Patent Publication Number: US-6903293-B2

Title: Switch device having good sense of operational touch even when sliding operating knob or rocking operating knob is attached thereto

Description:
This application claims the benefit of priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-359499 filed on Oct. 20, 2003, herein incorporated by reference. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to a switch device suitable for use in, for example, a driving switch of a vehicle-mounted power window apparatus, which is capable of selectively operating two sets of switch elements by rockably operating an operating knob. 
   2. Description of the Related Art 
   Conventionally, as a driving switch of a vehicle-mounted power switch, a driving switch is proposed in which two sets of slide-type switch elements are juxtaposed to each other and an operating rod of an operating knob is rockably operated to turn on the respective switch elements (for example, see Japanese Examined Patent Application Publication No. 5-80770). 
     FIG. 11  is an explanatory view illustrating a conventional example of such a driving switch. In this drawing, the switch unit  1  generally has a structure in which two sets of slider-type switch elements are disposed within the case (not shown) whose upper opening is covered with a cover member  2 . Driving shafts  3  and  4  of the respective switch elements protrude outward from elongated holes  2   a  and  2   b  of the cover member  2 . The two sets of switch elements are disposed in the case in a straight line that coincides with the sliding direction (right-and-left direction in the drawing) of the driving shafts  3  and  4 . Terminals  5  of a plurality of fixed contact pieces are exposed into the case and protrude downward from the case. Although not shown, each of the switch elements is provided with a slider having the driving shaft  3  (or  4 ) protruding therefrom, movable contact pieces that are fixed to the slider and brought into contact with or separated from the fixed contact pieces during operation, a coil spring that normally biases the slider toward an initial position illustrated in  FIG. 11 , and a plate spring that is brought into resilient contact with the slider and normally biasing the movable contact pieces toward the fixed contact pieces. 
   The above-mentioned conventional switch unit  1  is assembled into a housing  6 . An operating knob  7  is disposed in a mounting recess  6   a  of the housing  6 . The operating knob  7  can swing about a spindle  8 , and operating rod  9  moves (tilts) in the direction of the arrow “A” or “B” along with the swinging of the operating rod  7 . Also, the tip of the operating rod  9  is inserted between the driving shafts  3  and  4  of the two sets of switch elements. Thus, when an operator pushes in the operating knob  7  to move the operating rod  9  in the direction of the arrow “A”, the operating rod  9  causes the driving shaft  3  to be pushed in and slid in the left direction in the drawing against the biasing force of the coil spring. As a result, the movable contact pieces, which integrally slide with the driving shaft  3 , are brought into contact with or separated from the corresponding fixed contact pieces, such that one switch element is switched from its OFF state to its ON state. In this state, when a pushing force applied to the operating knob  7  is removed, the coil spring, which has been compressed by the sliding of the driving shaft  3 , biases the slider to cause the driving shaft  3  to be slid in the opposite direction. Therefore, the switch element is automatically returned to its OFF state in FIG.  11 . The operation of the switch element when an operator pulls up the operating knob  7  to move the operating rod  9  in the direction of the arrow “B” is basically the same as the above-mentioned operation. Here, when the operating rod  9  pushes in the driving shaft  4  in the right direction in the drawing to allow the sliding of the driving shaft  4 , the other switch element is switched from its OFF state to its ON state. When operating force applied to the operating knob  7  is removed, the switch element is automatically returned to its OFF state. 
   In the above-mentioned conventional example, the driving shafts  3  and  4  slides in a straight line. However, the operating rod  9  that pushes in the driving shafts  3  and  4  are members swinging about the spindle  8 . Thus, the driving shafts  3  and  4  are pushed in a direction upwardly inclined with respect to the sliding direction. In addition, during operation, the driving shafts  3  and  4  are pressed against the peripheral walls of the elongated holes  2   a  and  2   b , or the slider is pressed against the inner wall of the case  2  while being inclined. This may increase sliding resistance partially and undesirably and result in the sense of irregularity or saccade. Therefore, a problem occurs in that a good sense of operational touch is rarely obtained. Meanwhile, if the operating rod  9  is made long to arrange the spindle  8  away from the driving shafts  3  and  4 , the driving shafts  3  and  4  can be pushed substantially in the sliding direction. However, in that case, the operating knob  7  may significantly protrude upward from the mounting groove  6   a  of the housing, which is not preferable. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a switch device which makes it possible to give an operator a good sense of operational touch even if the switch device is combined with an operating knob that is rockably operated or slidably operated. 
   To achieve the above-mentioned object, a switch device of the present invention comprises a case having a bottom wall and an upper opening, two sets of switch elements assembled to the case, a spring member for giving a returning force to the two sets of switch elements, and a cover member for covering the upper opening of the case. The switch elements include fixed contact members exposed on an inner wall surface of the case, conductor members disposed in the case and capable of being brought into contact with or separated from the fixed contact members, and rotatable driving bodies for driving the conductor members. Pressed parts are respectively provided in the driving bodies so as to protrude above the cover member, and opposite pressing forces are respectively applied to the pressed parts of the two sets of switch elements. During operation, the driving bodies are driven to rotate via the pressed parts such that the conductor members are brought into contact with or separated from the fixed contact members, thereby allowing any of the two sets of switch elements to selectively perform opening and closing operations, and as the pressing forces are released, the driving bodies are returned to non-operating positions. 
   According to the switch device having the above construction, when the pressed part of any of the two sets of switch elements is driven to rotate by a rocking operation or a sliding operation of the operating knob, in the switch element concerned, the driving means is rotated to cause the conductor member to be brought into contact with the fixed contact member. Thus, the switch element can be switched. Meanwhile, in the case of the other switch element, the direction of a pressing force given to the pressed part becomes opposite. However, the switching operation of the other switch element is basically the same as that of the one switch element. 
   In the above-mentioned switch device, preferably, the fixed contact members of the switch elements are disposed on a bottom face of the inner wall surface, and the conductor members are rockably disposed on the bottom face of the inner wall surface and provided with inclined surfaces. The spring member is formed of a plate spring, and the spring member is attached to the case in a state pressed by the cover member. The driving bodies are allowed to be elevated and are rotatably held in the case, and sliding parts are provided to be brought into resilient contact with the conductor members by the biasing force of the plate spring member. When the driving bodies are driven to rotate via the pressed parts, the sliding parts slide on the inclined surfaces of the conductor members, the conductor members rock such that they are brought into contact with or separated from the fixed contact members, and at the same time the driving bodies moves against the biasing force of the plate spring. 
   According to the switch device having the above construction, when the pressed part of any of the switch elements is driven to rotate by a rocking operation or a sliding operation of the operating knob, in the switch element concerned, the driving body is rotated to cause the conductor member to slide on the corresponding inclined surface. Thus, the conductor plate can be rocked on the bottom wall of the case and can be brought into contact with and separated from the fixed contact members. In addition, the switch element can be switched from its OFF state to its ON state. Also, at the time of such switching operation, when the reaction force of the conductor plate against the driving body  17  increases or decreases, the driving body can be elevated while receiving the biasing force of the plate spring member. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a good sense of operational touch always without undesirably increasing the sliding resistance. Further, when the operating force applied to the operating knob is removed after such switching operation, the biasing force of the plate spring member causes the driving body on the inclined surface to rotate in the opposite direction and to return to its initial position on the conductor plate. Thus, the conductor plate rocks on the bottom wall in the opposite direction and returns to the OFF state automatically. Meanwhile, in the case of the other switch element, the direction of a pressing force applied to the pressed part becomes opposite. However, the operation of the other switch element is basically the same as that of the one switch element. 
   In the above-mentioned switch device, preferably, the driving bodies are respectively provided with driving arm parts that protrude laterally from the case. In this case, for example, a construction can be realized in which the driving arm parts are disposed above push switches juxtaposed in the vicinity of the case and the driving bodies are driven to rotate via the pressed parts, such that the driving arm parts operate to press the push switches. Therefore, even if the number of operating knobs is not increased or the shape thereof is not complicated, it is possible to easily add different operational performances by using the switch device. 
   The present invention relates to a switch device in which the driving body is driven to rotate such that the conductor plate is brought into contact with or separated from the fixed contact members. In case rocking operation or sliding operation of the operating knob is carried out, an angular moment that tends to flex the plate spring member is not applied to the driving body, but the driving means can be smoothly driven to rotate. As a result, a good sense of operational touch can usually be obtained. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of a switch unit according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the switch unit; 
       FIG. 3  is a sectional view of a driving switch in its non-operating state, in which the switch unit illustrated in  FIG. 2  is combined with a rocker-type operating knob; 
       FIG. 4  is a sectional view of the driving switch illustrated in  FIG. 3 , in its operating state; 
       FIG. 5  is a sectional view of a driving switch in its non-operating state, in which the switch unit illustrated in  FIG. 2  is combined with a slide-type operating knob; 
       FIG. 6  is a sectional view of the driving switch illustrated in  FIG. 5 , in its operating state; 
       FIG. 7  is an exploded perspective view of a switch unit according to another embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the switch unit; 
       FIG. 9  is a sectional view of a driving switch in its non-operating state, in which the switch unit illustrated in  FIG. 8  is combined with a rocker-type operating knob; 
       FIG. 10  is a sectional view of the driving switch illustrated in  FIG. 9 , in its operating state; and 
       FIG. 11  is an explanatory view illustrating a conventional example. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.  FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of a switch unit according to an embodiment of the present invention;  FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the switch unit;  FIG. 3  is a sectional view of a driving switch in its non-operating state, in which the switch unit is combined with a rocker-type operating knob; and  FIG. 4  is a sectional view of the driving switch, as illustrated in  FIG. 3 , in its operating state. 
   Referring to these drawings, generally, a switch unit  11  comprises a case  12  in which sidewalls  12   b  and  12   c  and partition walls  12   d  are set up from a bottom wall  12   a  to form a pair of contact accommodation spaces S 1  and S 2 ; a fixed contact members  13   a  to  13   c  respectively disposed on the bottom wall  12   a  in the pair of contact accommodation spaces S 1  and S 2  by insert molding; a plurality of terminals  14  extending from the respective fixed contact members  13   a  to  13   c  and protruding downward from the case  12 ; a pair of conductor plates (conductor members)  15  and  16  rockably disposed on the bottom wall  12   a  in the respective contact accommodation spaces S 1  and S 2 ; driving bodies  17  and  18  disposed on the respective conductor plates  15  and  16  in a state in which the elevating movement of the driving bodies is allowed and that can rotate about shaft parts  17   a  and  18   a ; a plate spring member (spring member)  19  having a pair of pressing pieces  19   a  and  19   b  for resiliently biasing sliding parts  17   b  and  18   b  of the respective driving bodies  17  and  18  toward the bottom wall  12   a ; and a cover member  20 , made of a metallic plate, that is attached to the case  12  to cover an upper opening  12   e  of the case. As illustrated in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the switch unit  11  is mounted on a circuit board  30  and accommodated in a housing  31 . This switch unit  11  is combined with an operating knob  32 , thereby constructing a driving switch of a vehicle-mounted power window apparatus. Meanwhile, the operating knob  32  is rockably supported via spindle  33  by the housing  31 . Further, the operating knob  32  is provided with an operating rod  34  that projects downward. The dimension of the operating rod  34  is set to be approximately equal to the spacing between pressed parts  17   c  and  18   c  of the driving bodies  17  and  18 . The operating rod  34  is inserted between the pressed parts  17   c  and  18   c  of the driving bodies  17  and  18 . 
   Two sidewalls  12   c  and four partition walls  12   d  are respectively set up parallel to each other from the bottom wall  12   a  at the long sides of the case  12 , and two sidewalls  12   b  are respectively set up perpendicular to the sidewalls  12   c  from the bottom wall  12   a  at the short sides of the case  12 . Respective uppers ends of the two sidewalls  12   c  and two partition walls  12   d  (ends at the upper opening  12   e ) are formed with notched recesses  12   f  and  12   g  into which the shaft parts  17   a  and  18   a  of the respective driving bodies  17  and  18  are inserted such that they can be elevated. The two sidewalls  12   b  at the short sides are formed at their middle portions with notched slits  12   h  whose upper ends are open. Arm parts  17   d  and  18   d  of the driving bodies  17  and  18  are inserted into the slits  12   h  such that they can be elevated. Moreover, the opposite faces of the sidewalls  12   c  and partition walls  12   d  are respectively formed with protrusions  12   i . The upper shape of the protrusions  12   i  is circular-arc-shaped such that the conductor plates  15  and  16  are smoothly positioned during assembling. 
   The fixed contact members  13   a  to  13   c  are respectively aligned in rows at the inner bottom of the contact accommodation spaces S 1  and S 2  of the case  12 . The conductor plate  15  is disposed on one group of fixed contact members, and the conductor plate  16  is disposed on the other group of fixed contact members. The fixed contact members  13   a  to  13   c  is comprised of a first fixed contact member  13   a  that is normally brought into resilient contact with the conductor plate  15  or  16  as a rocking fulcrum, and second and third contact members  13   b  and  13   c  that are brought into contact with or separated from the conductor plate  15  or  16 . The plurality of terminals  14 , which extend from the respective fixed contact members  13   a  to  13   c , are connected to an external circuit. 
   The conductor plate  15  is a metal plate and has an initial receiving part  15   a  that supports the driving bodies  17  in a state before the operating knob  32  is attached, a rising part  15   b  having an inverted ‘V’ shape in side view and formed by continued inclined surfaces at one side of the initial receiving part  15   a , a flat part  15   c  extending toward the other side of the initial receiving part  15   a , a movable contact part  15   d  opposite to the initial receiving part  15   a  from the rising part  15   b . The movable contact part  15   d  is capable of being brought into contact with or being separated from the fixed contact member  13   b  in the contact accommodation space S 1 , and the flat part  15   c  is capable of being brought into contact with or separated from the fixed contact member  13   c  in the contact accommodation space S 1 . Moreover, both sides of the conductor plate  15  are formed with four projections  15   e  with the initial receiving part  15   a  interposed therebetween. These projections  15   e  are caused to engage with the protrusions  12   i  of the case  12  so that the conductor plate  15  does not deviate in its longitudinal direction during the rocking thereof. The conductor plate  16  has the same shape as the conductor plate  15 , and has a rising part  16   b  and flat part  16   c  on both sides of an initial receiving part  16   a . A movable contact part  16   d  is provided to extend in the longitudinal direction of the conductor plate  16  at one side thereof and is capable of being brought into contact with or separated from the fixed contact member  13   b  in the contact accommodation space S 2 . The flat part  16   c  at the other end of the conductor plate  16  in its longitudinal direction is capable of being brought into contact with or separated from the fixed contact member  13   c  in the contact accommodation space  52 . Both lateral faces of the conductor plate  16  are also formed with four projections  16   e  with the initial receiving parts  16   a  interposed therebetween. The projections  16   e  is engaged with the protrusions  12   i  of the case  12  so that the conductor plate  16  is not deviated in its longitudinal direction during the rocking thereof. 
   The driving bodies  17  has the shaft part  17   a  as the center of rotation, the sliding part  17   b  that are normally into resilient contact with the conductor plate  15  by a biasing force of the pressing piece  19   a  of the late spring member  19 , the pressed part  17   c  that extends upward and protrudes above the cover member  20 , and the arm part  17   d  that extends laterally and is inserted into one of slits  12   h . A pair of opposite guide walls  17   e  is formed at predetermined spacing therebetween on the sliding part  17   b . Similarly, the driving body  18  has the shaft part  18   a  serving as the center of rotation, the sliding part  18   b  that are normally brought into resilient contact with the conductor plate  16  by a biasing force of the pressing piece  19   b  of the plate spring member  19 , the pressed part  18   c  that extends upward and protrudes above the cover member  20 , and the arm part  18   d  that extends transversely and is inserted into the other one of slits  12   h . A pair of opposite guide walls  18   e  is formed at predetermined spacing therebetween on the sliding part  18   b . The driving bodies  17  and  18  are assembled into the case  12  in such a manner to establish point symmetry in plan view. The arm parts  17   d  and  18   d  and the pressed parts  17   c  and  18   c  are disposed in a straight line. In other words, when the driving bodies  17  and  18  are assembled into the case  12 , the arm parts  17   d  and  18   d  are disposed in a narrow space between the contact accommodation spaces S 1  and S 2  in the case  12 , such that the shaft part  17   a  of the driving body  17  is inserted into the mutually opposed recesses  12   f , and the shaft part  18   a  of the driving body  18  is inserted into the mutually opposed recesses  12   g.    
   The plate spring member  19  is obtained by press-forming one resilient metal plate in the shape as illustrated in FIG.  1 . The plate spring  19  member is formed such that the lower ends of compressed parts  19   c  having a truncated chevron-shape in side view are connected to each other by the pair of pressing pieces  19   a  and  19   b  extending parallel to each other. It is noted herein that the compressed parts  19   c  are parts that are compressed by the cover member  20   c  to generate spring pressure in the respective pressing pieces  19   a  and  19   b . The compressed part  19  is comprised of a substantially H-shaped first bent piece  19   d  obtained by bending back portions extending from longitudinal ends of the pressing pieces  19   a  and  19   b  on one side thereof at an acute angle and by bridging the extending portions with a bridging part  19   e , and a substantially H-shaped second bent piece  19   f  obtained by bending back portions extending from the other longitudinal ends of the pressing pieces  19   a  and  19   b  at an acute angle and by bridging the extending portions with a bridging part (not shown). The plate spring member  19  is assembled into the uppermost portion in the case  12  during assembling, such that one pressing piece  19   a  is disposed on the sliding part  17   b  of the driving body  17  and the other pressing piece  19   b  is disposed on the sliding pressing part  18   b  of the driving body  18 . In this case, the pressing pieces  19   a  and  19   b  are respectively inserted between the guide walls  17   e  and between the guide walls  18   e  so that they can be positioned in the widthwise direction thereof. Further, the longitudinal dimension of the plate spring member  19  is set to be approximately equal to the spacing between the pair of opposite sidewalls  12   b  of the case  12  so that the respective pressing pieces  19   a  and  19   b  can be positioned in the longitudinal direction thereof. 
   The cover member  20  is formed at four corners thereof with attachment pieces  20   a . The attachment pieces  20   a  are bent and locked in the four corners of the case  12 , whereby the cover member  20  is attached to the case  12  while covering the upper opening  12   e . When the cover member  20  is attached to the case  12  in this way, this presses and flexes the bent pieces  19   d  and  19   f  of the cover member  19 , which was previously assembled into the case  12 . Therefore, spring pressure is generated in the respective pressing pieces  19   a  and  19   b . As a result, one pressing piece  19   a  resiliently biases the sliding operating part  17   b  of the pressing means  17  toward the bottom wall  12   a . This biasing force causes the sliding part  17   d  to be brought into resilient contact with the conductor plate  15 . Thus, when the driving body  17  is rotated about the shaft part  17   a , the sliding part  17   b  can slide on the rising part (inclined surface)  15   b  of the conductor plate  15  to rotatably drive the conductor plate  15 . Similarly, the other pressing piece  19   b  resiliently biases the sliding part  18   b  of the driving body  18  toward the bottom wall  12   a . This biasing force causes the sliding part  18   b  to be brought into resilient contact with the conductor plate  16 . Thus, when the driving body  18  is rotated about the shaft part  18   a , the sliding part  18   b  can slide on the rising part (inclined surface)  16   b  of the conductor plate  16  to rotatably drive the conductor plate  16 . Further, the cover member  20  is formed with a window hole  20   b  for causing the pressed part  17   c  of the driving body  17  to be inserted therethrough and a window hole  20   c  for causing the pressed part  18   c  of the driving body  18  to be inserted therethrough. 
   The above-described switch unit  11  is constructed such that a first switch element and a second switch element are juxtaposed in the case  12 . The first switch element has the fixed contact members  13   a  to  13   c , the conductor plate  15 , the driving body  17 , the pressing piece  19   a , etc., disposed in the contact accommodation space S 1 . The second switch element has the fixed contact members  13   a  to  13   c , the conductor plate  16 , the driving body  18 , the pressing piece  19   b , etc., disposed in the contact accommodation space S 2 . It is noted herein that a spring member for giving a restoring force to the first and second switch elements is the only common plate spring member  19 . 
   Further, when the switch unit  11  is combined with the operating knob  32 , the tip (lower end) of the operating rod  34  is inserted between the pressed parts  17   c  and  18   c  of the driving bodies  17  and  18 . At this time, the operating rod  34  is brought into resilient contact with the pressed parts  17   c  and  18   c  in a state where pretension is applied (pressure-applied state) to the pressed parts so that the looseness between the operating knob  32  and the driving bodies  17  and  18  can be avoided. In other words, in such a pressure-applied state, the sliding parts  17   b  and  18   b  of the driving bodies  17  and  18  abut on the inclined surfaces of the rising parts  15   b  and  16   b  of the conductor plates  15  and  16 , respectively, close to the lower ends thereof. However, in a state of the operating knob  32  being detached, the sliding parts  17   b  and  18   b  abut on the initial receiving parts  15   a  and  16   a , respectively, of the conductor plate  15  and  16 . For this reason, the pressed parts  17   c  and  18   c  is slightly inclined toward a position more approaching each other than the position illustrated in FIG.  3 . 
   The operation of the driving switch in which the switch unit  11  is combined with the operating knob  32 , as described above, will be described below. In a standby state (the above-mentioned pressure-applied state) in which an operating force is not applied, the sliding part  17   b  of the driving body  17  is brought into resilient contact with the lower end of the rising part  15   b  of the conductor plate  15 . Thus, the fixed contact members  13   a  and  13   c  in the contact accommodation space S 1  are electrically conducted to each other via the conductor plate  15 , and the fixed contact members  13   a  and  13   b  are kept in a mutually non-conducted state therebetween. Further, the sliding part  18   b  of the driving body  18  is brought into resilient contact with the lower end of the rising part  16   b  of the conductor plate  16 . Thus, the fixed contact members  13   a  and  13   c  in the contact accommodation space S 2  are electrically conducted to each other via the conductor plate  15 , and the fixed contact members  13   a  and  13   b  are kept in a mutually non-conducted state therebetween. 
   In this state, for example, when an operating force for pushing in the right end of the operating knob  32 , as illustrated in  FIG. 3 , is applied, the tip of the tilted operating rod  34  is driven to rotate in a certain plane, whereby the pressed part  17   c  is driven to rotate to the left in the drawing in the plane. Therefore, the driving body  17  rotates in the counterclockwise direction in the drawing about the shaft part  17   a  that extends in a direction orthogonal to the plane on which the pressed part  17   c  moves. With the rotation of the driving body  17 , the sliding part  17   b  slides on the rising part  15   b  of the conductor plate  15  in the upwardly inclined direction. In this process, the driving body  17  is pushed up against the pressing piece  19   a . Then, at the point of time when the sliding part  17   b  has passed over the fixed contact member  13   a  in the contact accommodation space S 1 , the conductor plate  15  is driven to rotate in the clockwise direction in the drawing and put in a state illustrated FIG.  4 . As a result, since the flat part  15   c  is separated from the fixed contact member  13   c  and the movable contact part  15   d  abuts on the fixed contact member  13   b , a switching-on signal (a driving signal that allows a window to open) resulting from the configuration that the fixed contact members  13   a  and  13   b  are electrically conducted to each other via the conductor plate  15  is output to the terminal  14 . 
   Further, in the state of  FIG. 4 , when the operating force applied to the operating knob  32  is removed, the restoring force of the pressing piece  19   a  is exerted on the driving piece  17  to cause the sliding part  17   b  to move along the inclined surface of the rising part  15   b  in the downwardly inclined direction. This movement causes the driving body  17  to rotate in the clockwise directing in the drawing. Therefore, at the time when the sliding part  17   b  has passed over the fixed contact member  13   a , the conductor plate  15  is driven to rotate in the counterclockwise direction in the drawing, and the tilted operating rod  34  is pushed back by the pressed part  17   c . As a result, since the movable contact part  15   d  of the conductor plate  15  is separated from the fixed contact member  13   b  and the flat part  15   c  abuts on the fixed contact member  13   c , a switching-off signal resulting from the configuration that the electrical conduction between the fixed contact members  13   a  and  13   b  are interrupted, is output from the terminal  14 , and the operating knob  32  is returned to its standby state (OFF state) illustrated in  FIG. 3   
   Meanwhile, in such a standby state, the operation of the driving switch when an operating force for pushing in the left end of the operating knob  32  illustrated in  FIG. 3 , is applied is also basically the same as the above-described operation. In this case, the tip of the tilted operating rod  34  drives the pressed part  18   c  to be pressed to the right in the drawing. Therefore, the driving body  18  rotates in the clockwise direction in the drawing, and the sliding part  18   b  slides on the rising part  16   b  of the conductor plate  16  in the upwardly inclined direction. In this process, the driving body  18  can be slightly pushed up against the pressing piece  19   b . Also, at the time when the sliding part  18   b  has passed over the fixed contact member  13   a  in the contact accommodation space S 2 , the conductor plate  16  is driven to rotate, a switching-on signal (a driving signal by which a window is closed) resulting from the configuration that the fixed contact members  13   a  and  13   b  are electively conducted to each other, is output from the terminal  14 . Thereafter, when the operating force applied to the operating knob  32  is removed, the restoring force of the pressing piece  19   b  causes the sliding part  18   b  to move in the downwardly inclined direction along the inclined surface of the rising part  16   b . As the sliding operating part  18   b  moves, the driving body  17  rotates in the opposite direction. Therefore, the conductor plate  16  is driven to rotate in the opposite direction, and the operating rod  34  is pushed back by the pressed part  18   c , and returned to the standby state (OFF state) illustrated in FIG.  3 . 
   As described above, in the switch unit  11  according to the present embodiment, when the rocking operation of the operating knob  32  drives the pressed part  17   c  (or  18   c ) of the switch element to be pressed sideways, the driving body  17  (or  18 ) rotates. At this time, since the driving body  17  (or  18 ) is given only the angular moment around the shaft part  17   a  (or  18   a ) without abutting on the inclined surface of the rising part in its inclined state. Thus, a good sense of operational touch can usually be obtained. Further, along with the rotation of the driving body  17  (or  18 ), the conductor plate  15  (or  16 ) is adapted to rock on the bottom plate  12   a , thereby allowing the switch element to be switched from its ON state to its OFF state. Thus, the switch element can be applied to a bipolar or double-throw driving switch, thereby securing high reliability. Moreover, at the time of the switching operation of the switch unit  11 , the reaction force of the conductor plate  15  (or  16 ) against the driving body  17  (or  18 ) increases or decreases. However, the driving body  17  (or  18 ) can be elevated while receiving the biasing force of the plate spring member  19 , and when the reaction force from the conductor plate  15  (or  16 ) increases, the pressing piece  19   a  (or  19   b ) can be pushed and flexed. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a good sense of operational touch always without undesirably increasing the sliding resistance. 
   Meanwhile, since the conductor plates  15  and  16 , the driving bodies  17  and  18 , the plate spring member  19  and the cover member  20  are assembled in this order onto the bottom wall  12   a  of the case  12  in assembling the switch unit  11 , a good assembling property can be expected. Further, at the time of the assembling, the conductor plate  15  and  16  can be positioned by the protrusions  12   i  of the case  12 , the driving bodies  17  and  18  can be positioned by the recesses  12   f  and  12   g  and slits  12   h  of the case  12 , and the plate spring member  19  can be positioned by the sidewalls  12   b  of the case  12  and the guide walls  17   e  and  18   e  of the driving bodies  17  and  18 . Thus, even if the automatic assembling is performed, the positional deviation and falling of those parts hardly occur. As a result, the assembling cost can be remarkably reduced. 
   Next, another application of the above-described switch unit  11  will be described.  FIG. 5  is a sectional view of the driving switch in its non-operating state, in which the switch unit  11  is combined with a slide-type operating knob, and  FIG. 6  is a sectional view of the driving switch illustrated in  FIG. 5 , in its operating state. In these drawings, an operating knob  35  is supported in a guide groove (not shown) provided in the housing  31  so that it can slide in the right-and-left direction. A driving projection  36  is provided to protrude from the bottom side of the operating knob  35 . The driving projection  36  is inserted between the pressed parts  17   c  and  18   c  of the driving bodies  17  and  18  of the switch unit  11 . 
   Accordingly, when the operating knob  35  is slidably operated in the left direction in the drawing in the standby state (OFF state) illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the driving projections  36  pushes in the pressed part  17   c  in the same direction. Therefore, the driving body  17  rotates in the counterclockwise direction in the drawing, which in turn causes the conductor plate  15  to be driven to rotate in the clockwise direction in the drawing and to be switched to the ON state illustrated in FIG.  6 . Then, when the operating force applied to the operating knob  35  is removed, the restoring force of the pressing piece  19   a  causes the driving body  17  to rotate in the opposite direction. As a result, the conductor plate  15  is driven to rotate in the opposite direction and returned to the standby state illustrated FIG.  5 . As such, not only the switch unit  11  can be applied to the rocker-type operating knob  32 , but also it can be combined with the slide-type operating knob  35  and smoothly operated. As a result, a good sense of operational touch can be obtained. Meanwhile, since the series of operations has already been described in detail referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the duplicated description thereof will be omitted. Further, since the operation of the driving switch, when the operating knob  35  is operated to slide in the right direction in the drawing and thereby the driving projection  36  pushes in the pressed part  18   c  in the same direction, can be easily inferred from the description up to now, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. 
     FIG. 7  is an exploded perspective view of a switch unit according to another embodiment of the present invention,  FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the switch unit,  FIG. 9  is a sectional view of a driving switch in its non-operating state, in which the switch unit is combined with a rocker-type operating knob, and  FIG. 10  is a sectional view of the driving switch illustrated in  FIG. 9 , in its operating state. Since elements corresponding to those in  FIGS. 1  to  4  are denoted by the same reference numerals, the repeated description will be omitted. 
   A switch unit  21  illustrated in  FIGS. 7  to  10  is different from the switch unit  11  in that driving arm parts  17   f  and  18   f  are respectively provided in the driving bodies  17  and  18  so as to largely protrude laterally from the case  12 . The other construction of the switch unit  21  is the same as that of the switch unit  11 . Further, in this embodiment, a pair of push switches  37  and  38  is juxtaposed in the vicinity of the case  12  of the switch unit  21 . The push switches  37  and  38  are mounted on a circuit substrate  30 . Operating portions  37   a  and  38   a  of the push switches  37  and  38  are respectively disposed below the driving arm parts  17   f  and  18   f . Also, the driving arm part  17   f , which is lowered along with the rotation of the driving body  17 , pushes in the operating portion  37   a , so that the push switch  37  can be switched from its OFF state to its ON state. Further, the driving arm part  18   f , which is lowered along with the rotation of the driving body  18 , pushes in the operating portion  38   a , such that the push switch  38  can be switched from its OFF state to its ON state. 
   In other words, for example, when an operating force for pushing in the right end of the operating knob  32  is applied in the standby state illustrated in  FIG. 9 , as previously described, the operating rod  34  drives to press the pressed part  17   c  to rotate the driving body  17  in the counterclockwise direction in the drawing. Therefore, the sliding part  17   b  slides on the rising part  15   b  in the upwardly inclined direction, and at the time when the conductor plate  15  is driven to rotate in the clockwise direction in the drawing, an ON signal (a driving signal by which a window is opened) is output from the switch element at the contact accommodation space S 1 . In this state, when the right end of the operating knob  32  is further pushed in, the operating rod  34  further pushes in the pressed part  17   c . Therefore, the driving body  17  further rotates in the counterclockwise direction in the drawing to cause the driving arm part  17   f  to push the operating portion  37   a  downward. As a result, an ON signal (a driving signal by which a window is fully opened) is output from the push switch  37 . Meanwhile, while the push switch is operated, the sliding part  17   b  further slides on the rising part  15   b  of the conductor plate  15  which has already completed its rotation in the clockwise direction in the drawing, and the pressing piece  19   a  of the plate spring member  19  is further upwardly pushed and flexed. Accordingly, when the operating force applied to the operating knob  32  is removed, the restoring force of the pressing piece  19   a  causes the driving body  17  to rotate in the opposite direction. Along with the rotation of the driving body  17 , the push switch  37  and the conductor plate  15  are respectively returned to their original states that are standby states illustrated in FIG.  9 . 
   Further, in the standby state illustrated in  FIG. 9 , the operation of the driving switch when an operating force for pushing in the left end of the operating knob  32  is applied is the same as the above-described operation. When the operating rod  34  drives to press the pressed part  18   c  to rotate the driving body  18  in the clockwise direction in the drawing by a predetermined angle of rotation, an ON signal (a driving signal by which a window is closed) is output from the switch element at the contact accommodation space S 2 . In this state, when the operating knob  32  is further pushed in and the driving body  18  is further rotated in the clockwise direction in the drawing, the driving arm part  18   f  pushes in the operating portion  38   a  downward. As a result, an ON signal (a driving signal by which a window is fully closed) is output from the push switch  38 . 
   As described above, in the present invention, a multi-functional driving switch which can perform a manual opening or closing operation by opening or closing a window by a certain amount, when the operating knob  32  is slightly pushed in and which can perform an automatic opening or closing operation by fully opening or closing a window, when the operating knob  32  is deeply pushed in, comes true, particularly, without complicating the structure and increasing the size. 
   Further, the internal structure of the switch unit including the fixed contacts, the conductor plates, the plate spring member, etc., is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications other than this structure can also be adopted.