A multi-way flipping switch including a base plate having stationary contacts, a click rubber member placed on the base plate and having hollow protrusions located over the stationary contacts, movable contacts mounted on inner surfaces of the hollow protrusions, a housing mounted on the base plate having a central opening, a holding member mounted on the housing, rotating members having one end rotatably mounted on the holding member and a second end contacting an upper surface of the hollow protrusions, and an operating member pivotally mounted on the housing such that a portion of the operating member protrudes through the central opening, the operating member including driving members contacting middle sections of the rotating members. In operation, pivoting of the operation member in an arbitrary direction causes rotation of one of the rotating members, thereby driving the end of the rotating member downward against the upper surface of a corresponding hollow protrusion, and thereby collapsing the hollow protrusion such that the movable contact located inside the hollow protrusion contacts a corresponding stationary contact on the base plate. The upper surface of each of the hollow protrusions is curved such that the corresponding rotating member contacts the upper surface at a point.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to a multi-way flipping switch applicable to 
an automotive mirror driving device or the like and adapted to output an 
electric signal corresponding to a direction of inclination of an 
operating member. 
2. Description of the Related Art 
Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 59-188644 discloses a conventional 
example of such a multi-way flipping switch, which comprises an operating 
member held so as to be capable of being inclined in a number of 
directions, a base plate having a plurality of stationary contacts, a 
click rubber member in the form of a sheet having a plurality of hollow 
protrusions each containing a movable contact, a driving member arranged 
between the operating member and the base plate and adapted to transmit an 
inclining force for the operating member to the above-mentioned hollow 
protrusions, and a spring for restoring the operating member and the 
driving member to a neutral position. In this conventional multi-way 
flipping switch, when the operating member is inclined in an arbitrary 
direction against the resilient force of the spring, the hollow protrusion 
of the click rubber member positioned in the direction of inclination is 
pressed by the driving member to generate a click feel and, at the same 
time, the movable contact provided in this hollow protrusion is brought 
into contact with the stationary contact arranged opposite thereto, 
whereby an electric signal corresponding to the direction of inclination 
can be output. When the operating force causing the inclination of the 
operating member is cancelled, the driving member and the operating member 
are restored to the neutral position by the resilient force of the spring 
and, at the same time, the hollow protrusion is restored to the 
non-operating state by its own resilient force, with the result that the 
movable contact is separated from the stationary contact and returns to 
the original position, which corresponds to the OFF state. 
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 3-23639 discloses another example of 
conventional multi-way flipping switch, which comprises an operating 
member, a base plate having a plurality of stationary contacts, and a 
sheet-shaped click rubber member having a plurality of hollow protrusions 
each containing a movable contact, wherein the operating member is 
provided with a longer projection and a plurality of shorter projections 
positioned around the longer projection, with the lower surface of the 
projections respectively abutting the hollow protrusions of the click 
rubber member. In this multi-way flipping switch, when the operating 
member is inclined in an arbitrary direction, the hollow protrusion 
positioned in the direction of inclination is pressed by the corresponding 
projection. The top end surface of each hollow protrusion is formed as an 
inclined surface descending toward the center, so that the top end section 
of the hollow protrusion is parallel to the surface of the base plate when 
the operating member is inclined. As a result, the movable contact inside 
the hollow protrusion is reliably brought into contact with the associated 
stationary contact, thereby providing a satisfactory contact state. 
Further, when the operating member is inclined by a predetermined angle, a 
part of the lower end section of the protrusion is passed through a 
through-hole of the click rubber member to abut the base plate, whereby 
the angle of inclination of the operating member is restricted, thereby 
preventing two or more pairs of switching elements from being 
simultaneously brought into the ON state. 
Further, as disclosed in Japanese Utility-Model Laid-Open No. 59-33640, 
there has been proposed a multi-way flipping switch, in which a protrusion 
protruding upwards beyond a housing is provided on an operating member, 
and in which a cross guide groove to be engaged with this protrusion is 
provided in the housing. In this multi-way flipping switch, the direction 
of inclination of the operating member is restricted to four directions by 
the above-mentioned guide groove, so that it is possible to prevent two or 
more pairs of switch elements from being simultaneously brought to the ON 
state. 
In the multi-way flipping switch disclosed in Japanese Utility-Model 
Laid-Open No. 59-188644, in which the operating member and the driving 
member are held in the neutral state by using a spring, has a problem in 
that, when the resilient force of the spring for restoring the operating 
member from the inclined to the neutral state is set at a high level so as 
to reliably achieve the neutral state, the click feel generated in the 
hollow protrusion of the click rubber member is reduced by the resilient 
force of the spring, thereby impairing the operating feel (the click 
feel). The click feel might be enhanced by setting the resilient force of 
the spring at a low level. In that case, however, the restoring force for 
retaining the operating member and the driving member in the neutral state 
would become rather weak, resulting in the neutral state of the operating 
member becoming rather unstable. Further, when, after the buckling 
deformation of the above-mentioned hollow protrusion, the inclining force 
is further applied to the operating member, the driving member will 
reversely rotate on the buckled hollow protrusion, thereby eliminating the 
stop feel indicating the termination of the inclining operation. From this 
viewpoint also, this prior-art structure is subject to impairment of the 
operating feel. 
In the multi-way flipping switch described in Japanese Utility Model 
Publication No. 3-23639, in which an inclined surface descending toward 
the center is formed on the surface of the top end portion of each hollow 
protrusion, whereby the movable contact can be reliably brought into 
contact with the stationary contact while being held in a parallel 
position to the stationary contact. However, such an asymmetrical hollow 
protrusion not only impairs the operating feel, but also complicates the 
molding process for the click rubber member, thereby leading to an 
increase in production cost. Further, in this prior-art structure, in 
which the protrusion provided on the operating member is brought into 
abutment with the hard base plate to thereby prevent two or more pairs of 
switching elements from being simultaneously turned on, has a problem in 
that a through-hole into which the protrusion is to be passed has to be 
provided in the click rubber member, placed on the base plate, so that 
there is the danger of some liquid, such as water or juice, intruding the 
base plate through this through-hole to thereby generate electrical 
trouble, etc. 
In the multi-way flipping switch described in Japanese Utility Model 
Laid-Open No. 59-33640, in which the projection of the operating member 
moves along the guide groove of the housing when the operating member is 
inclined, has a problem in that, when, for example, the operating member 
is to be sequentially inclined in two different directions, it is 
necessary to first restore the operating member, after its inclination in 
one direction, to the neutral position before the operating member can be 
inclined in the other direction along the guide groove, so that a quick 
operation is not to be expected. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems in the 
prior art. A first object of the present invention is to provide a 
multi-way flipping switch which helps to attain an improvement in 
operability. A second object of the present invention is to provide a 
multi-way flipping switch in which the movable contact can be reliably 
brought into contact with the stationary contact to thereby attain a 
stable contact state and which is inexpensive and provides an excellent 
operating feel. A third object of the present invention is to provide a 
multi-way flipping switch which is capable of preventing two or more pairs 
of switching elements from being simultaneously turned on while securing 
the requisite waterproofness for the contact section and which allows the 
input operation to be quickly conducted. 
The first object of the present invention can be achieved by a multi-way 
flipping switch comprising: a housing having an opening; an operating 
member partly protruding beyond the opening and retained so as to be 
capable of being inclined in a number of directions; a base plate on which 
a plurality of stationary contacts are arranged; a click rubber member 
having a plurality of hollow protrusions protruding in the direction of 
the operating member; and a plurality of movable contacts respectively 
provided on the inner surfaces of the top end portions of the hollow 
protrusions, the operating member being adapted to be inclined in an 
arbitrary direction to thereby cause the corresponding movable contact to 
be brought into contact with the associated stationary contact, wherein 
rotating members for transmitting the inclining operational force of the 
operating member to the hollow protrusions are arranged between the 
operating member and the click rubber members, and wherein the operating 
member has driving sections for driving these rotating members, each 
driving section being set such that it acts on the associated rotating 
member at a position between the fulcrum in rotation of this rotating 
member and that section of this rotating member which presses the 
associated hollow protrusion. 
The second object of the present invention can be achieved by a multi-way 
flipping switch comprising: a housing having an opening; an operating 
member partly protruding beyond the opening and retained so as to be 
capable of being inclined in a number of directions; a base plate on which 
a plurality of stationary contacts are arranged; a click rubber member 
having a plurality of hollow protrusions protruding the direction of the 
operating member; and a plurality of movable contacts respectively 
provided on the inner surfaces of the top end portions of the hollow 
protrusions, the operating member being adapted to be inclined in an 
arbitrary direction to thereby cause the corresponding movable contact to 
be brought into contact with the associated stationary contact, wherein 
rotating members for transmitting the inclining operational force of the 
operating member to the hollow protrusions are provided between the 
operating member and the click rubber members, and wherein the surface of 
the top end portion of each hollow protrusion is formed as a curved 
surface. 
The third object of the present invention can be achieved by a multi-way 
flipping switch comprising: a housing having an opening; an operating 
member partly protruding beyond the opening and retained so as to be 
capable of being inclined in a number of directions; a base plate on which 
a plurality of stationary contacts are arranged; a click rubber member 
having a plurality hollow protrusions protruding in the direction of the 
operating member; and a plurality of movable contacts respectively 
provided on the inner surfaces of the top end portions of the hollow 
protrusions, the operating member being adapted to be inclined in an 
arbitrary direction to thereby cause the corresponding movable contact to 
be brought into contact with the associated stationary contact, wherein a 
plurality of rotating members driven by the operating member so as to 
press the hollow protrusions, and a holding member for rotatably holding 
the rotating members, are provided between the operating member and the 
click rubber member, and wherein protrusions for restricting the direction 
of inclination of the operating member are provided on either the 
operating member or the holding member. 
In the multi-way flipping switch according to a first embodiment of the 
present invention, when the operating member is inclined, the middle 
section of the corresponding rotating member is driven by the operating 
member, and the rotating member rotates using one end thereof as a fulcrum 
of rotation (pivot point), the other end thereof pressing the surface of 
the top end portion of the associated hollow protrusion, so that, as is 
obvious from the principle of the lever, it is possible to set the 
requisite operating force for operating the operating member at a level 
higher than the pressing force applied to the top end surface of the 
hollow protrusion. Further, since the operating member is restored to the 
neutral position by utilizing the resilient force of the hollow protrusion 
of the click rubber member, the click feel caused by the buckling 
deformation of the hollow protrusion is not impaired by another member 
such as a spring, so that the operating feel obtained in response to the 
buckling deformation is a satisfactory one, thereby making it possible to 
achieve an improvement in terms of operability. 
In the multi-way flipping switch according to a second embodiment of the 
present invention, when the operating member is inclined in an arbitrary 
direction, the rotating member arranged in the direction of inclination is 
driven by the operating member, and the rotating member rotates to press 
the top end surface of the associated hollow protrusion. Since the top end 
surface of the hollow protrusion is formed as a curved surface, the 
rotating member and the hollow protrusion are in point contact with each 
other, and, in this condition, the contact position moves with the 
rotation of the rotating member, so that a directly downward pressing 
force is constantly applied to the hollow protrusion. Thus, the inner 
surface of the top end portion of the hollow protrusion is kept parallel 
to the surface of the base plate even when the hollow protrusion is being 
buckled. As a result, the movable contact on the inner surface of the top 
end portion is reliably brought into contact with the corresponding 
stationary contact of the surface, thereby providing a stable contact 
state. Further, since the hollow protrusion has a symmetrical 
configuration, the operator experiences a satisfactory operating feel when 
the hollow protrusion undergoes buckling deformation. Further, it is 
possible to avoid a complication of the process for molding the click 
rubber member, thereby attaining a reduction in production cost. 
In the multi-way flipping switch according to a third embodiment of the 
present invention, the direction of inclination of the operating member is 
restricted by protrusions provided on at least either the operating member 
or the holding member, so that it is possible to prevent two or more pairs 
of switching elements from being simultaneously turned on while preventing 
intrusion of liquid from the click-rubber-member side to the base plate. 
Further, when the operating member is to be inclined sequentially in two 
or more different directions, the operating member, having been inclined 
in one direction, can be directly inclined in the other direction without 
having to first restored to the neutral position, thereby expediting the 
operation.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference 
to the drawings. 
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a multi-way flipping switch 
according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a back side 
perspective view of a part of a housing with which the multi-way flipping 
switch is equipped; FIG. 3 is an exploded sectional view showing an 
operating member, a holding member and rotating members with which the 
multi-way flipping switch is equipped; FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing 
the multi-way flipping switch in the non-operating state; FIG. 5 is a 
sectional view showing the multi-way flipping switch in the operating 
state; and FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the range of inclination for 
the operating of the multi-way flipping switch. FIG. 6A is a diagram 
showing the operating member in the non-operating state; FIG. 6B is a 
diagram showing the operating member inclined toward this side; FIG. 6C is 
a diagram showing the operating member inclined to the right; and FIG. 6D 
is a diagram showing the operating member inclined obliquely to the right. 
The multi-way input switch of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 mainly 
comprises: a housing 2 constituting the outer casing and having an opening 
1, through-holes 1a and so on; an operating member 3 partly protruding 
beyond the opening 1 and retained so as to be capable of being inclined in 
a number of directions; a base plate 4 equipped with four stationary 
contacts 4a-4d arranged around a point corresponding to the center of the 
operating member 3 at an equal angular interval of approximately 
90.degree.; a click rubber member 5 placed on the base plate 4; four 
rotating members 6a-6d arranged between the operating member 3 and the 
click rubber member 5; and a holding member 7 for holding the rotating 
member 6a-6d. The holding member 7 is secured inside the housing 2. Other 
operating members are attached to the through-holes 1a. 
The click rubber member 5 has hollow protrusions 5a-5d, etc. protruding 
toward the operating member 3 and each having a space inside. The hollow 
protrusions 5a-5d are respectively positioned above the stationary 
contacts 4a-4d of the base plate 4. As shown in FIG. 4, the top end 
surface of each of the hollow protrusions 5a and 5c is formed as an 
upwardly swollen curved surface, and movable contacts 8a and 8c that are 
respectively opposed to the stationary contacts 4a and 4c are respectively 
provided on the inner side of the top end surface of each of the hollow 
protrusions 5a and 5c. Similarly, the top end surface of each of the 
hollow protrusions 5b and 5d is also formed as an upwardly swollen curved 
surface, and movable contacts 8b and 8d that are respectively opposed to 
the stationary contacts 4b and 4d are respectively provided on the inner 
side of the top end surface of each of the hollow protrusions 5b and 5d. 
The operating member 3 is composed of a plastic operating knob 9 protruding 
beyond the opening 1, and a plastic base 10 attached to the lower side of 
the operating knob 9. As stated below, the operating knob 9 and the base 
10 are formed as an integral unit. The operating knob 9 has four 
engagement sections 9a extending downwards from its periphery, and the 
surface of the operating knob 9 is formed as a concave surface having four 
arrows 9b indicating the operating directions of the operating member 3. 
The base 10 is molded as a one-piece member composed of a spherical 
section 11 arranged at the center, an inner annular section 12 joined to 
the spherical section 11, and an outer annular section 13 joined to the 
inner annular section 12. The outer annular section 13 has four elastic 
sections 13a respectively corresponding to the engagement sections 9a, and 
four driving sections 13b extending downwardly so as to respectively press 
the middle section of each of the rotating members 6a-6d. The engagement 
sections 9a and the elastic sections 13a are joined together by a snapping 
engagement, thereby integrally joining the operating knob 9a and the base 
10 with each other. The spherical section 11 and the inner annular section 
12 are joined together through the intermediation of joint sections 14, 
which extend from the spherical section 11 and radially arranged at equal 
angular intervals of approximately 90.degree.. 
The holding member 7 is molded as an integral unit consisting of an annular 
section 15 to be placed on the click rubber member 5 and an accommodating 
section 16 joined to the annular section 15 and adapted to accommodate the 
spherical section 11. The annular section 15 has four outward protrusions 
15a, which are respectively engaged with engagement grooves 2a formed in 
the housing 2, whereby the holding member 7 is attached to the housing 2. 
Pyramidal protrusions 17a-17d, which abut the outer annular section 13 of 
the base 10 when the operating member 3 is inclined, are integrally formed 
on the annular section 15. As stated below, the range of inclination for 
the operating member 3 is restricted by these pyramidal protrusions 
17a-17d. The rotating members 6a-6d are rotatably held by the annular 
section 15, each rotating member using the outer end portion thereof as a 
fulcrum in rotation. When the upper surface of the middle section of one 
of the rotating members 6a-6d is rotated by the operating member 3, the 
top end surface of the corresponding one of the hollow protrusions 5a-5d 
is pressed by the inner end portion of this rotating member. The rotating 
members 6a-6d and the protrusions 17a-17d are alternately arranged around 
the accommodating section 16 at an equal angular interval of approximately 
90.degree.. The inner surface of the accommodating section 16 is formed as 
a spherical surface having an inner diameter substantially equal to the 
outer diameter of the spherical section 11, and slits 16a for 
accommodating the joint section 14 of the operating member 3 are radially 
formed in the accommodating section 16 at an equal angular interval of 
approximately 90.degree.. The accommodating section 16 accommodates the 
spherical section 11 to rotatably hold the spherical section 11. 
In assembling this multi-way flipping switch, constructed as described 
above, the engagement members 9a are first snapped in the elastic members 
13a, thereby integrally combining the operating knob 9 and the base 10 to 
complete the operating member 3. The rotating members 6a-6d are 
incorporated into the holding member 7, and the spherical section 11 of 
the operating member 3 is fitted into the accommodating section 16 of the 
holding member 7, thereby integrally joining the holding member 7 with the 
operating member 3. As a result, the joint sections 14 of the base 10 are 
fitted into the slits 16a of the accommodating section 16, and the 
operating knob 9 is prevented from circumferentially rotating around the 
spherical section 11, so that the indicating arrows 9b of the operating 
knob 9b are prevented from becoming out of alignment. Subsequently, the 
holding member 7 and the operating member 3, thus integrated, are 
incorporated into the housing 2, and the protrusions 15a of the holding 
member 7 are engaged with the engagement grooves 2a. By thus engaging the 
four protrusions 15a of the holding member 7 respectively with the 
engagement grooves 2a of the housing 2, the holding member 7 is secured in 
position with respect to the housing 2, so that it is possible to 
correctly position the holding member 7 with respect to the base plate 4 
and the click rubber member 5 in the housing 2. 
Next, the operation of this multi-way flipping switch, thus assembled, will 
be described. 
FIG. 4 shows the non-operating state. In this condition, when the operator 
pushes a peripheral section of the operating knob 9, for example, the 
right-hand section thereof (as seen in the drawing), the operating member 
3 is inclined clockwise as seen in FIG. 4 around the spherical section 11 
since the spherical section 11 of the operating member 3 is held in the 
accommodating section 16. Thus, the pressed section (the right-hand 
section) of the operating knob 9 descends. As the pressed section 
descends, the driving member 13b on the right-hand side (as seen in the 
drawing) of the base 10 drives the middle section of the rotating member 
6a, so that the rotating member 6a rotates counterclockwise by using the 
right-hand end thereof (FIG. 4), which is in contact with the annular 
section 15 of the holding member 7, as the rotation fulcrum. As a result, 
the hollow protrusion 5a of the click rubber member 5 is pressed by the 
other end of the rotating member 6a and thereby buckled. This buckling 
deformation of the hollow protrusion 5a generates a click feel. At the 
same time, as shown in FIG. 5, the movable contact 8a is brought into 
contact with the stationary contact 4a, as shown in FIG. 5. The stationary 
contact 4a is turned on through the movable contact 8a to conduct, thereby 
outputting a predetermined electric signal. When the operating knob 9 thus 
inclined is released, the lowered side of the operating member 3 is raised 
by the bounce of the hollow protrusion 5a of the click rubber member 5, 
transmitted through the rotating member 6a, and the operating member 3 is 
restored to the initial state shown in FIG. 4. As a result, the movable 
contact 8a, which has been in contact with the stationary contact 4a, is 
separated therefrom, whereby the non-conductive (OFF) state is restored. 
Next, the range for inclination of the operating member 3 will be 
described. First, suppose the operating member 3 is inclined in one of the 
directions indicated by the arrows 9b on the surface of the operating knob 
9 of the operating member 3. For example, when the operating member 3 is 
inclined in the direction of the rotating member 6b in accordance with the 
arrow 9b of the operating member 3, as shown in FIG. 6B, the hollow 
protrusion 5b is thereby pressed through the rotating member 6b, and the 
movable contact provided in the hollow protrusion 5b is brought into 
contact with the pair of stationary contacts 4b on the base plate 4, 
whereby the ON state is achieved. In this case, the operating member 3 is 
pressed at a position between the two protrusions 17a and 17b, so that the 
requisite stroke amount for the lower surface of the base 10 to be brought 
into contact with the protrusions 17a and 17b is relatively large. In this 
embodiment, when the operating member 3 has been inclined by approximately 
6.degree., the lower surface of the base 10 abuts the protrusions 17a and 
17b to block further inclination of the operating member 3. This also 
applies to the case in which, as shown in FIG. 6A, the operating member 3 
is inclined in the direction of the rotating member 6a, and a case in 
which the operating member 3 is inclined in the direction of the rotating 
member 6c or 6d. 
A case in which the operating member 3 is inclined in a direction deviated 
from the arrow 9b will be considered. For example, when, as shown in FIG. 
6D, the operating member 3 is inclined in the direction of the protrusion 
17a, which is deviated from the arrow 9b by 45.degree., the hollow 
protrusions 5a and 5b are pressed by the rotating members 6a and 6b, 
positioned on either side of the protrusion 17a. In this case, the 
operating member 3 is pressed at a position immediately above the 
protrusion 17a, so that the requisite stroke amount for the lower surface 
of the base 10 to abut against the protrusion 17a is small. In this 
embodiment, when the operating member 3 has been inclined by approximately 
4.degree., the lower surface of the base 10 abuts the protrusion 17a to 
thereby block further inclination of the operating member 3. Thus, the 
pressing by the rotating members 6a and 6b is stopped before the hollow 
protrusions 5a and 5b have been buckled. The movable contacts 8a, etc., 
provided in the hollow protrusions 5a and 5b, are not brought into contact 
with the stationary contacts 4a and 4b, but kept in the OFF state. This 
also applies to the cases in which the operating member 3 is inclined in 
the direction of the protrusion 17b, 17c or 17d. 
Thus, in the above-described embodiment, when the operating member 3 is 
inclined in an arbitrary direction indicated by one of the arrows 9b, for 
example, in the way as shown in FIG. 5, the middle section of the rotating 
member 6a, positioned in the direction of inclination, is driven to rotate 
on one end thereof and press the top end surface of the hollow protrusion 
5a, so that, as is obvious from the principle of the lever, it is possible 
to set the requisite operating force for operating the operating member 3 
at a level higher than the pressing force with which the top end surface 
of the hollow protrusion 5a is pressed. That is, in this embodiment, the 
operating member 3 does not directly press the click rubber member 5. 
Instead, the principle of the lever due to the rotating members 6a-6d is 
utilized, so that the durability of the click rubber member 5 can be 
enhanced even when the operating load of the click rubber member 5 is 
increased, which would otherwise lead to a deterioration in durability. 
Further, it is also possible to improve the operating feel. Further, when, 
as in the above case, the operating member 3 is inclined in the direction 
of the rotating member 6a, only the hollow protrusion 5a is pressed, with 
the other hollow protrusions not being pressed, so that an operating feel 
in one-to-one correspondence with the buckling of the hollow protrusion 5a 
is obtained, thereby achieving an improvement in operability. Further, 
since the operating member 3 is restored to the neutral position by 
utilizing the resilient force of the hollow protrusions 5a-5d, the click 
feel obtained upon the buckling of the hollow protrusion is not impaired 
by some other elastic member, so that the operating feel obtained upon the 
buckling can be made satisfactory. Further, by varying the resilient force 
of the click rubber member 5, the operating force of the operating member 
3 can be easily changed. Further, when the operating member 3 is inclined 
by a predetermined angle, the rotation fulcrum and the pressing section of 
each of the rotating members 6a-6d respectively abut the annular section 
15 of the holding member 7 and the hollow protrusions 5a-5d of the click 
rubber member 5 so as to block further rotation of the rotating members 
6a-6d, thereby providing a stopper feel indicating the termination of the 
inclining operation, whereby the operating feel is stabilized. 
In the above-described embodiment, when the operating member 3 is inclined 
in an arbitrary direction, the corresponding one of the rotating members 
6a-6d rotates to press the top end surface of the corresponding one of the 
hollow protrusions 5a-5d. Since the top end surfaces of the hollow 
protrusions are not flat but formed as curved surfaces, the rotating 
members 6a-6d are in point contact with the hollow protrusions 5a-5d, the 
contact section moving with the rotation of the rotating members 6a-6d, 
whereby a directly downward pressing force is constantly applied to the 
hollow protrusions 5a-5d. Thus, the inner surfaces of the hollow 
protrusions 5a-5d are kept parallel with respect to the surface of the 
base plate 4 even when the hollow protrusions 5a-5d are in the buckled 
state. As a result, the movable contacts 8a, etc., provided in the hollow 
protrusions 5a-5d, are reliably brought into contact with the stationary 
contacts 4a-4d on the surface of the base plate 4, thereby providing a 
stable contact state. Further, due to the symmetrical configuration of the 
hollow protrusions 5a-5d, a satisfactory operating feel can be obtained 
when the hollow protrusions are buckled. In addition, the molding process 
for the click rubber member 5 is simplified, thereby attaining a reduction 
in production cost. 
In the above-described embodiment, the range of inclination for the 
operating member 3 is restricted by the protrusions 17a-17d provided on 
the annular section 15 of the holding member 7, so that it is possible to 
prevent two or more pairs of contact sections from being simultaneously 
turned on. Further, since the protrusions 17a-17d are arranged above the 
click rubber member 5, the click rubber member 5 can cover the entire 
range of the base plate 4, including the stationary contacts 4a-4d, so 
that, even if some liquid, such as water or juice, intrudes the housing 2 
through the openings 1, 1a, etc., the liquid does not reach the stationary 
contacts 4a-4d of the base plate 4 through the click rubber member 5, thus 
providing an enhanced waterproofness for the contact sections. Further, 
when the operating member 3 is to be inclined in two or more different 
directions, the operating member 3, inclined in one direction, need not be 
temporarily restored to the neutral position but can be directly and 
quickly inclined in the other direction. 
In the above-described embodiment, the spherical section 11 of the base 10 
is swingably held in the accommodating section 16 of the holding member 7, 
so that, although the operating member 3 can be operated to incline, the 
entire operating member 3 is not lowered even if the operating knob 9 is 
pushed directly downwards. This also helps to improve the operating feel. 
Further, since the joint sections 14 provided in the base 10 are inserted 
into the slits 16a, provided in the accommodating section 16, a free 
rotation of the operating member 3 is blocked, and a directionality as 
indicated by the arrows 9b can be imparted to the operating member 3. 
Further, since an appropriate elasticity can be imparted to the 
accommodating section 16 by the slits 16a, there is no play between the 
spherical section 11 and the accommodating section 16, thereby enabling 
the operating member 3 to be held without rattling. Further, by adopting 
such a construction, the positional relationship between the four driving 
members 13b on the side of the operating member 3 and the rotating members 
6a-6d is automatically determined. Further, by engaging the four 
protrusions 15a of the holding member 7 with the engagement grooves 2a of 
the housing 2, the holding member 7 is positioned with respect to the base 
plate 4 and the click rubber member 5 inside the housing 2, thereby 
enhancing the positional accuracy of the power transmission system which 
extends from the operating member 3 to the hollow protrusions 5a-5d 
through the rotating members 6a-6d, thereby stabilizing the requisite 
operating force for the operating member 3. 
Although the above embodiment has been described with reference to a 4-way 
switch using four pairs of switching elements composed of stationary 
contacts 4a-4d, movable contacts 8a, 8c, etc., the number of pairs of 
switching elements is not limited to that in the above example. The 
present invention is also applicable to, for example, a 2-way switch using 
two pairs of switching elements. Further, while the above embodiment has 
been described with reference to a case in which the protrusions 17a-17d 
are provided on the annular section 15 of the holding member 7, it is also 
possible for the protrusions 17a-17d to be provided on the lower surface 
of the base 10, instead of on the annular section 15, or appropriately 
divide them between the annular section 15 and the base 10. Such an 
arrangement also provides the same effect as in the above-described case. 
As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to 
set the inclining force of the operating member at a level higher than 
that of the pressing force for pressing the hollow protrusions of the 
click rubber member. Further, since the click feel caused by the buckling 
of the hollow protrusions is not impaired, it is possible to achieve an 
improvement in operability. Further, in accordance with the present 
invention, it is possible to enhance the stability in contact between the 
movable and stationary contacts, and, at the same time, simplify the click 
rubber member molding process to thereby achieve a reduction in production 
cost and an improvement in operating feel. Further, in accordance with the 
present invention, it is possible to prevent two or more pairs of 
switching elements from being simultaneously turned on while securing the 
requisite waterproofness for contact sections. Further, when the operating 
member is to be inclined in two or more different directions, the 
inclining operations can be quickly executed.