Abstract:
A rotary electric component includes: a spring; a rotation body; click pieces; a lever restricting rotation of the rotation body, and has a following part in which a groove is formed and which has an arcuate recessed surface on a part of the lateral surface; a restricting member which has a pin and a drive unit having an arcuate protruding surface as part of the lateral surface, and which constitutes a Geneva drive in which the pin engages in the groove of the lever to rotate the lever and, in a state where the pin has been removed from the groove of the lever, the arcuate protruding surface of the drive unit and the arcuate recessed surface of the following part of lever engage to restrict rotation of the lever; and a housing unit comprising an uneven portion and housing the rotation body, click pieces, lever, and restricting member.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to a rotary electric part such as a rotary switch in which an operation shaft is turned for switching. 
       BACKGROUND ART 
       [0002]    Conventionally, rotary switches for switching between a plurality of contact points have been widely used. For example, in a communication apparatus, a rotary switch is used for the purpose of providing functions such as power switching, volume adjustment, and channel change. 
         [0003]    In the case where a rotary switch is used for the purpose of obtaining a function of power switching, the rotary switch is designed to provide a user with click feeling such that the user surely recognizes on/off of the power source. 
         [0004]    For example, PTL 1 discloses a rotary on/off control switch which can provide click feeling each time the power is turned on, or off.  FIG. 9  and  FIG. 10  are exploded assembly drawings of rotary on/off control switch  100  disclosed in PTL 1. 
         [0005]    Rotary on/off control switch  100  includes knob  101 , shaft  102 , casing  103 , driving member  104 , carrier member  105 , friction member  106 , adaptable member  107 , lever  108 , and plate  109 . 
         [0006]    Here, knob  101  is coupled with shaft  102 , and shaft  102  is coupled with driving member  104 . Therefore, when knob  101  is rotated, driving member  104  is rotated. Driving member  104  is provided with drive pin  110 , and drive pin  110  is engaged with groove  111  formed at a lower portion of lever  108  (see  FIG. 10 ). With this configuration, when driving member  104  rotates, lever  108  rotates. 
         [0007]    Likewise, groove  112  is formed at an upper portion of lever  108 . Groove  112  is engaged with carrier pin  113  provided in carrier member  105 . With this configuration, when lever  108  rotates, carrier member  105  rotates. 
         [0008]    Here, abrasion member  106  is pressed by adaptable member  107  against moderating mechanism  114  formed in casing  103 . Accordingly, when knob  101  is turned by a user, carrier member  105  is rotated, and thus the user can fell click feeling. 
         [0009]      FIG. 11  is an exploded assembly drawing of rotary on/off control switch  200  disclosed in PTL 1. Rotary on/off control switch  200  includes knob  201 , shaft  202 , casing  203 , driving member  204 , carrier member  205 , friction member  206 , lever  207 , and plate  208 . 
         [0010]    Knob  201  is coupled with shaft  202 , and shaft  202  is coupled with driving member  204 . Therefore, when knob  201  rotates, driving member  204  rotates. Driving member  204  is provided with hook mechanism  209 , and hook mechanism  209  is engaged with lever pin  210  provided at a lower portion of lever  207 . With this configuration, when driving member  204  rotates clockwise, lever  207  rotates counterclockwise. 
         [0011]    On the other hand, groove  211  is formed at an upper portion of lever  207 . Groove  211  is engaged with carrier pin  212  provided in carrier member  205 . With this configuration, when lever  207  rotates, carrier member  205  rotates. 
         [0012]    Here, abrasion member  206  is pressed by an adaptable member not illustrated against moderating mechanism  213  formed in casing  203 . Accordingly, when knob  201  is turned by a user, carrier member  205  is rotated, and thus the user can feel click feeling. 
       CITATION LIST 
     Patent Literature 
       [0013]    PTL 1 
         [0014]    U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0298494 
       SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     Technical Problem 
       [0015]    However, the conventional technology disclosed in PTL 1 has a problem with the durability of rotary on/off control switches  100  and  200 . 
         [0016]    To be more specific, in rotary on/off control switch  100  illustrated in  FIG. 9  and  FIG. 10 , driving member  104  and lever  108  are coupled with each other with drive pin  110 . When knob  101  is greatly rotated counterclockwise, drive pin  110  is disengaged from groove  111  formed at a lower portion of lever  108 . Then, when knob  101  rotates clockwise, drive pin  110  is again engaged with groove  111 . 
         [0017]    Here, lever  108  and carrier member  105  are coupled with each other when carrier pin  113  is engaged with groove  112  formed at an upper portion of lever  108 . However, in the case where the wall surface of groove  112  has been abraded, when knob  101  is greatly rotated counterclockwise and drive pin  110  is disengaged from groove  111  formed at a lower portion of lever  108 , carrier pin  113  may also be disengaged from groove  112 . 
         [0018]    In this case, the rotation angle of lever  108  is destabilized, and when knob  101  rotates clockwise, drive pin  110  may strike against the side surface of lever  108 , and drive pin  110  may be damaged. 
         [0019]    On the other hand, in rotary on/off control switch  200  illustrated in  FIG. 11 , driving member  204  and lever  207  are coupled with each other with lever pin  210 . Also in this case, when knob  201  forcefully rotates clockwise, lever pin  210  may severely strike against the wall surface of hook mechanism  209  formed in driving member  204  and lever pin  210  may be damaged. 
         [0020]    To solve the above-described problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a rotary electric part which can readily prevent an engaging portion of a driving member and a lever from being damaged. 
       Solution to Problem 
       [0021]    A rotary electric part of the present invention includes: a spring; a rotational body having a recessed portion for housing the spring; a click piece configured to be rotated along with the rotational body, and biased by the spring toward outside of the rotational body; a lever configured to restrict rotation of the rotational body and including a driven portion provided with a groove, a part of a side surface of the driven portion being an arc-like recessed surface; a restriction member including a driving portion and a pin, a part of a side surface of the driving portion being an arc-like projecting surface, the restriction member being configured to serve as a Geneva mechanism in which the pin is engaged with the groove of the lever to rotate the lever, and, in a state where the pin is disengaged from the groove of the lever, the arc-like projecting surface of the driving portion and the arc-like recessed surface of the driven portion of the lever are engaged with each other to restrict rotation of the lever; and a housing portion including an irregular portion against which a click piece is pressed by the spring, the irregular portion being provided in a circumferential direction on an inner peripheral surface of the housing portion, the housing portion being configured to house the rotational body, the click piece, the lever, and the restriction member. 
         [0022]    A rotary electric part of the present invention includes: a spring; a rotational body having a recessed portion for housing the spring; a click piece configured to be rotated along with the rotational body, and biased by the spring toward outside of the rotational body; a lever including a pin and a driven portion having a plate shape configured to support the pin, the lever being configured to restrict rotation of the rotational body; a restriction member including a driving portion provided with a groove, a part of a side surface of the driving portion being an arc-like projecting surface, the restriction member operates such that the driven portion having the plate shape of the lever is engaged with the groove to rotate the lever, and, in a state where the driven portion having the plate shape of the lever is disengaged from the groove, slide movement of the arc-like projecting surface of the driving portion and the driven portion having the plate shape of the lever is caused to restrict rotation of the lever; and a housing portion including an irregular portion against which a click piece is pressed by the spring, the irregular portion being provided in a circumferential direction on an inner peripheral surface of the housing portion, the housing portion being configured to house the rotational body, the click piece, the lever, and the restriction member. 
       Advantageous Effects of Invention 
       [0023]    According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a rotary electric part which can readily prevent an engaging portion of a driving member and a lever from being damaged. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0024]      FIG. 1  is an exploded assembly drawing illustrating an exemplary configuration of a rotary electric part according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention; 
           [0025]      FIG. 2  is an exploded assembly drawing illustrating an exemplary configuration of the rotary electric part according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention; 
           [0026]      FIGS. 3A, 3B, 3C, and 3D  illustrate an exemplary operation of a Geneva mechanism at the time when a pin of a restriction member is disengaged from a groove of a lever; 
           [0027]      FIGS. 4A, 4B, 4C, and 4D  illustrate an exemplary operation of the Geneva mechanism at the time when the pin of the restriction member is engaged with the groove of the lever; 
           [0028]      FIG. 5  illustrates a relationship between normal direction N of the wall surface of the groove of the lever making contact with the pin and movement direction M of the pin; 
           [0029]      FIG. 6  is an exploded assembly drawing illustrating an exemplary configuration of a rotary electric part according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention; 
           [0030]      FIG. 7  is an exploded assembly drawing illustrating an exemplary configuration of the rotary electric part according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention; 
           [0031]      FIGS. 8A, 8B, 8C, and 8D  illustrate an exemplary operation of a rotation mechanism of the rotary electric part; 
           [0032]      FIG. 9  is an exploded assembly drawing of a rotary on/off control switch disclosed in PTL 1; 
           [0033]      FIG. 10  is an exploded assembly drawing of the rotary on/off control switch disclosed in PTL 1; and 
           [0034]      FIG. 11  is an exploded assembly drawing of another rotary on/off control switch disclosed in PTL 1. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
       [0035]    In the following, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
       Embodiment 1 
       [0036]      FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2  are exploded assembly drawings illustrating an exemplary configuration of rotary electric part  10  according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Rotary electric part  10  is a member such as a rotary switch that causes a click feeling when a knob not illustrated is turned, for example. 
         [0037]    This rotary electric part  10  includes housing portion  11 , restriction member  12 , lever  13 , rotational body  14 , click piece  15 , and spring  16 . 
         [0038]    Housing portion  11  is a member that houses restriction member  12 , lever  13 , rotational body  14 , click piece  15 , and spring  16 . Housing portion  11  includes irregular portion  26  against which click piece  15  is pressed by spring  16 , and support column  27  to which lever  13  is rotatably attached (see  FIG. 2 ). 
         [0039]    Restriction member  12  is a member that restricts the rotation of lever  13 . Restriction member  12  is coupled with a shaft not illustrated, and rotates along with the rotation of the shaft. The shaft is coupled with a knob not illustrated which is rotated by the user when performing on/off of the power, volume adjustment, channel change and the like, for example. Restriction member  12  and lever  13  are combined to form a Geneva mechanism. 
         [0040]    To be more specific, restriction member  12  includes pin  17  and driving portion  18 . A part of the side surface of driving portion  18  is arc-like projecting surface  18   a.    
         [0041]    In addition, lever  13  includes pin  21 , support column hole portion  22 , and driven portion  20  a part of the side surface of which is arc-like recessed surface  20   a  and which is provided with groove  19 . When support column hole portion  22  is engaged with support column  27  of housing portion  11 , lever  13  is rotatably attached to housing portion  11 . 
         [0042]    Further, when restriction member  12  is rotated, and pin  17  is engaged with groove  19  of lever  13 , lever  13  rotates around support column  27 . On the other hand, in the state where pin  17  is disengaged from groove  19  of lever  13 , arc-like projecting surface  18   a  of driving portion  18  of restriction member  12  and arc-like recessed surface  20   a  of driven portion  20  of lever  13  are engaged with each other, and rotation of lever  13  around support column  27  is restricted. The operation of such a Geneva mechanism will be described in detail with reference to  FIGS. 3A, 3B, 3C, and 3D , and  FIGS. 4A, 4B, 4C, and 4D . 
         [0043]    In rotational body  14 , groove  23 , opening portion  24 , and recessed portion  25  are formed. Groove  23  is engaged with pin  21  of lever  13 . When lever  13  rotates around support column  27 , rotational shaft  14  also rotates around the central axis of rotational body  14 . 
         [0044]    In addition, click piece  15  is disposed at opening portion  24 . In addition, spring  16  is disposed at recessed portion  25  in such a manner as to bias click piece  15  toward the outside of rotational body  14 . With this configuration, click piece  15  is pressed against irregular portion  26  of housing portion  11 , and thus click feeling is obtained when rotational body  14  rotates. 
         [0045]    Next, an operation of the Geneva mechanism of rotary electric part  10  is described.  FIGS. 3A, 3B, 3C, and 3D  illustrate an exemplary operation of the Geneva mechanism at the time when pin  17  of restriction member  12  is disengaged from groove  19  of lever  13 .  FIG. 3B  to  FIG. 3D  illustrate states where restriction member  12  is rotated counterclockwise from the state illustrated in  FIG. 3A  by 10 degrees, 20 degrees, and 30 degrees, respectively. 
         [0046]    As illustrated in  FIG. 3A  to  FIG. 3D , when restriction member  12  rotates counterclockwise, pin  17  of restriction member  12  pushes the right wall surface of groove  19  of lever  13 . With this configuration, lever  13  rotates clockwise around support column  27 . 
         [0047]    Then, when pin  17  is disengaged from groove  19  of lever  13  after the state of  FIG. 3D , lever  13  does not rotate even when restriction member  12  rotates. In addition, arc-like projecting surface  18   a  of driving portion  18  of restriction member  12  and arc-like recessed surface  20   a  of driven portion  20  of lever  13  are engaged with each other, and rotation of lever  13  around support column  27  is suppressed. 
         [0048]    That is, since lever  13  does not rotate more than this, rotational body  14  illustrated in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2  also does not rotate more than this, and thus the number of click feeling generated by click piece  15  and irregular portion  26  is limited to one time. 
         [0049]      FIG. 4A  to  FIG. 4D  illustrate an exemplary operation of the Geneva mechanism at the time when pin  17  of restriction member  12  is engaged with groove  19  of lever  13 .  FIG. 4B  to  FIG. 4D  illustrate the states where restriction member  12  is rotated clockwise from the state illustrated in of  FIG. 4A  by 10 degrees, 20 degrees, and 30 degrees, respectively. It is to be noted that the state of  FIG. 4D  is the same as the state of  FIG. 3A . 
         [0050]    As illustrated in  FIG. 4A  to  FIG. 4D , when restriction member  12  rotates clockwise, pin  17  is engaged with groove  19  of lever  13 . At this time, pin  17  pushes the left wall surface of groove  19  of lever  13  and lever  13  rotates counterclockwise around support column  27 . Consequently, rotational body  14  rotates clockwise, and click piece  15  and irregular portion  26  generate click feeling only one time. 
         [0051]    Here, groove  19  may be formed such that, in the state where pin  17  is engaged with groove  19  of lever  13 , the normal direction of the wall surface of groove  19  of lever  13  making contact with pin  17  is oblique to the movement direction of pin  17 . 
         [0052]      FIG. 5  illustrates a relationship between the normal direction N of the wall surface of groove  19  of lever  13  making contact with pin  17  and movement direction M of pin  17 . For example, the wall surface of groove  19  is formed such that the normal direction of the wall surface of groove  19  of lever  13  making contact with pin  17  is not at 180 degrees relative to the movement direction of pin  17  at the time point of start of rotation of lever  13  illustrated in  FIG. 3A . With this configuration, the force required for starting the rotation of lever  13  can be reduced. 
         [0053]    In addition, the wall surface of groove  19  may be formed such that the normal direction of the wall surface of groove  19  of lever  13  making contact with pin  17  is oblique to the movement direction of pin  17  in each state illustrated in  FIG. 3B  to  FIG. 3D  and  FIG. 4A  to  FIG. 4C  after the start of rotation of lever  13 , in addition to the state of  FIG. 3A . With this configuration, the force required for continuing the rotation of lever  13  can be reduced. 
         [0054]    Further, the wall surfaces of groove  19  that sandwich lever  13  may be disposed parallel to each other, and pin  17  may be housed with play between the parallel wall surfaces. 
         [0055]    With this configuration, the rotational positions of lever  13  where click feeling is obtained can be set to substantially the same position between the case where pin  17  is disengaged from groove  19  of lever  13  and the case where pin  17  is engaged with groove  19  of lever  13 . Thus, the user can operate the knob without feeling wrongness. 
         [0056]    In addition, with the above-mentioned configuration, substantially the same relationship between the movement direction of lever  13  and the normal direction the wall surface of groove  19  in contact with lever  13  as illustrated in  FIG. 5  can be obtained between the case where pin  17  is disengaged from groove  19  of lever  13  and the case where pin  17  is engaged with groove  19  of lever  13 . 
         [0057]    As a result, the force required for rotating lever  13  at the time when pin  17  is disengaged from groove  19  of lever  13  and the force required for rotating lever  13  at the time when pin  17  is engaged with groove  19  of lever  13  can be set to substantially the same value. Also with this configuration, the user can operate the knob without feeling of wrongness. 
         [0058]    As described above, according to Embodiment 1, in the state where pin  17  is disengaged from groove  19  of lever  13 , arc-like projecting surface  18   a  of driving portion  18  and arc-like recessed surface  20   a  of driven portion  20  of lever  13  are engaged with each other to form the Geneva mechanism that restricts the rotation of lever  13 . 
         [0059]    Thus, pin  17  which is a part for engaging restriction member  12  and lever  13  can be prevented from striking against the side surface of lever  13  and being broken when pin  17  is again engaged with groove  19  after being disengaged from groove  19  of lever  13 . 
       Embodiment 2 
       [0060]      FIG. 6  and  FIG. 7  are exemplary exploded assembly drawings illustrating a configuration of rotary electric part  30  according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. As with rotary electric part 30 according to Embodiment 1, rotary electric part  30  is a member such as a rotary switch that causes a click feeling when a knob not illustrated is turned. 
         [0061]    Rotary electric part  30  includes housing portion  31 , restriction member  32 , lever  33 , rotational body  34 , click piece  35 , and spring  36 . 
         [0062]    Housing portion  31  is a member that houses restriction member  32 , lever  33 , rotational body  34 , click piece  35 , and spring  36 . Housing portion  31  includes irregular portion  45  against which click piece  35  is pressed by spring  36 , and support column  46  to which lever  33  is rotatably attached (see  FIG. 7 ). 
         [0063]    Restriction member  32  is a member that restricts rotation of lever  33 . Restriction member  32  is coupled with a shaft not illustrated, and rotates along with the rotation of the shaft. The shaft is coupled with a knob not illustrated which is rotated by the user when performing on/off of the power, volume adjustment, channel change and the like, for example. 
         [0064]    To be more specific, restriction member  32  includes driving portion  38  a part of the side surface of which is an arc-like projecting surface  38   a  and which is provided with groove  37 . In addition, lever  33  includes pin  39 , driven portion  40  having a plate shape that supports pin  39 , and support column hole portion  41 . When support column hole portion  41  is engaged with support column  46  of housing portion  31 , lever  33  is rotatably attached to housing portion  31 . 
         [0065]    Further, when restriction member  32  is rotated, and an end portion of plate-shaped driven portion  40  of lever  33  is engaged with groove  37  of restriction member  32 , lever  33  is rotated around support column  46 . On the other hand, when the end portion of plate-shaped driven portion  40  is disengaged from groove  37  of restriction member  32 , slide movement between arc-like projecting surface  38   a  of driving portion  38  and side surface  40   a  of plate-shaped driven portion  40  is caused, and thus the rotation of lever  33  around support column  46  is restricted. The operation of this rotation mechanism will be described in detail with reference to  FIG. 8A  to  FIG. 8D . 
         [0066]    Rotational body  34  is provided with groove  42 , opening portion  43 , and recessed portion  44 . Groove  42  is engaged with pin  39  of lever  33 . When lever  33  rotates around support column  46 , rotational body  34  also rotates around the central axis of rotational body  34 . 
         [0067]    In addition, click piece  35  is disposed at opening portion  43 . Spring  36  is disposed at recessed portion  44  such that click piece  35  is biased toward the outside of rotational body  34 . With this configuration, click piece  35  is pressed against irregular portion  45  of housing portion  31 , and thus click feeling is obtained when rotational body  34  rotates. 
         [0068]    Next, an operation of the rotation mechanism of rotary electric part  30  is described.  FIGS. 8A, 8B, 8C, and 8D  illustrate an exemplary operation of the rotation mechanism of rotary electric part  30 . In  FIGS. 8A, 8B, 8C, and 8D , restriction member  32  is disposed behind rotational body  34  and is therefore illustrated with a dotted line. 
         [0069]      FIG. 8A  and  FIG. 8B  illustrate an operation of the rotation mechanism at the time when the end portion of plate-shaped driven portion  40  of lever  33  is disengaged from groove  37  of restriction member  32 . In addition,  FIG. 8C  and  FIG. 8D  illustrate an operation of the rotation mechanism at the time when the end portion of plate-shaped driven portion  40  of lever  33  is engaged with groove  37  of restriction member  32 . 
         [0070]    As illustrated in  FIG. 8A  and  FIG. 8B , when restriction member  32  rotates counterclockwise, the end portion of plate-shaped driven portion  40  of lever  33  is engaged with groove  37  of restriction member  32 , and therefore lever  33  rotates clockwise around support column  46 . 
         [0071]    When the end portion of plate-shaped driven portion  40  of lever  33  is disengaged from groove  37  as illustrated in  FIG. 8B , lever  33  does not rotate even when rotational body  34  is rotated. Moreover, slide movement between arc-like projecting surface  38   a  of driving portion  38  of restriction member  32  and side surface  40   a  of plate-shaped driven portion  40  of lever  33  is caused, and rotation of lever  33  around support column  46  is suppressed. 
         [0072]    That is, since lever  33  does not rotate more than this, rotational body  34  also does not rotate more than this, and thus the number of click generated by click piece  35  and irregular portion  45  is limited to one time. 
         [0073]    In addition, when restriction member  32  rotates clockwise as illustrated in  FIGS. 8C and 8D , the end portion of plate-shaped driven portion  40  of lever  33  is engaged with groove  37  of restriction member  32 . At this time, lever  33  rotates counterclockwise around support column  46 . Consequently, rotational body  34  also rotates counterclockwise, and thus click is generated by click piece  35  and irregular portion  45  one time. 
         [0074]    As described above, according to Embodiment 2, groove  37  of restriction member  32  is engaged with plate-shaped driven portion  40  of lever  33  to rotate engaged lever  33 , and, in the state where plate-shaped driven portion  40  of lever  33  is disengaged from groove  37 , slide movement between arc-like projecting surface  38   a  of driving portion  38  and side surface  40   a  of plate-shaped driven portion  40  of lever  33  is caused to restrict the rotation of lever  33 . 
         [0075]    That is, according to Embodiment 2, restriction member  32  and lever  33  are engaged with each other using plate-shaped driven portion  40 , without using a pin. With this configuration, it is possible to easily prevent the engaging portion of restriction member  32  and lever  33  from being damaged. 
       INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY 
       [0076]    The rotary electric part according to the present invention is suitable for rotary electric parts which are required to easily prevent the damage of the engaging portion between the driving member and the lever. 
       REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 
       [0077]      10 ,  30  Rotary electric part 
         [0078]      11 ,  31  Housing portion 
         [0079]      12 ,  32  Restriction member 
         [0080]      13 ,  33 ,  108  Lever 
         [0081]      14 ,  34  Rotational body 
         [0082]      15 ,  35  Click piece 
         [0083]      16 ,  36  Spring 
         [0084]      17 ,  21 ,  39  Pin 
         [0085]      18 ,  38  Driving portion 
         [0086]      18   a,    38   a  Arc-like projecting surface 
         [0087]      19 ,  23 ,  37 ,  42  Groove 
         [0088]      20  Driven portion 
         [0089]      20   a  Arc-like recessed surface 
         [0090]      22 ,  41  Support column hole portion 
         [0091]      24 ,  43  Opening portion 
         [0092]      25 ,  44  Recessed portion 
         [0093]      26 ,  45  Irregular portion 
         [0094]      27 ,  46  Support column 
         [0095]      40  Plate-shaped driven portion 
         [0096]      40   a  Side surface 
         [0097]      100  Rotary on/off control switch 
         [0098]      101  Knob 
         [0099]      102  Shaft 
         [0100]      103  Casing 
         [0101]      104  Driving member 
         [0102]      105  Carrier member 
         [0103]      106  Friction member 
         [0104]      107  Adaptable member 
         [0105]      109  Plate