JP5228900B2 - Vehicle switch - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle switch mainly used for operations such as starting an engine of a car.

  In recent years, there are an increasing number of vehicles that start an engine by a press operation such as a push button in addition to a rotation operation using a mechanical key, and a press operation type vehicle switch is often used as such an engine start switch. ing.

  Such a conventional vehicle switch will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional vehicle switch. In FIG. 6, reference numeral 1 denotes an upper case made of a substantially box-shaped insulating resin with an opening on the lower surface, 2 an actuator made of insulating resin, and 3 made of a conductive metal thin plate. The movable body 2 is accommodated in the upper case 1 so as to be movable in the left-right direction. The central portion of the movable contact 3 is fixed to the lower surface of the movable body 2.

  Reference numeral 4 denotes a wiring board having a plurality of wiring patterns (not shown) formed on the upper and lower surfaces. A plurality of fixed contacts 5 are formed on the upper surface, the left end of the movable contact 3 is the fixed contact 5, and the right end is The wiring board 4 is elastically contacted with the upper surface of the wiring board 4 in a slightly bent state, and a terminal 6A is connected to the fixed contact 5 via a wiring pattern on the wiring board 4 and a connector 6 is mounted by soldering or the like.

Reference numeral 7 denotes a spring wound in a coil shape. The spring 7 is mounted between the operating body 2 and the inner wall portion 1A of the upper case 1 in a slightly bent state, and the operating body 2 is biased leftward. Has been.

  Further, 8 is a lower case made of a substantially box-shaped insulating resin with an opening on the upper surface, 9 is a substantially ring-shaped cover made of an insulating resin, 10 is a push button made of insulating resin, and the lower case 8 A cover 9 covers the left surface of the case 1, and a push button 10 is attached to the left end of the operating body 2 to constitute a vehicle switch.

  The vehicular switch thus configured is mounted on the front panel portion in front of the driver's seat in the automobile, and a plurality of fixed contacts 5 are connected to an electronic circuit (not shown) of the vehicle via the connector 6. Connected.

  In the above configuration, when the push button 10 is pressed with a finger, the operating body 2 moves to the right while bending the spring 7, and the left and right ends of the movable contact 3 mounted on the lower surface are elastically applied to the plurality of fixed contacts 5. In contact therewith, the plurality of fixed contacts 5 are electrically connected via the movable contact 3.

  When the finger is released from the push button 10, the operating body 2 moves to the left by the elastic return force of the spring 7 and returns to the original state. The right end of the movable contact 3 is also separated from the fixed contact 5, and a plurality of fixed contacts 5 is in an electrically disconnected state.

  Then, the electrical contact / separation of the fixed contact 5 is detected by the electronic circuit of the vehicle connected via the connector 6, and a predetermined electrical signal is output from the electronic circuit to start or stop the engine. Done.

  In addition, as described above, such a switch for a vehicle is used in a place where there is a relatively large amount of dust, moisture, etc., such as the front panel portion in front of the driver's seat, and the mechanical parts in the vicinity thereof are lubricated with lubricant. In many cases, etc. are applied.

  For this reason, in order to prevent these dusts, lubricants and the like from entering the switch and adhering to the fixed contact 5 and the movable contact 3 to cause troubles in electrical contact and separation of the contacts, the cover 9 and the push button 10 are prevented. It is generally practiced that the switch has a sealed structure by covering it with a rubber cap or by applying an adhesive or a shielding material to the gap between the upper case 1 and the lower case 8, the cover 9, etc. It has been broken.

  Further, the switch used for starting the engine or the like is used for operating an air conditioner, an acoustic device, or the like in a vehicle having a push operation amount of the push button 10, that is, an operation stroke of about 0.2 to 0.5 mm, for example. In comparison, a relatively large operation stroke of about 1 to 5 mm is used so that it can be clearly determined that the pressing operation has been performed.

  Accordingly, when the push button 10 of the switch having such a large operation stroke is pressed while being further bent against the urging force of the spring 7, the pressing force becomes large. The portion hits the inner wall 1A of the upper case 1 and an impact sound is generated during the pressing operation.

  For this reason, in order to prevent this impact sound from reverberating in the front panel portion and becoming abnormal noise, a cushioning member such as rubber is provided as a separate part, and this is provided between the right end portion of the operating body 2 and the inner wall portion 1A of the upper case 1. Measures such as wearing were taken.

As prior art document information related to the invention of this application, for example, Patent Document 1 is known.
JP 2007-273228 A

  However, in the above conventional vehicle switch, it is necessary to make the switch in a sealed structure in order to perform stable electrical contact and separation, and in order to prevent impact noise during operation, a buffer member or the like is required. Since separate parts are required, the number of components increases, and it takes time to assemble the switch, resulting in high costs.

  The present invention solves such a conventional problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicular switch that can be operated inexpensively and reliably with a simple configuration.

In order to achieve the above object, an invention according to claim 1 of the present invention includes a substantially box-shaped case, an operating body movably accommodated in the case, the operating body, and the inner wall portion of the case. Comprising a spring mounted between, a magnet mounted on the operating body, a detection means for detecting the magnetism of the magnet, and a control means connected to the detection means for electrically connecting / disconnecting the switching means. An elastic part in which a projecting part is integrally formed at the center of the arm part and an arm part whose both ends are connected to the actuating body or the case inner wall part at the end part in the moving direction of the actuating body or the inner wall part of the case And when the operating body moves by a predetermined operation stroke, the projection is brought into contact with the inner wall portion of the case or the end of the operating body to constitute a vehicle switch. By magnet The detection means detects the movement and the control means performs electrical contact / separation of the switching means accordingly, so that even when used in a place where there is a lot of dust, moisture, lubricant, etc., the switch's electrical It is easy to connect and separate, and the impact of the end of the actuating body and the inner wall of the case is mitigated by the elastic part formed integrally with the actuating body or case. With such a configuration, it is possible to obtain a vehicle switch that can be operated inexpensively and reliably.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, a plurality of detection means are formed side by side on the opposing surface of the magnet at predetermined intervals, and the magnetism of the magnet is detected by the plurality of detection means as the operating body moves. The vehicle switch according to Item 1 is configured, and even when a failure occurs in the detection means, the control means can detect a change in the magnetism of the plurality of detection means and detect the failure of the detection means. It has the effect | action.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain an advantageous effect that it is possible to realize a vehicular switch that can be operated inexpensively and reliably with a simple configuration.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

(Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a vehicle switch according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view thereof, and 11 is an opening made of an insulating resin such as a polybutylene terephthalate having a bottom opening. The upper case 12 is an operating body made of an insulating resin such as polyacetal. The operating body 12 is accommodated in the upper case 11 so as to be movable in the left-right direction. A magnet 13 such as neodymium is formed on the lower surface of the operating body 12. It is installed.

  At the right end portion of the operating body 12, an elastic portion 14 formed integrally with a through hole 14A, an arm portion 14B connected to the operating body 12 at both ends, and a projecting portion 14C at the center of the arm portion 14B is provided integrally. It has been.

  Reference numeral 15 denotes a plate-like wiring board such as paper phenol or glass-containing epoxy, and a plurality of wiring patterns (not shown) are formed on the upper and lower surfaces with copper or the like, and holes are formed on the surface facing the magnet 13. A plurality of detection means 16A and 16B are formed by mounting elements and the like side by side at predetermined intervals.

  Further, a switching means 17 such as a power transistor, a control means 18 is formed by an FET, a plurality of fixed resistors, and the like on the upper surface of the wiring board 15, and detection means 16A and 16B and a switching means 17 are connected to the control means 18, respectively. In addition, the connector 19 to which the terminal 19A is attached by soldering or the like is connected to these via a wiring pattern.

Reference numeral 20 denotes a spring in which a steel wire, a piano wire or the like is wound in a coil shape. The spring 20 is attached between the operating body 12 and the inner wall portion 11A of the upper case 11 in a slightly bent state to operate. The body 12 is biased leftward.

  Further, 21 is a lower case made of an insulating resin such as polybutylene terephthalate having a top opening and a substantially box shape, 22 is a cover made of the same insulating resin having a substantially ring shape, and 23 is a push button made of an insulating resin such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene. A lower case 21 covers the lower surface of the upper case 11, and a cover 22 covers the left surface of the upper case 11, and a push button 23 is attached to the left end portion of the operating body 12 to constitute a vehicle switch.

  The thus configured vehicle switch is mounted on the front panel portion in front of the driver's seat in the automobile, and the switching means 17 and the control means 18 are connected to the vehicle electronic circuit (not shown) via the connector 19. ).

  When the push button 23 is not pressed and the operating body 12 is biased to the left by the spring 20, the magnet 13 mounted on the lower surface of the operating body 12 is almost directly above the detection means 16A. The magnetism detected by the detection means 16A is strong, whereas the magnetism detected by the remote detection means 16B is almost zero. Therefore, the control means 18 detects these, and the switching means 17 It is off.

  In the above configuration, when the push button 23 is pressed with a finger, as shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 3, the operating body 12 moves to the right while bending the spring 20, and the magnet 13 mounted on this lower surface detects Since the magnet moves away from the means 16A and moves above the detection means 16B, the magnetism detected by the detection means 16B becomes strong, and the magnetism detected by the detection means 16A becomes almost zero, which is detected by the control means 18 and switched. Means 17 is turned on.

  When the finger is released from the push button 23, the operating body 12 moves to the left by the elastic restoring force of the spring 20 to return to the original state, and the magnet 13 on the lower surface of the operating body 12 also moves above the detecting means 16A. The switching means 17 is also turned off.

  That is, the control means 18 discriminates the strength of magnetism detected by the plurality of detection means 16A and 16B arranged side by side on the wiring board 15, and the switching means 17 if the magnetism detected by the detection means 16A is strong. When the magnetism detected by the detection means 16B is strong, the switching means 17 is turned on and switched.

  The position of the magnet 13 with respect to the detection means 16A and 16B is about 1.5 mm when the operation amount of the push button 23, that is, half of the operation stroke is pressed, for example, when the operation stroke is 3 mm. When operated, the magnet 13 moves to approximately the center of the detection means 16A and 16B.

  The electrical connection / separation of the switching means 17 is detected by the electronic circuit of the vehicle connected via the connector 19, and a predetermined electrical signal is output from the electronic circuit to start or stop the engine. Done.

  In other words, the detection means 16A and 16B detect the movement of the magnet 13 attached to the operating body 12, and the control means 18 switches the switching means 17 according to the strength of the magnetism to perform electrical contact and separation. Even when used in a place where there is a lot of dust, moisture, lubricant, etc., there is no need to use mechanical contact parts such as fixed contacts and movable contacts that are susceptible to these effects. It is configured so that it can be separated.

  At this time, as shown in the partial plan view of FIG. 4A, the pusher 23 is pressed from the state where the actuating body 12 is urged to the left by the spring 20, and the actuating body 12 is operated in a predetermined manner. When the stroke is moved, as shown in FIG. 4B, the protrusion 14 </ b> C at the center of the arm portion 14 </ b> B of the elastic portion 14 formed at the right end portion of the operating body 12 comes into contact with the inner wall portion 11 </ b> A of the upper case 11.

  Further, thereafter, as shown in FIG. 4 (c), the center of the arm portion 14B is leftward until the operating body 12 moves and both end portions come into contact with the inner wall portion 11A and move to the entire operation stroke. The pressing operation of the push button 23 is performed while elastically deforming into the through hole 14A.

  That is, the elastic portion 14 is integrally formed at the right end portion of the operating body 12, and the arm portion 14B is elastically deformed after the projection 14C at the center of the arm portion 14B abuts the inner wall portion 11A of the upper case 11. Since the impact between the end of the actuating body 12 and the inner wall 11A is mitigated, the impact sound during operation can be reduced and noise reduction can be achieved, and the switch can be assembled with a simple configuration without using another component such as a buffer member. It is also configured to realize an easy and inexpensive vehicle switch.

  As described above, the magnetism of the magnet 13 on the lower surface of the working body 12 is not detected by the plurality of detection means 16A and 16B, but the magnetism of the magnet 13 is detected by a single detection means, and accordingly Although the control means 18 performs electrical connection / separation of the switching means 17, the present invention can be implemented. However, by using a plurality of detection means 16 A and 16 B, either the detection means 16 A or 16 B can be used. Even in the unlikely event that a failure occurs, this can be detected.

  In other words, when the magnetism of the magnet 13 is detected by one detection means, if it fails, it cannot be determined whether the magnetism is 0 because the magnet 13 has been separated by the operation or whether it is 0 because it has failed. When a plurality of detection means 16A and 16B are used as described above, when the detection means 16A has zero magnetism, the detection means 16B has strong magnetism, and conversely, when the detection means 16B has zero magnetism, the detection means 16B The magnetism of the means 16B becomes zero.

  Therefore, for example, when the detection unit 16B is out of order, when the pressing operation is performed and the magnetism of the detection unit 16A is changed from strong to 0, the magnetism of the detection unit 16B does not change from 0 to strong. The control means 18 can detect the failure of the detection means 16B by discriminating these magnetic changes.

  In the above description, a configuration in which a plurality of detection means 16A and 16B are arranged side by side on the upper surface of the wiring board 15 so as to face the magnet 13 has been described. However, as shown in the partial plan view of FIG. In addition, the present invention can be implemented even with a configuration in which a plurality of detection means 16A and 16B are arranged side by side and arranged at a predetermined interval.

  In this case, the magnet 13A is mounted on the lower surface of the working body 12 above the front detecting means 16A, and the magnet 13B is mounted at a position shifted from the rear detecting means 16B to the left by the operation stroke. When the body 12 is in the left direction, the magnet 13A detected by the detecting means 16A is strong, and the magnet 13B detected by the detecting means 16B is almost zero.

  As shown in FIG. 5B, when the operating body 12 is pressed, the magnets 13A and 13B move to the right, and the magnetism of the magnet 13A detected by the detecting means 16A is almost zero. By making the magnetism of the magnet 13B detected by the means 16B stronger, it is possible to make a configuration capable of detecting the failure as described above.

  Further, in the above description, a configuration in which the protrusion 14C is provided at the center, the elastic part 14 is formed by the arm part 14B having both ends connected to the operating body 12, and this is integrally provided at the right end of the operating body 12 is described. However, the present invention can also be implemented with a configuration in which one end of the arm portion 14B is separated from the operating body 12 to be a free end, or a configuration in which the elastic portion 14 is formed on the inner wall portion 11A side of the upper case 11. is there.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the magnet 13 is mounted on the operating body 12 movably accommodated in the case 11, and the magnetism of the magnet 13 is detected by the detection means 16 </ b> A and 16 </ b> B. By providing the elastic portion 14 on the end portion of the case 11 or the inner wall portion 11A of the case 11, the control means 18 performs electrical contact / separation of the switching means 17 in accordance with the movement of the magnet 13, so that dust, moisture, lubricant Even when it is used in places where there are many, etc., the switch can be electrically connected and separated reliably, and the impact of the end of the working body 12 and the inner wall 11A can be mitigated, reducing the impact sound during operation and reducing the noise. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a vehicle switch that can be operated at low cost and with a simple configuration.

  In the above description, the control unit 18 determines the strength of the magnetism detected by the plurality of detection units 16A and 16B, and the switching unit 17 is turned off and pressed when the push button 23 is not pressed. However, on the contrary, the switching means 17 is turned on in a state where the pressing operation is not performed, and the present invention can be implemented even if the switching means 17 is turned off when the pressing operation is performed. is there.

  The vehicle switch according to the present invention can be obtained with a simple configuration and can be operated at low cost and reliably, and is useful mainly for operations such as starting an automobile engine.

Sectional drawing of the switch for vehicles by one embodiment of this invention Exploded perspective view Sectional view during pressing operation Partial plan view Partial plan view Sectional view of a conventional vehicle switch

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Upper case 11A Inner wall part 12 Actuator 13, 13A, 13B Magnet 14 Elastic part 14A Through-hole 14B Arm part 14C Protrusion part 15 Wiring board 16A, 16B Detection means 17 Switching means 18 Control means 19 Connector 19A Terminal 20 Spring 21 Lower case 22 Cover 23 Push button

Claims (2)

A substantially box-shaped case, an operating body movably accommodated in the case, a spring mounted between the operating body and the inner wall of the case, a magnet mounted on the operating body, and the magnet detecting means for detecting the magnetic, made from the control means for performing electrical connection and disconnection of the connected switching means to the detection means, to the inner wall of the moving direction of the end or the case of the operating member, both ends above When an arm portion connected to the end portion of the operating body or the inner wall portion of the case and an elastic portion integrally formed with a projection at the center of the arm portion are provided, and the operating body moves by a predetermined operation stroke The vehicular switch in which the protrusion comes into contact with the inner wall of the case or the end of the operating body . The vehicle switch according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of detection means are formed on a facing surface of the magnet at predetermined intervals, and the magnetism of the magnet is detected by the plurality of detection means as the operating body moves.

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