JP2006073455A - Push-button device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a 'push-button device' capable of illuminating operating buttons and an operating panel in high brightness while maintaining an excellent operating feeling of the operating buttons, and capable of closely arraying the operating buttons to each other. <P>SOLUTION: For the push-button device provided with the operating buttons 7 inserted into button holes 4 of the operating panel 2, and a first wiring board 13 mounting a switch part 12 depressed through bosses 15 by pushing-in operation of the operating buttons 7, a second wiring board 14 equipped with a guide part 16 guiding the movement of the bosses 15 is arranged between the operating panel 2 and the first wiring board 13, and a light source 17 is mounted on the second wiring board 14 for irradiating light toward the operating panel 2. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a push button device used as an in-vehicle electronic device or a home electronic device, and in particular, a push button device in which an illumination display portion is formed on the surface of an operation button or an operation panel around the operation button. About.

   For example, some on-vehicle pushbutton devices have an illumination display unit provided on the surface of the operation unit in order to improve visibility and operability in a dark environment such as at night.

  In Patent Document 1 below, a light source (lamp) and a switch (operating unit) are mounted on a wiring board (printed circuit board) provided inside the operation panel, and the inside of the operation panel and the wiring A daylighting plate is installed between the substrate. The top surface of the switch is integrally provided with an operation button (push knob), which is a rod-shaped light guide with characters printed on the top, and the operation button has a hole opened in the lighting plate. It penetrates and protrudes outward from a hole opened in the operation panel. The light emitted from the light source is incident on the operation button via the daylighting plate, and the top of the operation button emits light. In addition, since the switch is directly below the operation button, a good operation feeling can be obtained.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-55422

  In order to make the top of the operation button shine brightly, a light source is mounted on the wiring board in the immediate vicinity such as directly under the operation button to prevent luminance attenuation due to an increase in the distance from the light source. preferable. However, in the configuration shown in Patent Document 1, since a switch is arranged immediately below the operation button in order to obtain a good operation feeling, the light source is located away from the operation button on the wiring board to avoid interference with the switch. I have to put it on. In this configuration, in order to illuminate the operation button with sufficient luminance, it is necessary to increase the luminance of the light source itself, which causes an increase in the size of the light source and an increase in the amount of heat generation.

  In addition, the configuration described in Patent Document 1 has a design restriction regarding the arrangement of the operation buttons. For example, in the case of a design in which a plurality of operation buttons are arranged adjacent to each other, the light source must be arranged between the switches on the wiring board, so the switches cannot be arranged adjacent to each other. It is difficult to arrange the operation buttons with a small interval. In the present invention, it is possible to illuminate the operation buttons and the operation panel with high luminance while maintaining a good operation feeling of the operation buttons, and to provide a push button device in which the operation buttons can be closely arranged. The purpose is to do.

  The present invention is equipped with an operation button that is inserted into a hole of the operation panel so as to be able to be pushed inward of the operation panel, and a switch that is disposed inside the operation panel and is pressed by the pushing operation of the operation button. In the push button device having the first wiring board, a boss that presses the switch is provided inside the operation button, and the boss is provided between the operation panel and the first wiring board. A second wiring board having a guide part for guiding the movement of the second wiring board is disposed, and a light source for irradiating light toward the operation panel is mounted on the second wiring board. It is.

  In the above configuration, the first and second wiring boards are arranged on the inner side of the operation panel, and the switch and the light source are distributed and attached to the first wiring board and the second wiring board. Yes. Therefore, there is no need to provide a gap for mounting the light source between the switches, and a plurality of switches can be mounted closely, so that the operation buttons for pressing the switches can be closely positioned. .

  In addition, since the light source is mounted on the second wiring board located closer to the operation panel than the first wiring board on which the switch is mounted, an illumination display unit provided at the periphery of the operation button and the hole of the operation panel Can be illuminated with high brightness. Further, since the movement of the boss that presses the switch on the first wiring board is guided by the guide part of the second wiring board, the distance between the operation button and the first wiring board is increased, and the boss moves. Even if it is long in the direction, the center of the switch can be pressed accurately with the tip of the boss, it can maintain a good operation feeling of the operation button, and there is also a dedicated positioning member that guides the movement of the boss It is unnecessary and does not incur a cost increase.

  The said structure WHEREIN: It is preferable that the said guide part is a through-hole which penetrates a said 2nd wiring board, and the said boss | hub is penetrated by this through-hole. By configuring in this way, it is possible to prevent displacement in all directions intersecting with the moving direction of the boss, and the operation feeling of the operation buttons is further improved.

  In the above configuration, it is preferable that the light source is mounted inside the projection range of the switch when viewed from the operation panel side. With this configuration, since a plurality of switches can be arranged adjacent to each other with almost no gap without considering the arrangement space of the light source, a plurality of operation buttons can be closely arranged in a smaller area. Become.

  In the above-described configuration, an illumination display unit illuminated by the light source may be formed in the operation unit of the operation button, or a ring is guided by a light guide around a hole of an operation panel into which the operation button is inserted. A shaped illumination portion may be formed, or the function display portion of the operation button on the operation panel may be formed as an illuminated display portion having translucency. These illumination display units and illumination units can be illuminated by the light source.

  Further, the boss is attached to the switch or formed integrally with the switch, and the boss can be moved to follow the pushing operation of the operation button and the switch can be pressed. is there. That is, the part to which the boss is attached is not limited to the operation button side, but may be the switch side. Further, the boss may not be fixed to either the operation button side or the switch side, and may be structured to be movably supported by the operation panel.

  Furthermore, it is preferable that the boss is made of a light-transmitting material, so that the illumination display unit and the illumination unit can be illuminated with indirect light incident on the boss in addition to the direct light from the light source. is there.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to closely arrange a plurality of operation buttons within a small area while maintaining and maintaining a good operation feeling of the operation buttons, and the operation buttons and the operation panel can be arranged with high luminance. Can be illuminated.

  1 is an exploded perspective view showing a push button device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the push button device in FIG. 1 in an assembled state, and FIG. 3 is a partial front view of the push button device.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the push button device according to the present embodiment includes a housing 1, a plurality of operation buttons 7, a first wiring board 13, and a second wiring board 14. The operation button 7 is a columnar body having a thickness in the Y1-Y2 direction that is the front-rear direction, an operation unit 8 having an illumination display unit 8a that transmits light to the surface, and a rectangular columnar shape provided on the back surface of the operation unit 8 The operating portion 8 and the sliding portion 9 are integrally formed of a light-transmitting material such as a transparent synthetic resin. The surface of the operation unit 8 is coated with a light-shielding paint except for the illumination display unit 8a such as characters and symbols. The cross section of the sliding portion 9 is not limited to a rectangle, and may be a circle, for example.

  The casing 1 is made of a synthetic resin or the like and is embedded in a part of a vehicle body such as a dashboard of an automobile, and the surface shape thereof is formed in accordance with the modeling of the surface of the dashboard. An operation panel 2 is provided at the front end of the front surface of the housing 1, and a display panel 6 is provided on the upper side (Z1 side) of the operation panel 2 through the step portion 3. A plurality of button holes 4 are opened in the operation panel 2, and each button hole 4 has a dimensional shape through which the sliding portion 9 of the operation button 7 is slidably inserted in the Y1-Y2 direction. The operation button 7 is inserted into the button hole 4 so as to be movable in the Y1-Y2 direction, and is installed so as not to drop forward from the housing 1 (Y1 direction) by a stopper (not shown). Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the display panel 6 has a display hole 5 through which a display surface of an LCD unit (liquid crystal display unit) 11 described later is exposed.

  The LCD unit 11 is mounted on the front surface of the first wiring board 13. The first wiring board 13 has a rectangular flat plate shape, and a switch unit 12 having a plurality of switches is mounted on the lower side (Z2 side) of the LCD unit 11.

  The switch part 12 shown in the present embodiment is called a rubber contact system, and a plurality of circular switch tops 12a are formed on the upper part of a plate-like switch base part 12b having elasticity formed of silicon rubber or the like. A conductive carbon contact material is applied to the back surface of each switch top 12a. Further, a thin skirt portion (flexure portion) 12c is formed between the switch top 12a and the switch base portion 12b. When the switch top 12a is pressed in the Y2 direction, the switch top 12a and the skirt portion 12c are flexed. The pattern contact (not shown) formed on the front surface of the first wiring board 13 comes into contact with the carbon contact material, and the switch is turned on / off.

  In the switch unit 12, one switch top 12a and one pattern contact on the first wiring board 13 constitute one switch, and each switch (switch top 12a) is opposed to each operation button 7. Are arranged. In the present invention, the switch is not limited to the rubber contact method, but may be a switch that is separately mounted on the first wiring board 13 such as a membrane method or a tact switch method. good.

The first wiring board 13 is fixed to a board mounting portion (not shown) integrally projecting from the inner surface 19 of the display panel 6 at the rear (Y2 side) in the casing 1 with a screw or the like. 1 is fixedly attached to a holding claw (not shown) that is integrally formed on the inner side surface of 1.
In the housing 1, the second wiring board 14 is disposed between the operation panel 2 and the first wiring board 13. The second wiring board 14 is fixed to a board mounting portion (not shown) integrally protruding from the inner surface 18 of the operation panel 2 with a screw or the like, or is integrally formed on the inner side surface of the housing 1 (not shown). It is locked and attached to the holding claw.

  The second wiring board 14 has a rectangular flat plate shape that is equal to or slightly smaller than the projected area of the switch base portion 12b, and a boss 15 described later moves in the Y1-Y2 direction at a position facing each switch top 12a. A guide portion 16 that is a through hole that can be freely inserted is opened. A light source 17 such as an LED or a lamp is mounted on the periphery of each guide portion 16 and is connected to a wiring pattern (not shown) of the second wiring substrate 14.

  The boss 15 is formed in a cylindrical rod shape from a synthetic resin having translucency, and as is apparent from FIG. 2, between the rear end surface 20 of the operation button 7 and the front surface of the switch top 12a. Has been placed. In the present embodiment, the boss 15 is integrally projected on the rear end surface 20 of the operation button 7. However, the boss 15 may be formed integrally with the switch top 12a and extend forward (Y1 direction). Each boss 15 is integrally formed via an elastic piece, and the boss 15 is disposed between the operation button 7 and the switch top 12a by fixing a frame portion connecting the elastic pieces in the housing 1. You may do it.

  The diameter of each boss 15 is set to be slightly smaller than the hole diameter of the guide portion (through hole) 16 of the second wiring board 14, and thus the boss 15 moves in the guide portion 16 in the Y1-Y2 direction. The movement in the X direction and the Z direction intersecting the moving direction is restricted by the inner peripheral edge of the guide portion 16. Thereby, even when the boss 15 is formed long, when the operation button 7 is pushed in the Y2 direction, the center portion of the switch top 12a is accurately pressed without the Y2 side end portion of the boss 15 being inclined. To do. Note that the shape of the boss 15 is not limited to a cylindrical shape, and may be a prismatic shape or a conically inclined shape.

  The shape of the guide portion 16 is not limited to a circular through hole, but may be a square hole or a U-shaped or V-shaped notch cut inward from the periphery of the second wiring board 14. . That is, if the dimensions and shapes of the boss 15 and the guide portion 16 are appropriately selected so that the boss 15 can be restricted from moving in a direction (X direction and / or Z direction) other than a predetermined movement direction (Y1-Y2 direction). good.

  FIG. 3 is a partial front view showing a state in which the operation panel is viewed from the front. As is clear from FIG. 3, the projection range of each switch top 12 a of the switch unit 12 is located within the projection range of the operation button 7. The projection range of the light source 17 is located outside the projection range of the guide unit 16 and within the projection range of the switch top 12a (switch). Therefore, the light source 17 can be disposed opposite to the back surface of the operation button 7 so that the illumination display portion 8a can be illuminated with high brightness, and the arrangement space of the light source 17 on the second wiring board 14 is not considered. Since the switch tops 12a can be arranged in close contact with almost no gap on the first wiring board 13, the operation buttons 7 can be further downsized and the operation buttons 7 arranged in the same space can be used. It is possible to meet the demand for increasing the number.

  In the present embodiment, one light source 17 is arranged for each operation button 7. However, the number of light sources 17 is not particularly limited, and for example, between a pair of left and right operation buttons 7 shown in FIG. One light source 17 may be arranged. Even in this case, since the light source 17 is mounted on the second wiring board 14 located closer to the operation panel 2 than the first wiring board 13 on which the switch unit 12 is mounted, the illumination display unit 8a is brightly illuminated. Is possible.

  In the push button device of the present embodiment having the above-described configuration, when the operation unit 8 of the operation button 7 is pushed inward (Y2 direction) of the operation panel 2 by the user, the boss 15 follows the pushing operation and the guide unit 8 It moves in the Y2 direction while being guided by 16, and the central portion of the switch top 12a is pressed by the tip of the boss 15. As a result, the switch top 12a and the skirt portion 12c are bent, and the pattern contact formed on the first wiring board 13 and the carbon contact material on the back surface of the switch top 12a come into contact with each other, so that the switch is turned on / off. . When the pressing force on the operation button 7 is released, the pattern contact and the carbon contact material are separated by the elastic return force of the switch top 12a and the skirt portion 12c, and the boss 15 and the operation button 7 are pushed back in the Y1 direction.

  The light source 17 is turned on when the power is turned on, or turned on / off in conjunction with the switch operation. The light emitted from the light source 17 toward the operation panel 2 is directly incident on the back surface of the sliding portion 9 of the operation button 7, and the light irregularly reflected in the operation button 7 illuminates the illumination display portion 8a. Since the boss 15 also has translucency, the illumination display portion 8 a is illuminated by indirect light that is incident on the outer peripheral surface of the boss 15 from the light source 17 and is irregularly reflected in the boss 15.

  The illumination part illuminated by the light of the light source 17 is not limited to the illumination display part 8a formed on the surface of the operation button 7, but an annular light guide is disposed on the inner periphery of the button hole 4 of the operation panel 2. The light guide may be used as an illumination unit, or a display unit representing the function of the operation button 7 may be formed in the vicinity of the button hole 4 of the operation panel 2, and the function display unit may be used as an illumination display unit. . In addition, a transparent or translucent light guide member is interposed between the light source 17 and the operation panel 2 so that the light from the light source 17 is diffusely reflected in the light guide member and then irradiated to the operation panel 2 side. Also good.

The disassembled perspective view which shows the pushbutton apparatus which is embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing of the assembly state of the pushbutton apparatus of FIG. The partial front view of the pushbutton apparatus of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Case 2 Operation panel 4 Button hole 7 Operation button 8 Operation part 9 Sliding part 12 Switch part 13 1st wiring board 14 2nd wiring board 15 Boss 16 Guide part 17 Light source

Claims (6)

An operation button that is inserted into a hole of the operation panel and is disposed so as to be able to be pushed inward of the operation panel, and a switch that is disposed inside the operation panel and that is pressed by a pushing operation of the operation button are mounted. In a push button device having a wiring board,
A boss that presses the switch is provided inside the operation button, and a second wiring board that includes a guide portion that guides the movement of the boss between the operation panel and the first wiring board. And a light source for irradiating light toward the operation panel is mounted on the second wiring board. The push button device according to claim 1, wherein the guide portion is a through hole penetrating the second wiring board, and the boss is inserted into the through hole. 3. The push button device according to claim 1, wherein the light source is mounted inside a projection range of the switch when viewed from the operation panel side. The pushbutton device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein an illumination display unit illuminated by the light source is formed in the operation unit of the operation button. The boss is attached to the switch or formed integrally with the switch, and the boss moves and presses the switch following the push operation of the operation button. The pushbutton device described in 1. The push button device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the boss is formed of a material having translucency.

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