Combined operating mechanism

Abstract

 The present invention provides a high-quality combined operating mechanism capable of putting a brake on up-and-down movements of an operating member which is pressed and rotated.
A protruding wall 11b with a rack 14 and a heart-shaped cam groove 15 is vertically arranged in a rotational member 11 that is rotatably supported by a housing 1. An operating member 16 is spline-coupled to the rotational member 11 via a coil spring 17 so as to be movable in up and down directions with respect to the rotational member. A pin holder 18 and a rotary damper 19 are supported by a supporting wall 16b that is vertically arranged in the operating member 16. Also, a sliding end 21a of the pin holder 18 is engaged with the heart-shaped cam groove 15, thereby constructing a push-lock mechanism to lock the operating member 18 at its lowered position. A pinion 26 of the rotary damper 19 meshes with the rack 14, which forms operation resistance applying means that puts a brake on up-and down movements of the operating member 16.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a combined operating mechanism capable of operating an operating member in a plurality of different directions, such as directions in which the operating member is pressed and rotated, and more particularly, to a combined operating mechanism suitable for being used as an operating mechanism of a vehicle-mounted electronic apparatus.

2. Description of the Related Art

[0002] Conventionally, as an operating mechanism of electronic apparatuses such as vehicle-mounted air conditioners and stereo systems, there is known a combined operating mechanism which comprises a rotor member supported so as to be movable in the rotational and axial directions with respect to a stator member, a rotary encoder being composed of the stator member and the rotor member, an operating member integrally fixed to an upper end of the rotor member, and a push switch provided to face a bottom surface of the rotor member, the operating member being adapted to be capable of being operated in a plurality of different directions in which it is pressed and rotated (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Document Publication Application No. 2003-54290 (Pages 3 to 5, and Fig. 3)).

[0003] In an electronic apparatus comprising such a combined operating mechanism, when an operator operates to press the operating member at its raised position, the operating member and the rotor member are lowered together to turn on the push switch, and when the operator removes the pressing force, the return force from a return spring built in the push switch causes the rotor member and the operating member to automatically return to their raised positions. Further, when the operator operates to rotate the operating member, the operating member and the rotor member rotate together with respect to the stator member to operate the rotary encoder.

[0004] Meanwhile, in the above conventional combined operating mechanism, the returning movement of the operating member to its raised position is performed by the return spring built in the push switch. Therefore, the pressing stroke of the operating member cannot be increased by the displacement of the return spring. However, when a coil spring serving as the return spring is interposed between the rotor member (rotational member) and the operating member, and the rotor member and the operating member are axially spline-coupled to each other, the pressing stroke of the operating member can be set to be long correspondingly to the displacement of the coil spring. However, in case such construction is employed, when the operator removes the pressing force to the operating member, the resilient force of the coil spring forcefully raises the operating member. Therefore, for example, the operating member forcefully bumps against a stopper that limits the raised position of the operating member, which results in as generating a large collision noise, consequently deteriorating the overall quality of the operating system.

[0005] Further, conventionally, a switch comprising a push-lock mechanism capable of locking a stem to its pressed position is known. If the switch with such a push-lock mechanism is used instead of the above-mentioned push switch, the operating member is locked to its lowered position when it is not used, and the operating member is pressed and unlocked when it is used, which enables the operating member to automatically return to its raised position. However, in case in which such construction is employed, when external vibration is applied to the push-lock mechanism with the operating member held at its lowered position, a sliding pin serving as a component of the push-lock mechanism often loosens and unlocks from a locking part of a heart-shaped cam groove, and the operating member may be raised against the operator's intension. In particular, in a vehicle-mounted electronic apparatus in an environment that is apt to be affected by a large external vibration, it is difficult to securely lock the operating member using the push-lock mechanism.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems. It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a high-quality combined operating mechanism capable of putting a brake on up-and-down movements of an operating member which can be operated for rotation and pressing.

[0007] In order to achieve the above objects, a combined operating mechanism according to the present invention comprises a rotational member rotatably supported by a base; an operating member arranged to be movable in up and down directions with respect to the rotational member for rotationally driving the rotational member; resilient means disposed between the rotational member and the operating member; and operation resistance applying means for putting a brake on the up-and-down movements of the operating member. The operation resistance applying means has a damper and damper driving means. Any one of the damper and the damper driving means is provided in the rotational member, while the other one thereof is provided in the operating member.

[0008] Further, in order to achieve the above objects, a combined operating mechanism according to the present invention comprises a rotational member rotatably supported by a base; an operating member spline-coupled to the rotational member so as to be movable in up and down directions with respect to the rotational member; a return spring disposed between the rotational member and the operating member; and operation resistance applying means for putting a brake on the up-and-down movements of the operating member. The operation resistance applying means has a straight guide member that extends in a direction in which the operating member is moved up or down and a rotary damper that operates in engagement with the straight guide member. Any one of the straight guide member and the rotary damper is provided in the rotational member, while the other one thereof is provided in the operating member.

[0009] In the combined operating member constructed as above, when an operator operates to press the operating member at its raised position, the operating member moves to press its lowered position against the resilient force of the return spring. When the pressing force is removed at the lowered position of the operating member, the pressing force returns to its raised position by the resilient force of the return spring. At the time of such up-and-down movements of the operating member, the rotary damper operates in engagement with the straight guide member, whereby a brake is put on up-and-down movements of the operating member. As a result, particularly, the operating member smoothly and automatically returns to its raised position becomes smooth, which provides a smooth and steady sense of touch to the operators.

[0010] In the above construction, preferably, the straight guide member includes a rack in which a plurality of toothed parts are continuously formed in the direction in which the operating member is moved up or down, and the rack is caused to mesh with a pinion fixed to a rotating shaft of the rotary damper. When this construction is employed, slips between the straight guide member and the rotary damper is prevented, which makes it possible to put a brake on the up-and-down movements of the operating member,

[0011] Further, in the above construction, preferably, a heart-shaped cam groove is provided in any member of the rotational member and the operating member, and a sliding pin is provided in the other member thereof to slide along the heart-shaped cam groove. Preferably, the heart-shaped cam groove and the sliding pin constitute a push-lock mechanism which enables the operating member to be locked at its lowered position. When this push-lock mechanism is employed, not only the operating member can be locked at its lowered position when it is not used and the operating member can be raised when it is used, but also the locking and holding force of the push-lock mechanism can be increased because the operating member can be slowly and automatically returned to its raised position, even if a return spring having a large spring load is used. Accordingly, even if the combined operating mechanism which is apt to receive external vibration is applied to vehicle-mounted electronic apparatuses, the operating member can be prevented from unintentionally returning to its raised position due to the external vibration.

[0012] In that case, preferably, a protruding wall is vertically arranged at the central part of the rotating member to protrude upward, and the rack and the heart-shaped cam groove are respectively formed on the protruding wall. Particularly, when the rack and the heart-shaped cam groove are formed on the surfaces of the protruding wall orthogonal to each other, a die structure for forming the rotating member can be simplified. When a supporting wall is vertically arranged in the operating member so as to suspend toward an outside of the protruding wall and supports respectively the damper and the sliding pins, an operation resistance applying means and the respect constructional members of the push-lock mechanism can be provided in space between the rotational member and the operating member. As a result, a combined operating mechanism can be smaller.

[0013] According to the combined operating mechanism of the present invention, as the operating member is moved up and down, the rotary damper is operated, so that a brake is put on up-and-down movements of the operating member. Therefore, the movement of the operating member when it automatically returns to its raised position becomes smooth, which provides a smooth and steady sense of touch to the operators.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] 

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a vehicle-mounted electronic apparatus to which a combined operating mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied;

Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the combined operating mechanism;

Fig. 3 is a bottom view of a rotational member provided in the combined operating mechanism;

Fig. 4 is a side view of the rotational member as seen from one direction;

Fig. 5 is a side view of the rotational member as seen from the other direction;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along a line VI-VI in Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is a bottom view of an operating member provided in the combined operating mechanism;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken along a line VIII-VIII in Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a front view of a pin holder provided in the combined operating mechanism;

Fig. 10 is a view for explaining the operation of a push-lock mechanism provided in the combined operating mechanism;

Fig. 11 is a sectional view of a rotary damper provided in the combined operating mechanism;

Fig. 12 is an exploded perspective view of the rotary damper.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0015] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a vehicle-mounted electronic apparatus to which a combined operating mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied; Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the combined operating mechanism; Fig. 3 is a bottom view of a rotational member provided in the combined operating mechanism; Fig. 4 is a side view of the rotational member as seen from one direction; Fig. 5 is a side view of the rotational member as seen from the other direction; Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along a line VI-VI in Fig. 3; Fig. 7 is a bottom view of an operating member provided in the combined operating mechanism; Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken along a line VIII-VIII in Fig. 7; Fig. 9 is a front view of a pin holder provided in the combined operating mechanism; Fig. 10 is a view for explaining the operation of a push-lock mechanism provided in the combined operating mechanism; Fig. 11 is a sectional view of a rotary damper provided in the combined operating mechanism; and Fig. 12 is an exploded perspective view of the rotary damper.

[0016] In Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, reference numeral 1 is a housing that constitutes a base of a vehicle-mounted electronic apparatus. The housing 1 is adapted to be installed in, for example, a center console or the like inside a vehicle. The housing 1 is composed of an upper case 2 and a lower case 3, which are made of a synthetic resin. Both of the cases 2 and 3 are integrated with each other using screws, which are not shown. A printed board 4 is fixed inside the housing 1. A rotary encoder 5 that is an electric component for operating rotation, and a plurality of push switches 6 composed of rubber contacts is mounted on the printed board 4. These push switches 6 are respectively actuated by the seesaw or pressing operation of a plurality of operating knobs 7 supported by the upper case 2. However, the actuating mechanism of the push switches is generally known, so the detailed description thereof will be omitted herein.

[0017] The upper case 2 is formed with a recess 8 having a circular shape in plan view. An outer circumferential surface of the recess 8 is formed with a click groove 8a for detent along the circumferential direction. Further, the center of the recess 8 is formed with a through-hole 8b. A rotor 5a of the rotary encoder 5 is inserted through the through-hole 8b to reach the inside of the recess 8. Moreover, a tubular body 9 is made of a synthetic resin and fixed to the upper case 2 with a plurality of screws 10. An upper end of the outer circumferential surface of the tubular body 9 is formed with a stopper projection 9a. A lower opening end of the tubular body 9 continues to the recess 8. A rotational member 11 is made of a synthetic resin and disposed inside the recess 8 and the tubular body 9.

[0018] As shown in Fig. 3 to Fig. 6, the rotational member 11 has a disc-like base part 11a, a protruding wall 11b extending upward from the central part of the base part 11a, and a plurality of guide walls 11c extending upward from an outer edge of the base part 11a. The protruding wall 11b is surrounded by the guide walls 11c. The base part 11a is inserted into the recess 8 of the upper case 2. The rotor 5a of the rotary encoder 5 protruding into the recess 8 is fitted into a locking hole 11d which is formed at the bottom center of the base part 11a. Further, the circumferential surface of the base part 11a is formed with a pair of receiving holes 11e. The receiving holes 11e are arranged on a straight line passing through the center of the base part 11a. As shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, a spring 12 and a driving body 13 are sequentially inserted into each of the receiving holes 11e. The driving body 13 receives a resilient force from the spring 12 and is pressure-contacted against the click groove 8a formed in the outer circumferential surface of the recess 8. Accordingly, when the rotational member 11 rotates in the clockwise or counterclockwise direction, the driving body 13 can be engaged with or disengaged from the click groove 8a to cause detent (moderate sense of touch) and the rotor 5a can be rotated together with the rotational member 11 to operate the rotary encoder 5. Further, one lateral face of the protruding wall 11b is formed with a vertically linearly extending rack 14, and the other lateral face of protruding wall orthogonal to the one lateral face is formed with a heart-shaped cam groove 15. As shown in Fig. 10, the heart-shaped cam groove 15 has a locking part 15a, a forward path 15b, a backward path 15c and a forward and backward path 15d. A connecting part of the forward path 15b and the backward path 15c becomes the locking part 15a. Moreover, each of the guide walls 11c is formed with a vertically linearly extending guide groove 11f.

[0019] An operating member 16 made of a synthetic resin is spline-coupled to the rotational member 11 so as to be movable up and down, and a coil spring 17 is interposed between the rotational member 11 and the operating member 16. As shown Fig. 7 and Fig. 8, the operating member 16 is formed in a cylindrical shape with its top face closed and its bottom face opened. Four points of a lower end of the inner circumferential surface of the operating member 16 are formed with protrusions 16a. The protrusions 16a are brought into sliding contact with the outer circumferential surface of the tubular body 9. Each of the protrusions 16a abut on the stopper projection 9a of the tubular body 9 so that the operating member 16 is prevented from falling off the tubular body and the raised position thereof is determined. Further, a supporting wall 16b is vertically arranged at the central part of the operating member 16, and a plurality of guide projections 16c is formed on the outer surface of the supporting wall 16b. The guide projections 16c are respectively inserted into the guide grooves 11f of the rotational member 11, whereby the rotational member 11 and the operating member 16 are spline-coupled to each other. At this time, both of the rotational member 11 and the operating member 16 are axially movable while being integrated with each other in the direction of rotation. Accordingly, when the operating member 16 is pressed against the resilient force of the coil spring 17, the guide projections 16c is lowered along the guide groove 11f, respectively. Therefore, the operating member 16 is lowered with respect to the stationary rotational member 11. However, when the operational member 16 is operated to rotate, the rotational force thereof is transmitted via engaging portions between the respective guide projections 16c and guide grooves 11f to the rotational member 11. Therefore, the operating member 16, the coil spring 17 and rotational member 11 rotate together.

[0020] As shown in Fig. 1, a pin holder 18 and a rotary damper 19 are supported on the inner surface of the supporting wall 16b of the operating member 16. The pin holder 18 and the rotary damper 19 face each other with the protruding wall 11b interposed therebetween. As shown in Fig. 9, the pin holder 18 has a case 20 made of a synthetic resin, and a sliding pin 21 bent in the form of a crank, and a spring 22. The case 20 is fixed to the inner surface of the supporting wall 16b by press fitting, adhesion using an adhesive, or the like. A lower end 21b of the sliding pin 21 is rockably supported in the case 20, and an upper end (sliding end) 21a of the sliding pin 21 receives a biasing force of the spring 22 to engage with the heart-shaped cam groove 15 formed on the protruding wall 11b of the rotational member 11. The pin holder 18 and the heart-shaped cam groove 15 constitute a push-lock mechanism. Thereby, when the sliding end 21a moves (slides) along the heart-shaped cam groove 15 together with up-and down movements of the operating member 16, and the sliding end 21a is locked to the locking part 15a (see Fig. 10) of the heart-shaped cam groove 15, the operating member 16 is locked at its lowered position.

[0021] As shown in Fig. 11 and Fig. 12, the rotary damper 19 includes a dish-shaped case 23 having a pair of mounting legs 23a, a cap 24 joined to the dish-shaped case 23 and integrated therewith, a braking rotor 25 arranged inside the dish-shaped case 23 and cap 24, a pinion 26 fixed to the rotating shaft 25a of the braking rotor 25, etc. These members are all formed of a synthetic resin. The dish-shaped case 23 has a cavity 23b, which is circular in plan view. A shaft 23c is set up at the center of the cavity 23b. The braking rotor 25 is rotatably supported by the shaft 23c, and a pair of the braking plate pieces 25b is formed to protrude from the lower circumferential surface of the rotating shaft 25a. The cavity 23b of the dish-shaped case 23 is covered with the cap 24. Viscous fluid 27 such as silicon oil, etc. is injected into the cavity 23b and the cap 24. The cap 24 is formed with a center hole 24a. The upper portion of the rotating shaft 25 is inserted through the center hole 24a to protrude to the outside. However, an O-ring 28 is fitted onto the lower portion of the rotating shaft 25a, thereby preventing outflow of the viscous fluid 27. The pinion 26 is formed with a central aperture 26a. The upper end of the rotating shaft 25a is press-fitted into the central aperture 26a. The mounting legs 23a of the dish-shaped case 23 are fixed to the inner surface of the supporting wall 16b by press fitting or adhesion using an adhesive, etc. The pinion 26 meshes with the rack 14 formed on the protruding wall 11b of the rotational member 11. The rack 14 forms a straight guide member. These rack 14 and rotary damper 19 constitutes operation resistance applying means. Thereby, when the pinion 36 rotates together with up-and down movements of the operating member 16, the braking plate pieces 25b of the braking rotor 25 rotates in the viscous fluid 27 so that a brake is put on up-and down movements of the operating member 16.

[0022] Next, the operation of the vehicle-mounted electronic apparatus constructed as above will be described below. As shown in Fig. 1, when an operator operates to rotate the operating member 16 at its raised position, the rotational force of the operating member 16 is transmitted via the engaging portions between the respective guide projections 16c and the respective guide grooves 16c to the rotational member 11. As a result, the operating member 16, the coil spring 17 and the rotational member 11 rotates together, and the rotary encoder 5 operates together with the rotation of the rotational member 11. Thereby, it is possible to perform various kinds of command control, for example, selection of suspensions suitable for states of a traveling path, according to the direction of rotation and rotation angle of the operating member 16 based on output signals from the rotary encoder 5, and it is possible to feedback detent to the operator who operates the operating member 16 because the driving body 13 is engaged with or disengaged from the click groove 8a during the rotation of the rotational member 11 to cause the detent.

[0023] In case in which the command control by means of the operating member 16 is unnecessary, when the operator operates to press the operating member 16 at its raised position, the respective guide projections 16c are lowered along the corresponding guide grooves 11f, and the operating member 16 is locked at its lowered position by means of the abovementioned push-lock mechanism. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 10, the sliding end 21a of the sliding pin 21 engages with the upper portion of the forward and backward path 15d of the heart-shaped cam groove 15 at a position where the operating member 16 has been raised. However, when the operating member 16 continues to be pushed against the resilient force of the coil spring 17, the sliding end 21a moves from the forward and backward path 15d to the lower portion of the forward path 15b, as indicated by two-dotted chain lines in Fig. 10. Then, when the operator further pushes the operating member 16 to allow the sliding end 21a to reach the lowermost end of the forward path 15b and then removes his/her pressing force, the operating member 16 is slightly returned upward by the return force of the coil spring 17, and the sliding end 21a is locked to the locking part 15a of the heart-shaped cam groove 15. Thereby, since the operating member 16 is locked at its lowered position, the top face of the operating member 16 and the top faces of a plurality of operating knobs 7 arranged in the vicinity of the operating member are substantially flush with each other. As a result, an unintentional. operation can be prevented and a possibility that the operator runs into danger in a colliding accident can be reduced. At that time, a large resilient force in the direction of raising the operating member 16 is stored in the coil spring 17, and the sliding member 21a receives the resilient force of the coil spring 17 to be locked to the locking part 15a. Therefore, the locking and holding power of the push-lock mechanism can be increased to prevent locking from undesirably releasing due to external vibration. Further, when such an operating member 16 is pressed, the pinion 26 meshing with the rack 14 rotates, and the rotary damper 19 puts the brake on the downward movement of the operating member 16. Therefore, the movement of the operating member 16 becomes silent, which results in a high-quality operating mechanism.

[0024] On the other hand, in case in which an operator intend to use the operating member 16 locked at its lowered position again, when an operator operates to press the operating member 16 at its lowered position against the resilient force of the coil spring 17, as indicated by solid lines in Fig. 10, the sliding end 21a of the sliding pin 21 unlocks from the locking part 15a and moves toward the lower portion of the backward path 15c. Here, when the pressing force is removed, the return force of the coil spring 17 raises the operating member 16, which in turn causes the sliding end 21a to move toward the upper portion of the forward and backward path 15d from the backward path 15c. At this time, the operating member 16 is going to be forcefully raised by the resilient force sufficiently stored in the coil spring 17. However, in this case, the pinion 26 meshing with the rack 14 rotates, and the rotary damper 19 puts a brake on the upward movement of the operating member 16. Therefore, the movement of the operating member 16 becomes silent, which results in a high-quality operating mechanism. Further, the abutment of the protrusions 16a onto the stopper projection 9a limits the raised position of the operating member 16. However, since the movement of the operating member 16 becomes slow even immediately before the operating member reaches its raised position, the noise resulting from the collision of the protrusions 16a with the stopper projection 9a becomes extremely small. This also results in a high-quality operating mechanism.

[0025] Meanwhile, the above embodiments have described a case in which the heart-shaped cam groove 15 of the heart-shaped cam groove 15 and pin holder 18, which are constituent members of the push-lock mechanism, is provided in the rotational member 11 and the pin holder 18 thereof is provided in the operating member 16. However, on the contrary, the heart-shaped cam groove 15 may be provided in the operating member 16 and the pin holder 18 may be provided in the rotational member 11. This is also true of the rack 14 and rotary damper 19 which are constructional elements of the operation resistance applying means. That is, contrary to the above embodiments, the rack 14 may be provided in the operating member 16 and the rotary damper 19 may be provided in the rotational member 11.

[0026] Further, the above embodiments have been described on a case in which the operating member 16 is used as a member for operating the rotation of the rotational member 11. However, a push switch that is operated by the pushing operation of the operating member 16 may be provided.

Claims

1. A combined operating mechanism comprising:

a rotational member rotatably supported by a base;

an operating member arranged to be movable in up and down directions with respect to the rotational member for rotationally driving the rotational member;

resilient means disposed between the rotational member and the operating member; and

operation resistance applying means for putting a brake on up-and-down movements of the operating member,

   wherein the operation resistance applying means is composed of a damper and damper driving means, and
   any one of the damper and the damper driving means is provided in the rotational member, while the other one thereof is provided in the operating member.

2. A combined operating mechanism comprising:

a rotational member rotatably supported by a base;

an operating member spline-coupled to the rotational member so as to be movable in up and down directions with respect to the rotational member;

a return spring disposed between the rotational member and the operating member; and

operation resistance applying means for putting a brake on the up-and-down movements of the operating member,

   wherein the operation resistance applying means has a straight guide member that extends in a direction in which the operating member is moved up or down and a rotary damper that operates in engagement with the straight guide member, and
   any one of the straight guide member and the rotary damper is provided in the rotational member, while the other one thereof is provided in the operating member.

3. The combined operating mechanism according to claim 2,
   wherein the straight guide member includes a rack in which a plurality of toothed parts are continuously formed in the direction in which the operating member is moved up or down, and the rack is caused to mesh with a pinion fixed to a rotating shaft of the rotary damper.

4. The combined operating mechanism according to any of claims 1 to 3,
   wherein a heart-shaped cam groove is provided in any one of the rotational member and the operating member, while a sliding pin is provided in the other member thereof to slide along the heart-shaped cam groove,
   the heart-shaped cam groove and the sliding pin constitute a push-lock mechanism to lock the operating member to be locked at its lowered position.

5. The combined operating mechanism according to claims 3 and 4,
   wherein a protruding wall is vertically arranged at a central part of the rotating member to protrude upward, and the rack and the heart-shaped cam groove are respectively formed on the protruding wall.

6. The combined operating mechanism according to claim 5,
   wherein the rack and the heart-shaped cam groove are formed on surfaces of the protruding wall orthogonal to each other.

7. The combined operating mechanism according to claim 5 or 6,
   wherein a supporting wall is vertically arranged in the operating member so as to suspend toward an outside of the protruding wall, and the rotary damper and the sliding pin are respectively supported by the supporting wall.

Drawing