 14b, and the center of the dome-shaped top portion faces the central fixed contact 14a.
A spring receiver 11 made of an annular metal plate is placed on an arc-shaped common fixed contact 14b disposed on the outer peripheral plane of the guide wall 4a. A spring receiver 11 is placed outside the guide wall 4a. One end side of the conductive metal coil spring 9 is placed through the receiver 11. Then, the other end side of the coil spring 9 is electrically connected to a movable contact plate 13 made of a conductive metal plate provided on the driving body 3 described later through a metal spring receiver 11. ing.

  7 and 8 show the pressing member 5, which is made of an insulating material such as synthetic resin, and has a circular outer shape and a substantially disk shape. A cylindrical projecting wall 5a having an annular shape toward the lower side of FIG. 7 is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the pressing member 5, and the thickness of the pressing member 5 is approximately at the center on the upper side of FIG. A circular recess 5b that is recessed by about half is provided. Further, a pressing protrusion 5c protruding downward is provided at the center of the lower side of FIG. The pressing member 5 is placed on the guide wall 4a of the lower case 4, and the cylindrical protruding wall 5a is guided by the cylindrical guide wall 4a so that the pressing member 5 slides in the vertical direction. Yes.

In this case, the inner diameter L1 (see FIG. 7) of the cylindrical projecting wall 5a is formed larger than the outer diameter L2 (see FIG. 6) of the cylindrical guide wall 4a engaged therewith. For this reason, the protruding wall 5a of the pressing member 5 can be engaged with the outer side of the guide wall 4a and can be stably guided by the outer wall of the guide wall 4a and the inner wall of the protruding wall 5a.
Further, an elastic member 10 made of a metal, such as an annular wave washer as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, is formed between the front end portion of the guide wall 4 a and the top surface inside the protruding wall 5 a of the pressing member 5. The pressing member 5 is urged upward by the elastic member 10 along the wall surface of the guide wall 4a. An operating shaft 1 to be described later is urged to the operation portion side via the pressing member 5 by the urging force of the elastic member 10, and the backlash in the axial direction of the operating shaft 1 is suppressed.

A substantially annular step 4c having a flat surface is provided below the outer peripheral portion of the guide wall 4a. The step 4c and the tip of the protruding wall 5a of the pressing member 5 are opposed to each other. A stopper portion is provided that restricts further movement when the distal end portion of the protruding wall 5a of the pressing member 5 abuts on the step portion 4c of the outer peripheral portion of the guide wall 4a when the operating shaft 1 is pressed. is doing.
For this reason, even if an excessive load is applied to the operation shaft 1 in the axial direction, it is possible to prevent the pressing member 5 from being deformed and to prevent an excessive force from acting on the movable contact piece 15 of the push switch. It has become something that can be done.

  The middle case 6 is made of an insulating material such as synthetic resin, and has an outer shape that is substantially octagonal. The middle case 6 is formed in a box shape having an upper opening, and a circular window 6a is provided at the center of the inner bottom portion. Further, on the inner bottom surface of the peripheral surface of the window 6a, a code pattern 16 made of a conductive metal plate, which is partly exposed and embedded at a predetermined pitch, is disposed as appropriate. Further, in the opening of the middle case 6, a rotating body 7 to which a slider 17 made of a thin metal plate having elasticity that comes into sliding contact with the code pattern 16 is fixed is rotatably accommodated.

The rotating body 7 is made of an insulating material such as synthetic resin and is formed in an annular shape having a window 7a in the center, and a click cam 7b formed of a plurality of projections and depressions on the upper surface side of the rotating body 7 and a driving body 3 described later. A pair of engaging projections 7c are formed which can be fitted together with the mating recess 3d to be rotated together. Further, a slider 17 is fixed to the opposite lower surface side, and the rotating body 7 is rotatably accommodated in the opening of the middle case 6 with the slider 17 in contact with the cord pattern 16. Has been. An external terminal 16 a derived from the code pattern 16 is provided so as to protrude outward from the middle case 6.
The middle case 6 is integrally fitted to the upper surface side of the lower case 4 with the cylindrical guide wall 4a, the pressing member 5 and the coil spring 9 of the lower case 4 inserted in the central window 6a. Has been.

  3 and 4 show the upper case 2, and the upper case 2 is made of an insulating material such as synthetic resin and has an outer shape that is substantially octagonal. A cylindrical bearing portion 2a protruding upward is provided at the center of the upper case 2, and an opening portion 2b penetrating vertically is provided at the center of the bearing portion 2a. The opening 2b is formed of a slightly smaller diameter small diameter portion 2c on the upper side and a slightly larger diameter large diameter portion 2d connected to the lower side of the small diameter portion 2c. The small-diameter portion 2c is provided with a predetermined thickness in the vertical direction (the axial direction of the operation shaft 1 inserted through the opening 2b), and has a substantially cross shape having recesses 2e in the four opposing directions. A plurality of jetties 2f provided in a long shape along the operation shaft 1 are formed between the respective recessed portions 2e.

  Thus, by providing a plurality of elongated jetty 2f along the operation shaft 1, the tilting of the operation shaft 1 in a direction other than the recess 2e is restricted by the jetty 2f. The tilting operation in directions other than the predetermined direction of 1 can be reliably controlled. In this case, since the jetty 2f is formed in an elongated shape along the axial direction of the operating shaft 1, the operating shaft 1 is regulated along the axial direction by the wide jetty 2f, so that the jetty is more reliably regulated. Will be able to.

Further, a pair of guide protrusions 2g protruding upward are provided on the outer upper surface side of the bearing portion 2a of the upper case 2, and guide holes 8d of a mounting plate 8 described later are inserted into the guide protrusions 2g. It is to be positioned.
A plurality of individual fixed contacts 12, 12 made of a conductive metal plate are exposed on the lower surface side of the upper case 2 on the opposite side, and are partially embedded in the direction of insert molding or the like. ing. The individual fixed contacts 12 are provided at four positions corresponding to the cross-shaped positions where the respective recessed portions 2e that are the tilting directions of the operation shaft 1 are provided. An external terminal 12 a led out from the individual fixed contact 12 is provided so as to protrude outward from the upper case 2. In addition, an annular ridge 2h protruding downward is provided on the outer peripheral edge of the opening 2b inside the individual fixed contact 12.

  An annular click leaf spring 18 made of a thin metal plate having elasticity is fixed to the lower surface side of the upper case 2 at a position outside the individual fixed contact 12. The click leaf spring 18 is in sliding contact with the click cam 7b formed on the upper surface side of the rotating body 7 rotatably accommodated in the opening of the middle case 6, so that the operating shaft 1 can be rotated. A click feeling can be obtained.

  The operation shaft 1 is made of an insulating material such as a synthetic resin, and has a substantially cylindrical operation portion 1a and an oval collar portion 1b having a larger diameter than the operation portion 1a. Further, an arcuate pressing portion 1c is provided on the distal end side of the flange portion 1b. The pressing portion 1c is accommodated in a recess 5b provided on the upper surface side of the pressing member 5, and the inner bottom surface of the recess 5b. It is arranged in a state in contact with. As described above, since the pressing portion 1c of the operating shaft 1 is accommodated in the recess 5b, even when the pressing member 5 is provided with the cylindrical protruding wall 5a, the entire thickness can be reduced, so that the device It is possible to reduce the thickness.

  The driving body 3 has a peripheral portion of a substantially cylindrical base portion 3a made of an insulating material such as a synthetic resin, and a part of a peripheral portion on the upper surface side and the lower surface side of the movable contact plate 13 made of a circular conductive metal plate. In the state where it is exposed, it is embedded and formed by a method such as insert molding. The base 3a of the drive body 3 is provided with a circular insertion hole 3b and an oval fitting hole 3c. The operation portion 1a of the operating shaft 1 is inserted into the circular insertion hole 3b, and the oval shape is formed. The operating shaft 1 and the driving body 3 are integrally engaged with the fitting hole 3c in a state where the flange portion 1b is fitted. The driving body 3 is engaged with the operating shaft 1 so that it can move independently in the axial direction of the operating shaft 1 and can rotate in the rotational direction of the operating shaft 1.

  The operating shaft 1 and the driving body 3 are inserted into an opening 2b provided in the bearing portion 2a of the upper case 2, and the lower surface side of the movable contact plate 13 of the driving body 3 is connected to a spring receiver 11 as shown in FIG. And is urged upward by a coil spring 9, and is arranged in a state where a plurality of individual fixed contacts 12 exposed on the upper surface side of the movable contact plate 13 and the lower surface side of the upper case 2 face each other. ing. At this time, the upper surface side of the movable contact plate 13 is in contact with an annular protrusion 2 h provided on the lower surface side of the upper case 2 and is separated from the individual fixed contact 12.

  Further, a pair of engaging recesses 3 d are provided at positions facing the outer peripheral edge of the driving body 3, and the engaging recesses 3 d and an engaging protrusion 7 c provided on the upper surface side of the rotating body 7 are provided. By engaging, the rotating body 7 is rotated through the driving body 3 that rotates together with the rotation operation of the operation shaft 1. At this time, the slider 17 fixed to the rotating body 7 is in sliding contact with the code pattern 16 provided in the middle case 6, whereby a code signal output is obtained and rotation detection is performed. (See Fig. 1 and Fig. 2)

  Further, the operation portion 1a of the operation shaft 1 is provided so as to be able to tilt in a predetermined direction (four cross-shaped directions in the present embodiment) orthogonal to the axial direction and to be capable of pressing in the axial direction. At this time, the operation shaft 1 can be operated to tilt the operation portion 1a in the cross direction along the respective recessed portions 2e provided in the four directions opposed to the opening 2b (small diameter portion 2c) of the bearing portion 2a. (See FIG. 3). Further, the operation shaft 1 can be pressed by the operation portion 1 a along the insertion hole 3 b of the drive body 3.

The mounting plate 8 is made of a metal plate, and includes an annular substrate portion 8a having an insertion hole 8b in the center, and mounting legs 8c formed by bending from the four peripheral edges of the substrate portion 8a. Yes. The substrate portion 8a is provided with a pair of guide holes 8d made of a circle and an ellipse.
When the lower case 4, the middle case 6, and the upper case 2 are overlapped and integrally engaged with each other, the mounting plate 8 is inserted into the center insertion hole 8 b through the bearing portion 2 a of the upper case 2. A pair of guide holes 8d are fitted to the guide projections 2g of the pair of upper cases 2 and the four mounting legs 8c are provided on the four opposing sides of the lower case 4 By being inserted into 4d and crimped at its tip, the upper case 2, the middle case 6 and the lower case 4 are integrally engaged to form a housing. The movable contact piece 15, the elastic member 10, the pressing member 5, the spring receiver 11, the coil spring 9, and the operation shaft 1 are inserted into the housing portion formed inside the integrally engaged housing. Each body 3 is accommodated.

Next, the tilting and pressing operation of the multidirectional input device of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 11 shows a state where the operation portion 1a of the operation shaft 1 is slightly tilted to the left side in the drawing. At this time, the driving body 3 integrally engaged with the operation shaft 1 resists the urging force of the coil spring 9 and uses the protrusion 2h provided on the lower surface side of the upper case 2 on the right side of the drawing as a fulcrum. It rotates in the counterclockwise direction, and the distance between the tip of the movable contact plate 13 on the left side of the figure and the individual fixed contact 12 on the left side of the figure is increased, and the movable contact plate 13 on the right side of the figure located on the opposite side of this is When the tip and the individual fixed contact 12 on the right side in the drawing come into contact with each other, the individual fixed contact 12 and the common fixed contact 14 b are turned on via the movable contact plate 13, the coil spring 9 and the spring receiver 11. The tilt direction of 1 is detected.
In this case, the inner bottom surface of the concave portion 5b provided on the upper surface side of the pressing member 5 is pushed by the pressing portion 1c at the tip of the operating shaft 1, and the pressing member 5 is pushed down slightly. The dome-shaped movable contact piece 15 is not inverted, and the push switch is maintained in the off state.

Next, when the operation portion 1a of the operation shaft 1 is further tilted to the left side as shown in FIG. 12 from the state shown in FIG. The drive body 3 is further rotated counterclockwise with the contact portion as a fulcrum while being in contact with the contact portion 12, and is provided on the upper surface side of the pressing member 5 by the pressing portion 1 c at the tip of the operation shaft 1. When the inner bottom surface of the recess 5b is further pushed downward and the pressing member 5 is pushed down, the dome-shaped movable contact piece 15 for the push switch disposed below is inverted, and the bottom surface and the center of the dome-shaped top portion are reversed. When the fixed contact 14a comes into contact with the central fixed contact 14a and the common fixed contact 14b through the movable contact piece 15 and is turned on, the second detection in the tilt direction is performed.
It should be noted that even when the operation portion 1a of the operation shaft 1 is tilted to the right side in the figure, the same operation is performed, and thus the description thereof is omitted. In the above embodiment, the tilting operation in four directions has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is needless to say that the tilting motion can be applied to multi-directional tilting operations such as eight directions.

  FIG. 13 shows a state where the operation portion 1a of the operation shaft 1 is pressed downward in the figure. At this time, the driving body 3 is not moved, and only the operating shaft 1 moves downward in the figure, and the inside of the concave portion 5b provided on the upper surface side of the pressing member 5 is pressed by the pressing portion 1c at the tip of the operating shaft 1. When the bottom surface is pushed downward and the pressing member 5 is pushed down, the dome-shaped movable contact piece 15 for the push switch disposed below is inverted, and the bottom surface of the dome-shaped top portion and the center fixed contact 14a are connected. When the central fixed contact 14a is brought into contact with the common fixed contact 14b through the movable contact piece 15 and is turned on, the pressing direction of the operation shaft 1 is detected. At this time, the movable contact plate 13, which is a detecting means for detecting the tilting operation, and the individual fixed contact 12 are separated from each other and are maintained in the off state.

  In this case, the pressing member 5 is placed on the guide wall 4a of the lower case 4, the cylindrical protruding wall 5a is guided by the cylindrical guide wall 4a, and the pressing member 5 slides in the vertical direction. Since the protruding wall 5a of the pressing member 5 is disposed so as to engage with the outside of the guide wall 4a, stable guidance can be performed by the outer wall of the guide wall 4a and the inner wall of the protruding wall 5a. ing. An elastic member 10 made of a metal and made of an annular wave washer or the like is inserted between the distal end portion of the guide wall 4a and the top surface inside the protruding wall 5a of the pressing member 5, and this elastic member 10 Thus, the pressing member 5 is urged upward along the wall surface of the guide wall 4a, and the operating shaft 1 is urged to the operation portion side via the pressing member 5 by the urging force of the elastic member 10. The backlash in the axial direction of the shaft 1 is suppressed.

  A substantially annular step 4c having a flat surface is provided below the outer peripheral portion of the guide wall 4a. The step 4c and the tip of the protruding wall 5a of the pressing member 5 are opposed to each other. When the operating shaft 1 is pressed, the tip of the protruding wall 5a of the pressing member 5 comes into contact with the step 4c on the outer peripheral portion of the guide wall 4a to become a stopper and restrict further movement. . For this reason, even if an excessive load is applied to the operation shaft 1 in the axial direction, it is possible to prevent the pressing member 5 from being deformed and to prevent an excessive force from acting on the movable contact piece 15 of the push switch. It has become something that can be done.

  According to the embodiment of the present invention described above, the cylindrical guide wall 4a is provided outside the push switch housed in the lower case 4 so as to surround the outer periphery of the movable contact piece 15, and the guide member is provided on the pressing member 5. A cylindrical protruding wall 5a having an inner peripheral surface guided by the outer peripheral surface of 4a is provided, and the pressing member 5 can be slid in the axial direction of the operation shaft 1 by engaging the protruding wall 5a and the guide wall 4a. Since the cylindrical projecting wall 5a is guided by the cylindrical guide wall 4a and the pressing member 5 slides in the axial direction of the operating shaft 1, the pressing member 5 is reliably guided and pushed. When pressing the movable contact piece 15 of the switch, an appropriate position can be smoothly pushed, the reversing operation of the movable contact piece 15 made of a reversible dome-shaped leaf spring can be performed reliably, and a clear click feeling Has become something that can get

It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the multidirectional input device of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the multidirectional input device of this invention. It is a top view which shows the upper case of this invention. It is a bottom view which shows the upper case of this invention. It is a top view which shows the lower case of this invention. It is sectional drawing in the 6-6 line | wire of FIG. 5 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the pressing member of this invention. It is a bottom view which shows the press member of this invention. It is a top view which shows the elastic member of this invention. It is a front surface which shows the elastic member of this invention. It is sectional drawing explaining the tilting operation | movement of the multidirectional input device of this invention. It is sectional drawing explaining the tilting operation | movement of the multidirectional input device of this invention. It is sectional drawing explaining the pressing operation of the multidirectional input device of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the conventional multidirectional input device. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the conventional multidirectional input device.

Explanation of symbols

1: Operation shaft 1a: Operation portion 1b: Gutter portion 1c: Pressing portion 2: Upper case 2a: Bearing portion 2b: Opening portion 2c: Small diameter portion 2d: Large diameter portion 2e: Depression portion 2f: Jetty 2g: Guide protrusion 2h: Projection part 3: Drive body 3a: Base part 3b: Insertion hole 3c: Fitting hole 3d: Engaging recess part 4: Lower case 4a: Guide wall 4b: Notch part 4c: Step part 4d: Guide hole 5: Pressing member 5a : Protruding wall 5b: Concave part 5c: Pressing protrusion 6: Middle case 6a: Window 7: Rotating body 7a: Window 7b: Cam 7c: Engaging protrusion 8: Mounting plate 8a: Substrate part 8b: Insertion hole 8c: Mounting leg 8d: Guide hole 9: Coil spring 10: Elastic member 11: Spring support 12: Individual fixed contact 12a: External terminal 13: Movable contact plate 14a: Center fixed contact 14b: Common fixed contact 14c: External terminal 15: Movable contact 16: Cord The pattern 16a: external terminal 17: slider 18: leaf spring for click

Claims (7)

  A housing having an accommodating portion and an opening communicating with the accommodating portion, and one end projecting from the opening of the housing, and can be tilted in multiple directions and pressed in the axial direction. An operation shaft in which the end side is accommodated, a detection unit that is disposed in the storage unit and detects a tilting operation of the operation shaft, and is operated in accordance with a tilting operation and a pressing operation of the operation shaft that is disposed in the storage unit. A push switch having a movable contact piece made of a reversible dome-shaped leaf spring and a central fixed contact contacting and moving away from the movable contact piece, and disposed between the push switch and the other end side of the operation shaft. And a pressing member for pressing the push switch, and a cylindrical guide wall is provided on the outer side of the push switch in the storage portion so as to surround the outer periphery of the movable contact piece. A cylindrical protruding wall having an inner peripheral surface guided by the outer peripheral surface of the wall is provided, and the pressing member is slidable in the axial direction of the operation shaft by engaging the protruding wall and the guide wall. A multidirectional input device characterized by being provided.   The elastic member is provided between the guide wall and the pressing member, and the operating shaft is urged toward the operating portion by the elastic member via the pressing member. Multi-directional input device.   The multidirectional input device according to claim 1, wherein the guide wall is provided with a notch that penetrates from the inside to the outside of the guide wall.   A surface facing the axial direction of the operation shaft is formed on the guide wall portion and the pressing member, and a stopper portion for restricting movement of the pressing member in the axial direction is provided on the facing surface. The multidirectional input device according to claim 1.   2. The pressing member is provided with a recess that accommodates the other end of the operation shaft at the center of the protruding wall facing the other end of the operation shaft. The multidirectional input device according to any one of 4.   The operation shaft is tiltable in a predetermined direction in the opening, and a restricting portion for restricting the operation shaft from tilting in a direction other than the predetermined direction is provided in the opening, and the restricting portion is provided on the operation shaft. The multidirectional input device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the multidirectional input device is formed of a plurality of jetty provided along.   The detection means includes a common fixed contact and an individual fixed contact provided in the storage unit, a movable contact plate that is provided in a drive body that is tilted in accordance with a tilting operation of the operation shaft, and that contacts and separates from the individual fixed contact. A coil spring which is elastically contacted between the movable contact plate and the common fixed contact, electrically connects the common fixed contact and the movable contact plate, and biases the movable contact plate toward the individual fixed contact side; The multidirectional input device according to claim 1, comprising:

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