Patent ID: 9378902
Filing Date: 2016-06-28
CPC Classification: B60N,H01H

Claim Text:
1. A composite operating device comprising: an operating member that is operable to rotate about a specific axis of rotation and operable to slide in a direction orthogonal to the axis of rotation; a slider that rotatably retains the operating member and slides in a direction parallel to a sliding direction of the operating member in conjunction with a sliding operation of the operating member; and a base that retains the slider so as to allow the slider to slide in the sliding direction, wherein: the base comprises a flexible portion and at least one slit, the flexible portion being capable of elastic bending deformation in a predetermined direction relative to the base main body and comprising a first engagement portion that engages with the slider, the at least one slit configured to allow bending deformation of the flexible portion in a first direction that is parallel to the axis of rotation of the operating member, the slider comprises a second engagement portion that engages with the first engagement portion in a state in which no operating force in the sliding direction is applied to the operating member, thereby retaining the slider in a neutral position in which the slider is not displaced in the sliding direction, the second engagement portion being shaped such that when an operating force in the sliding direction is applied to the operating member, the second engagement portion presses against the first engagement portion while being displaced in the sliding direction relative to the first engagement portion and causes the bending deformation of the flexible portion, the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion are shaped such that an amount of deformation of the flexible portion increases with an amount of operation of the operating member in the sliding direction, and the first engagement portion has a dimension that gradually increases in the first direction from the neutral position toward an outer side in the sliding direction.