Pressing switch mechanism and wearable camera

A pressing switch mechanism includes a housing, a board that is accommodated in the housing, a switch portion that is fixed to the board and generates a click feeling according to pressing a pressed portion in a direction approaching the board, and an operation plate which includes a bowl-shaped recessed surface that is recessed from a surface of the housing, of which an outer peripheral edge is supported by the housing, which is displaceably bent in the direction approaching the board, and in which a bottom wall portion of the recessed surface protruding inward the housing is in contact with the pressed portion.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a pressing switch mechanism in which a switch is pressed by a user and a wearable camera including the pressing switch mechanism.

2. Description of the Related Art

In recent years, for example, in the United States, a difficulty of verifying the legitimacy of a response during regular patrolling of a police officer or a response at the time of an emergency dispatch request (for example, firing of a handgun) has been a problem. Therefore, during patrolling or emergency dispatch request, in order to accurately image a situation of a site as a destination of the police officer, and then use it for the verification of legitimacy of the response of the police officer, an operation of attaching a wearable camera on the police officer during patrolling or at the time of a support dispatch is promoted. A recording button for recording data of an image captured by the wearable camera is usually provided in the wearable camera worn by the police officer. The recording button is disposed on a front surface of a housing with a relatively large area in order to facilitate a pressing operation during emergency (for example, see Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2016-122115).

As described above, the police officer arriving at the site during regular patrolling, in response to an emergency dispatch request, or the like needs to press the recording button in order to record an image of the site which is used at the time of investigation by operating the wearable camera. However, in this case, for example, under urgent and tense situations, in the configuration disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2016-122115, the police officer hardly knows whether or not the switch operation has appropriately been performed by the police officer (in other words, whether or not the recording button has been properly pressed by the police officer). Here, in order to easily describe the problem, the police officer is cited as an example of a user, the user is not limited to a police officer, but may be a security guard and it goes without saying that the user is also not limited to a police officer and a security guard.

SUMMARY

The disclosure is made in view of the above situations and an object thereof is to provide a pressing switch mechanism and a wearable camera, in which a click feeling and an operation sound are generated with high efficiency and a simple structure, and a user's difficulty in knowing whether or not a switch operation is performed is reduced under various situations.

The disclosure provides a pressing switch mechanism including: a housing; a board that is accommodated in the housing; a switch portion that is fixed to the board and generates a click feeling according to pressing a pressed portion in a direction approaching the board; and an operation plate which includes a bowl-shaped recessed surface that is recessed from a surface of the housing, of which an outer peripheral edge is supported by the housing, which is displaceably bent in the direction approaching the board, and in which a bottom wall portion of the recessed surface protruding inward the housing is in contact with the pressed portion.

In addition, the disclosure provides a wearable camera including a pressing switch mechanism and a capture that images an object.

According to the disclosure, a click feeling and an operation sound can be generated with high efficiency and a simple structure, and a user's difficulty in understanding whether or not a switch operation is performed can be reduced under various situations.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments in which a pressing switch mechanism and a wearable camera according to the disclosure are disclosed (hereinafter, referred to as the “exemplary embodiment”) will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate. However, more detailed description than necessary may be omitted. There are cases where detailed descriptions of well-known matters and redundant descriptions on substantially the same configuration may be omitted. This is to avoid the unnecessary redundancy of the following description and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art. The accompanying drawings and the following description are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully know the disclosure, and are not intended to limit the matters described in the claims.

FIG. 1is a perspective view of the wearable camera of the exemplary embodiment.

As an example of a user of wearable camera100according to the exemplary embodiment, a police officer will be described and wearable camera100will be described assuming a case where the police officer uses wearable camera100inside a police station or outside the police station. As described above, the user of wearable camera100is not limited to the police officer and may be used in various other offices (for example, a security company).

The use outside the police station includes a use during regular patrolling of the police officer, in response to an emergency dispatch request, or the like. The police officer wears wearable camera100to image an object (for example, a person or a vehicle related to an incident, a scene of a site, some trace of the site, or a group of people who are in the vicinity of the site concerning the incident). Wearable camera100transmits captured image data to a back end system in the police station directly or via an in-vehicle camera system (not illustrated) placed in a police vehicle (for example, a patrol car) on which the police officer rides, for example, depending on an operation of the police officer. The image data transmitted to the back end system is accumulated in a storage (not illustrated) of the back end system managed in the police station.

Wearable camera100is attached to clothes worn by the user or a body to be used so as to image an image of a visual field from a position close to a viewpoint of the user such as the chest of the police officer that is the user. In a case where wearable camera100is worn, the user operates recording switch SW1to image an image of a surrounding object.

Wearable camera100is provided with imaging lens15of capture13, recording switch SW1, and snapshot switch SW2on a front surface of substantially rectangular parallelepiped housing11. Imaging lens15is disposed in a substantially upper half region of the front surface. Recording switch SW1is disposed in a substantially lower half region of the front surface. For example, recording (imaging of a moving image) is started by pressing recording switch SW1an odd number of times and recording is completed by pressing recording switch SW1an even number of times. Imaging of a still image is executed every time snapshot switch SW2is pressed.

Wearable camera100accommodates capture13in housing11and exposes imaging lens15of capture13on the front surface. In housing11, a surface opposite to the front surface is a back surface. The back surface becomes a surface in a direction along a vertical surface and becomes a surface on a side on which attachment is performed on the clothes or the like. Housing11is formed of front-surface housing17and rear cover19including the back surface.

Wearable camera100is provided with accessory connection21, communication mode switch SW3, LED and vibration switch SW4, OFF switch SW5, and the like from an upper side on a right-side surface as viewed from the front surface of housing11. In addition, housing11includes shaft portion25disposed at recessed portion23below OFF switch SW5. Both ends of shaft portion25are fixed to an opposite inner wall surface of recessed portion23. An annular code formed at a base end of a strap is connected to shaft portion25.

Recording switch SW1is disposed in the lower half region on the front surface of housing11with a large area. In an emergency site, since there is no time to perform a complicated operation or to look for recording switch SW1, it is desirable that recording switch SW1can be easily operated with one hand. Therefore, recording switch SW1is disposed in the lower half region of the front surface of the housing with a large area, thereby improving operability.

FIG. 2is an exploded perspective view of the wearable camera ofFIG. 1as viewed from a front side.

Wearable camera100of the exemplary embodiment includes pressing switch mechanism200. Pressing switch mechanism200is configured of a part of housing11, board27, switch portion29, and operation plate31.

In housing11, circular hole35that supports outer peripheral edge33of operation plate31is formed on the front surface. In the configuration example, operation plate31is formed in a circular shape in which outer peripheral edge33is accommodated in circular hole35. Operation plate31includes bowl-shaped recessed surface37that is recessed from the surface of housing11.

Board27is fixed between front-surface housing17and rear cover19in a state of being sandwiched. Switch portion29is fixed to a position facing recessed-surface bottom wall portion39of operation plate31in board27.

FIG. 3is an exploded perspective view of the wearable camera ofFIG. 1as viewed from a back side.

Operation plate31includes pressing protrusion41that protrudes toward board27in recessed-surface bottom wall portion39. Pressing protrusion41is formed integrally with operation plate31. Pressing protrusion41is in contact with key stem43(seeFIG. 7) as an example of a pressed portion of switch portion29provided in board27in a state where board27is fixed to front-surface housing17and rear cover19. In the configuration example, pressing protrusion41is formed such that a cross sectional shape orthogonal to a protruding direction has a cross shape.

FIG. 4is a perspective view of a main portion of the wearable camera illustrated inFIG. 1, which is cut out by a vertical virtual plane including a lens optical axis.

Operation plate31is formed by projecting annular flange portion45to outer peripheral edge33. Flange portion45is sandwiched and fixed between front-surface housing17and back-side fixing member47. Moreover, front-surface housing17and operation plate31may be integrally formed using an elastomer-based resin material (for example, a thermoplastic elastomer). In other words, annular flange portion45does not need to be sandwiched and fixed between front-surface housing17and back-side fixing member47.

Annular ring thick portion49is formed in the vicinity of outer peripheral edge33on a recessed-surface bottom wall portion side of operation plate31. Ring thick portion49is pressed by the fingers of the user (for example, the police officer) so that operation plate31is elastically deformed with respect to flange portion45of a fixed state. Therefore, an entirety thereof is capable of moving in a direction approaching board27. Moreover, even if recessed surface37of operation plate31is pressed by the fingers of the user (for example, the police officer), operation plate31is elastically deformed with respect to flange portion45of the fixed state and thereby the entirety thereof is capable of moving in the direction approaching board27.

As described below, operation plate31serves as a vibration plate. Therefore, the vibration plate has a structure which is not in contact with other members except that only flange portion45is fixed to housing11and recessed-surface bottom wall portion39is in contact with key stem43. Therefore, attenuation of the click vibration propagated from switch portion29is suppressed. Moreover, an outer peripheral surface of ring thick portion49may be in contact with an inner peripheral surface of circular hole35of front-surface housing17.

Operation plate31is made of an elastic resin material having rubber elasticity around room temperature. It is desirable that the elastic resin material has a certain degree of flexibility. The flexibility is required to allow elastic deformation of flange portion45of the fixed state. As the elastic resin material having a certain degree of flexibility, for example, an elastomer-based resin material (thermoplastic elastomer or the like) can be suitably used. By using an elastic resin material, in addition to watertight sealability, insulation resistance, and heat resistance, adhesiveness and hardness that is equal to or higher than that of a rubber material and equal to or less than that of a PBT material can be easily selected.

For example, when ring thick portion49is operated to be pressed, operation plate31has to press key stem43by recessed-surface bottom wall portion39. Therefore, when ring thick portion49is operated to be pressed, the hardness of operation plate31is selected within a range in which a deformation amount does not become excessive and at least recessed-surface bottom wall portion39can press key stem43. Moreover, if the hardness of operation plate31is high, it is easy to obtain a high-pitched click sound and if the hardness of operation plate31is low, it is easy to obtain a low-pitched click sound.

FIG. 5is a perspective view of a main portion ofFIG. 4as viewed from the back side.

Pressing protrusion41protrudes from recessed-surface bottom wall portion39of operation plate31toward board27and is disposed coaxially with key stem43of switch portion29. Board27is fixed to front-surface housing17with a predetermined strength that does not displace even when a pressing pressure is received from pressing protrusion41of operation plate31. Therefore, the pressing pressure of operation plate31is efficiently input to switch portion29as a pressing force of key stem43.

FIG. 6is a side view of main portions of the housing, the board, and the operation plate of the wearable camera illustrated inFIG. 1, which are cut out by the vertical virtual plane.

Front-surface housing17supports board27at a position separated from operation plate31by a predetermined distance. Since board27is formed in a substantially flat plate shape, non-sealed space51having a predetermined volume is defined between front-surface housing17and board27. Non-sealed space51functions as a resonance box (in other words, a reverberation space) of the click sound generated by switch portion29. Moreover, non-sealed space51may not be strictly classified into whether it is in a non-sealed state or a sealed state as long as non-sealed space51has a volume capable of serving as the resonance box of the click sound.

FIG. 7is an enlarged sectional view of the vicinity of the switch portion illustrated inFIG. 6.

Switch portion29has a tactile feedback mechanism. The tactile feedback mechanism is fixed to board27and presses key stem43in the direction approaching board27, thereby generating the click feeling.

In switch portion29including the tactile feedback mechanism, since movable contact53has a disk-like inverted dome shape, when movable contact53is pressed via key stem43, a center portion of movable contact53which is connected to first fixed contact55is in contact with second fixed contact57. As a result, first fixed contact55and second fixed contact57are conductively connected via movable contact53.

In this case, due to a jumping phenomenon of a dome-shaped leaf spring configuring movable contact53, switch portion29can obtain the click feeling by a concave characteristic in the middle with respect to a moving amount by an operation force, that is a so-called tactile feedback mechanism. Such a mechanical contact type switch portion29has a small operation amount and can obtain a sharp click feeling and the operation sound. In pressing switch mechanism200of the configuration example, the click vibration causing the click feeling and the operation sound is transmitted from key stem43to pressing protrusion41and propagates through operation plate31in a radial direction.

Next, an operation of wearable camera100of the exemplary embodiment will be described.

In pressing switch mechanism200according to the exemplary embodiment, when recessed surface37of operation plate31is pressed, recessed-surface bottom wall portion39moves in the direction approaching board27and presses key stem43of switch portion29. In switch portion29, when key stem43is pressed, the click vibration and the click sound are generated by the tactile feedback mechanism. The click vibration and the click sound generated in switch portion29are transmitted to recessed-surface bottom wall portion39of operation plate31via key stem43, as illustrated by upward arrows inFIG. 7, thereby vibrating operation plate31. Operation plate31including recessed surface37operates in the same manner as a vibration plate of a cone type speaker by vibrating recessed-surface bottom wall portion39.

That is, the click vibration from key stem43first vibrates recessed-surface bottom wall portion39. Vibrated recessed-surface bottom wall portion39vibrates air which is in contact with a bottom portion of the recessed surface. The vibration of the air propagates and efficiently (attenuation is suppressed) diffuses in the radial direction while vibrating an air layer gradually becoming thinner radially outward by being in contact with recessed surface37. Therefore, the click sound emitted by vibrating operation plate31is louder than that of switch portion29of a single unit in which operation plate31is not provided as the vibration plate.

In this manner, in operation plate31, the click vibration and the click sound efficiently proceed from recessed-surface bottom wall portion39in the radial direction. The click sound is also emitted from recessed surface37with a larger sound than switch portion29of the single unit together with echo in non-sealed space51which is described above. In addition, the click vibration also propagates through operation plate31and is efficiently transmitted to the fingers pressing operation plate31.

In operation plate31, the click vibration from key stem43is first transmitted (input) to pressing protrusion41of recessed-surface bottom wall portion39initially. Thereafter, as described above, the click vibration propagates through operation plate31in the radial direction while vibrating the air layer. Therefore, the pressing operation of operation plate31can vibrate the air layer more in pressing the vicinity of the outer peripheral edge of operation plate31with the fingers than in pressing recessed-surface bottom wall portion39of recessed surface37by being in contact with the fingers, so that a large click sound can be obtained.

In addition, since operation plate31is exposed as recessed surface37on the surface of housing11, malfunction of pressing switch mechanism200caused by hitting another member or the like can be prevented compared to a case where operation plate31is exposed on the same plane as the surface of housing11.

In addition, in pressing switch mechanism200, outer peripheral edge33of operation plate31has a circular shape, so that a distance from a center of operation plate31to outer peripheral edge33is the same from any direction. Therefore, operation plate31can obtain substantially the same click vibration and click sound from any direction by pressing the vicinity of outer peripheral edge33.

In addition, in pressing switch mechanism200, since pressing protrusion41is included in recessed-surface bottom wall portion39, the pressing force applied to an arbitrary position of operation plate31is concentrated on pressing protrusion41. Therefore, the pressing force can be input to key stem43of switch portion29at a pinpoint. In addition, pressing switch mechanism200can easily propagate the click vibration transmitted from key stem43equally in the radial direction of operation plate31by providing pressing protrusion41.

Furthermore, in pressing switch mechanism200, by using the elastic resin material for operation plate31, in addition to watertight sealability, insulation resistance, and heat resistance, adhesiveness and hardness that is equal to or higher than that of the rubber material and equal to or less than that of the PBT material can be easily selected. In a case where operation plate31has a high hardness, a high-pitched click sound is easily obtained. Conversely, in a case where the hardness thereof is low, a low-pitched click sound is easily obtained. Operation plate31can easily select the hardness by which an optimum click sound is obtained in addition to the above-described various favorable characteristics by using the elastic resin material.

In wearable camera100according to the exemplary embodiment, the click sound is emitted from recessed surface37with a sound larger than that of switch portion29of the single unit by providing pressing switch mechanism200. The click vibration also propagates through operation plate31and is efficiently transmitted to the fingers pressing operation plate31. Therefore, the user operating operation plate31can simultaneously obtain both clear click sound and clear click feeling.

Therefore, according to pressing switch mechanism200of the exemplary embodiment, the click feeling and the operation sound can be generated with high efficiency and a simple structure.

In addition, according to wearable camera100of the exemplary embodiment, a user's difficulty in knowing whether or not the switch operation is performed can be reduced under various situations.

While various exemplary embodiments are described with reference to the drawings, it goes without saying that the disclosure is not limited to such examples. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modification examples or correction examples can be conceived within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that those naturally belong to the technical scope of the disclosure. Further, each configuration element in the above exemplary embodiment may be arbitrarily combined within the scope not deviating from the gist of the disclosure.

For example, in the above configuration example, the operation plate is described as the elastic resin material, but the operation plate of the pressing switch mechanism according to the disclosure may be a metal. In the above configuration example, the case where the operation plate has the circular shape is described as an example, but in the pressing switch mechanism according to the disclosure, the operation plate may be a polygon such as an ellipse, a quadrangle, a hexagon, or an octagon. In the above-described configuration example, the case where the pressing switch mechanism is applied to the wearable camera is described, but the same effect can be obtained even if the pressing switch mechanism according to the disclosure is used for other devices such as a camera, a video camera, and an IC recorder.

The disclosure is useful as a pressing switch mechanism and a wearable camera in which a click feeling and an operation sound are generated with high efficiency and a simple structure, and a user's difficulty in knowing whether or not a switch operation is performed is reduced under various situations.