Patent Publication Number: US-8993911-B2

Title: Switch lever device and open/close detection device

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a switch lever device used for detecting the opening/closing of an opening/closing body such as a display and an opening/closing detecting device. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
       FIG. 11  and  FIG. 12  are perspective views each showing an arrangement of a display unit  1 ;  FIG. 11  is a closed position thereof, and  FIG. 12  is an opened position thereof. A display  2  and a housing case (main body)  3  for housing the display are openably and closably connected to each other through a left and a right hinge section  4 ,  5 . The display  2  is composed of a front panel  7  in which an opening  6  for a screen display is open-provided, and a back panel  8 . 
       FIG. 13  is a perspective view showing an arrangement of a conventional opening/closing detecting device incorporated in the display unit  1 , and shows an internal structure of the display  2  with a back panel  8  removed. Disposed inside the display  2  are a holder  101  made of metal; a board  102  fixed to the holder  101 ; a switch  103 , mounted on the board  102 , for detecting the opened/closed position of the display  2 ; a lever  104  for turning on/off the switch  103  in cooperation with the opening/closing movement of the display  2 ; a lever holder  105  for holding the lever  104 ; a screw  105   a  for fixing the lever holder  105  to the holder  101 ; and a spring  106  for urging the lever  104 . Further, a concave-convex section  107  for pushing the lever  104  against the energization of the spring  106  is disposed around the shaft  4   a  of the hinge section  4  that connects the housing case  3  to the display  2 . 
     Provided on one end side of the lever  104  held by the lever holder  105  is a lever driving section  108  that comes into contact with the concave-convex section  107  and rotates about the shaft  5   a  integrally with the display  2  to travel along concave and convex portions thereof. A switch operating section  109  for turning on/off the switch  103  is provided on the other end side thereof. The lever driving section  108  is normally pushed in a direction of the concave-convex section  107  by the urging force of the spring  106 ; when the display  2  is in a closed position as shown in  FIG. 13 , the lever driving section  108  is pushed out by a convex portion  110  of the concave-convex section  107 . When the lever driving section  108  on the one end side is pushed out by the convex portion  110 , the switch operating section  109  on the other end side is also slid to come to a position that presses the switch  103 . 
     On the other hand, when the display  2  is opened, the lever driving section  108  is also moved integrally to be drawn into a concave portion  111  of the concave-convex section  107 . When the lever driving section  108  on the one end side is drawn into the concave portion  111 , the switch operating section  109  on the other end side is also slid to come to a position that releases the switch  103 . 
     Further, in an opening/closing detecting mechanism of Patent Document 1, for example, an opening/closing body is fixed to an end portion of a supporting shaft serving as a swinging shaft, wherein the mechanism is provided with: a cam member of which the outside face in an extending direction of the supporting shaft provides a cam face; a return spring of the cam member; and a detection switch having a movable section (lever) that moves between an ON position where it is determined that the opening/closing body is in an opened position and an OFF position where it is determined that the opening/closing body is in a closed position, wherein the cam face of the cam member is configured to have a shape such that the movable section of the detecting switch is moved between the ON position and the OFF position, when the cam member is rotated by the opening/closing of the opening/closing body. 
     As mentioned above, the conventional opening/closing detecting device turns on/off the screen of the display such that the members following the opening/closing movement of the display turn on/off the switch. 
     PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS 
     Patent Documents 
     Patent Document 1: JP-A-2006-302397 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     However, since the opening/closing detecting device shown in  FIG. 13  uses a large number of components including the holder  101 , lever  104 , lever holder  105 , screw  105   a , spring  106 , and the like, there is a problem such that the device requires the number of man-hours for assembly. The opening/closing detecting mechanism disclosed in Patent Document 1 also uses a large number of components including the supporting shaft, cam member, spring, lever, and the like, which requires the number of man-hours for assembly. 
     Furthermore, the amount of slide (arrow Z 1  shown in  FIG. 13 ) of the lever  104  for pushing the switch  103  and the amount of difference in height between the convex portion  110  and the concave portion  111  (arrow Z 2  shown in  FIG. 13 ) are provided on a 1:1 scale, and when the difference in height between the convex portion  110  and the concave portion  111  cannot be set to be greater, there is a problem such that the operational sensitivity of the lever  104  for turning on/off the switch  103  is deteriorated. 
     The present invention is made to solve the aforementioned problems, and an object of the invention is to provide a switch lever device and an opening/closing detecting device that lessen the number of components to reduce the number of man-hours for assembly, and further enhance the operational sensitivity of a lever for turning on/off a switch. 
     A switch lever device of the present invention includes: a lever provided with a lever driving section on one end side thereof, a switch operating section for turning on/off a switch on the other end side thereof, and a rotational central section in a position halfway therebetween, wherein when the lever driving section on the one end side is pushed, the switch operating section on the other end side is rotated about the rotational central section to turn on/off the switch; and a holder for pivotally supporting the rotational central section of the lever. 
     An opening/closing detecting device of the invention is an opening/closing detecting device for detecting the opened/closed position of an opening/closing body that is openably and closably connected to a main body through a hinge section, wherein the main body includes a concave-convex section provided with a concave and a convex portion about a shaft of the hinge section, and wherein the opening/closing body includes: a switch for detecting the opened/closed position according to ON/OFF thereof; a lever provided with a lever driving section on one end side thereof that moves along the concave and convex portions with coming into contact with the concave-convex section and rotating integrally with the opening/closing body, a switch operating section for turning on/off the switch on the other end side thereof, and a rotational central section in a position halfway therebetween, wherein when the lever driving section on the one end side moves along the concave and convex portions of the concave-convex section, the switch operating section on the other end side is rotated about the rotational central section to turn on/off the switch; and a holder for pivotally supporting the rotational central section of the lever. 
     According to the present invention, since it is arranged that the lever is pivotally supported by the holder, and turns on/off the switch when rotated in cooperation with the opening/closing movement of the opening/closing body, the number of components thereof can be lessened to reduce the number of man-hours for assembly. Further, when the length from the rotational central section to the switch operating section is longer than the length from the rotational central section to the lever driving section, the amount of travel of the switch operating section can be increased, and thus the switch operation sensitivity of the lever can be enhanced. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing an arrangement of an opening/closing detecting device of a first embodiment in the present invention, and a display is held in a closed position. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view showing an arrangement of a switch lever device in the opening/closing detecting device of the first embodiment. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view showing an arrangement of a housing case in the opening/closing detecting device of the first embodiment. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view showing an arrangement of a holder in the opening/closing detecting device of the first embodiment. 
         FIG. 5  is a sectional view of the holder and a lever taken along a line A-A shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 6  is an enlarged perspective view of the opening/closing detecting device of the first embodiment. 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view showing the arrangement of the opening/closing detecting device of the first embodiment, and the display is in an opened position. 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view showing an arrangement of an opening/closing detecting device in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view showing an arrangement of an opening/closing detecting device in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 10  is a sectional view of a holder and a lever taken along a line B-B shown in  FIG. 9 . 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective view of an arrangement of a display unit, and a display is in a closed position. 
         FIG. 12  is a perspective view showing the arrangement of the display unit, and the display is in an opened position. 
         FIG. 13  is a perspective view showing an arrangement of a conventional opening/closing detecting device. 
     
    
    
     BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
     In the following, in order to explain the present invention in more detail, embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     First Embodiment 
     Also in a first embodiment, an opening/closing detecting device and a switch lever device that each detect the opened/closed position of a display (opening/closing body)  2  with respect to a housing case (main body)  3  are described by a display unit  1  as shown in  FIG. 11  and  FIG. 12  previously discussed by way of example. 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing an arrangement of an opening/closing detecting device in accordance with the first embodiment, and shows an internal structure of the display  2  with a back panel  8  removed.  FIG. 2  shows an arrangement of a switch lever device in the opening/closing detecting device, and  FIG. 3  shows an arrangement of the housing case  3 . As shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , disposed inside the display  2  are a holder  10  made of metal; a board  20  fixed to the holder  10 ; a switch  30  that is mounted on the board  20 , and detects the opened/closed position of the display  2 ; and a lever  40  cooperating with the opening/closing movement of the display  2  to turn on/off the switch  30 . Further, as shown in  FIG. 3 , a concave-convex section  50  for pushing the lever  40  is disposed around a shaft  5   a  of a hinge section  5  which connects the housing case  3  and the display  2  to each other. The switch lever device is composed of the holder  10  and the lever  40 , and the opening/closing detecting device is composed of the switch lever device, the switch  30 , and the concave-convex section  50 . 
     The lever  40  includes: a rotational central section  41 ; a lever driving section  43  extending from the rotational central section  41  pivotally supported by the holder  10 ; and a switch operating section  44  extending from the rotational central section  41  in a direction that is different from that of the lever driving section  43 . When the display  2  is in a closed position, there is no force pushing the lever driving section  43 ; thus, as shown by a solid line in  FIG. 2 , the switch operating section  44  is in a position where the switch operating section pushes the switch  30  with a press face  45  thereof. Hereinafter, this position is referred to as an ON position. On the other hand, when the display  2  is in the opened position, as shown by a dash-double dot line in  FIG. 2 , the lever driving section  43  is pushed, and the switch operating section  44  is rotated about the rotational central section  41  to come to a position out of contact with the switch  30 . Hereinafter, this position is referred to as an OFF position. 
     In a condition where the lever  40  is in the ON position to be pushed by the switch operating section  44 , the switch  30  detects that the display  2  is in the closed position; contrarily, in a condition where the lever  40  is in the OFF position to be released from the switch operating section  44 , the switch detects that the display  2  is in the opened position. When the detection results of the switch  30  are associated with the screen display operation of the display  2 , the screen display is turned off when the display  2  is in the closed position, and turned on when the display is in the opened position. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 3 , the concave-convex section  50  is composed of a concave and a convex portion formed integrally with the housing case  3  around the shaft  5   a . When the display  2  is rotated about the shaft  5   a , the lever driving section  43  coming into contact with the concave-convex section  50  moves along a concave portion  51 , a tapered face  52 , and a convex portion  53 . Base on the height of the concave portion  51  as a reference, the lever driving section  43  is pushed by the amount (difference in height Z shown in  FIG. 3 ) corresponding to the height of the tapered face  52  and the convex portion  53  higher than the height of the concave portion. 
     When a length from the rotational central section  41  to the switch operating section  44  as shown by arrow Y of  FIG. 2  is made longer than a length from the rotational central section  41  to the lever driving section  43  as shown by arrow X thereof, the amount of travel of the tip of arrow Y (namely, the press face  45 ) is larger than that of the tip of arrow X; thus, the operational sensitivity of the lever  40  for turning on/off the switch  30  is increased. Thus, even when the difference in height Z of the concave-convex section  50  cannot be set to have a large value, the switch operating section  44  is elongated to change a ratio between the amount of difference in height Z and the amount of travel of the switch operating section  44 , thereby enhancing the switch operational sensitivity of the lever  40 . Further, in the illustrated example, an angle between the lever driving section  43  and the switch operating section  44  is formed to be substantially 90 degrees, not limited to this, and may be formed at any angle. 
       FIG. 4  shows an arrangement of the holder  10 . Further,  FIG. 5  shows a sectional view of the holder  10  and lever  40  taken along a line A-A in  FIG. 1 . A rotation shaft section  42  is protrusively provided on one side of the rotational central section  41  of the lever  40 ; the tip of the rotation shaft section  42  is shaped in a sphere to minimize a contact area thereof, thus reducing the friction during the slide. In the other holder  10 , a rotation shaft hole  11  into which the rotation shaft section  42  is inserted is formed by a burring process (a process making a hole and raising the periphery thereof) or the like. Moreover, a lever holding section  12  for pressing the rotation shaft section  42  of the lever  40  from the opposite side by elastic force is formed by lancing (upward-lancing) of the holder  10 , and a projection is provided on the lever holding section  12 , the tip of the projection being formed in a sphere to minimize a contact area thereof. When the rotational central section  41  of the lever  40  is pivotally supported by the rotation shaft hole  11  and lever holding section  12 , the lever  40  comes to be rotatable about the rotation shaft section  42 . 
     Further, a lever urging section  14  is formed by lancing of the holder  10 , and urges the lever driving section  43  toward a direction of the ON position before a pushed action, when the lever driving section  43  is pushed and moved to be in the OFF position. Furthermore, a lever stopper  13  that comes into contact with the lever driving section  43  urged by the lever urging section  14  is formed by lancing in the direction of the ON position of the lever driving section  43 . In this way, it is arranged as a structure such that the lever driving section  43  is sandwiched between the lever stopper  13  and the lever urging section  14 . It is noted that a portion in which the lever driving section  43  comes into contact with the lever urging section  14  is referred to as a contact portion  47 . 
     Moreover, an urging section stopper  15  is formed by lancing of the holder  10  opposite the side where the lever urging section  14  is opposed to the lever stopper  13 , and restrains the lever urging section  14  from being excessively resiliently deformed because of the pushing of the lever driving section  43 . Therefore, the lever urging section  14  is prevented from being deformed beyond the position of the urging section stopper  15  because of the pushing of the lever driving section  43 . 
       FIG. 6  is an enlarged perspective view of the opening/closing detecting device. A rib  46  for correcting the deformation of the lever urging section  14  is protrusively provided in the lever  40 . When the lever  40  is attached to the holder  10 , the rotational central section  41  is slid to be fit therein with the lever holding section  12  flexed. At this time, the lever  40  is slid with the lever urging section  14  being sandwiched between the rib  46  and the contact portion  47  to thus correct the shape of the lever urging section  14  deformed in an arrow direction of  FIG. 6 . 
     Next, an operation of the opening/closing detecting device will be described.  FIG. 1  shows the closed position where the display  2  is housed in the housing case  3 , and  FIG. 7  shows an opened position where the display  2  is being opened with rotating about the shaft  5   a.    
     In the closed position shown in  FIG. 1 , the lever driving section  43  of the lever  40  is urged by the lever urging section  14  of the holder  10  to come into contact with the concave portion  51  of the concave-convex section  50 . At this time, since the lever  40  is in the ON position, the press face  45  of the switch operating section  44  keeps pressing the switch  30 . 
     When the display  2  is rotated about the shaft  5   a  to be opened, the lever driving section  43  passes from the concave portion  51  by way of the tapered face  52  to move as riding on the convex portion  53  as shown in  FIG. 7 . In this way, when the lever driving section  43  on one side is pushed out by the convex portion  53 , the switch operating section  44  on the other side is rotated about the rotational central section  41  toward the OFF position to release the switch  30 . 
     When the display  2  is rotated about the shaft  5   a  to be closed, the lever driving section  43  having been pressed to the side of the concave-convex section  50  by the returning force of the lever urging section  14  goes down the tapered face  52  to move to the concave portion  51 . In this way, when the lever driving section  43  on the one side is drawn into the concave portion  51 , the switch operating section  44  on the other side is rotated about the rotational central section  41  toward the ON position to press the switch  30 . 
     As described above, according to the first embodiment, the switch lever device is arranged to include: the lever  40  provided with the lever driving section  43  on one end side thereof, the switch operating section  44  for turning on/off the switch  30  on the other end side thereof, and the rotational central section  41  in a position halfway therebetween, wherein when the lever driving section  43  on the one end side is pushed, the switch operating section  44  on the other end side is rotated about the rotational central section  41  to turn on/off the switch  30 ; and the holder  10  for pivotally supporting the rotational central section  41  of the lever  40 . Therefore, it is configured that the switch lever device includes: only the lever  40  for turning on/off the switch  30  by rotating in cooperation with the opening/closing movement of the display  2 ; and the holder  10  for fixation, thus lessening the number of components and reducing the number of man-hours for assembly. Further, the length from the rotational central section  41  to the switch operating section  44  can be set without restraint to the length from the rotational central section  41  to the lever driving section  43 ; thus, when the length of the switch operating section  44  is made longer than that of the lever driving section  43  to thereby make the amount of travel of the tip of the switch operating section  44  larger than that of the tip of the lever driving section  43 , the operational sensitivity of the lever  40  for turning on/off the switch  30  can be enhanced. 
     Further, according to the first embodiment, it is contemplated that the opening/closing detecting device for detecting the opened/closed position of the display  2  openably and closably connected to the housing case  3  through the hinge section  5  is constructed by using the above-discussed switch lever device, wherein the housing case  3  includes the concave-convex section  50  provided with the concave and convex portions about the shaft  5   a  of the hinge section  5 , and wherein the display  2  includes the switch  30  for detecting the opened/closed position according to ON/OFF of the switch; the lever provided with the lever driving section  43  on one end side thereof moving along the concave and convex portions with coming into contact with the concave-convex section  50  and rotating integrally with the display  2 , the switch operating section  44  for turning on/off the switch  30  on the other end side thereof, and the rotational central section  41  in a position halfway therebetween, wherein when the lever driving section  43  on the one end side moves along the concave and convex portions of the concave-convex section  50 , the switch operating section  44  on the other end side is rotated about the rotational central section  41  to turn on/off the switch  30 ; and the holder  10  for pivotally supporting the rotational central section  41  of the lever  40 . For this reason, similarly to the switch lever device, the opening/closing detecting device can lessen the number of components and reduce the number of man-hours for assembly, and also can improve the operational sensitivity of the lever  40 . 
     Further, according to the first embodiment, it is arranged that the switch lever device and the opening/closing detecting device each include: the lever urging section  14  that is formed by lancing of the holder  10  in a direction such that the lever driving section  43  is pushed and moved, and that urges the lever driving section  43  toward a direction before a pushed action; and the lever stopper  13  that is formed by lancing of the holder  10  in an position opposite the lever urging section  14  of the lever driving section  43 , and that comes into contact with the lever driving section  43 . For this reason, it is configured that the members for returning the lever  40  are formed of the holder  10 , thereby lessening the number of components. 
     Moreover, according to the first embodiment, in the switch lever device and the opening/closing detecting device, it is arranged that the lever  40  has the rib  46  that corrects the deformation of the lever urging section by sandwiching the lever urging section  14  between the rib and the lever  40 ; thus, at the time of assembling the lever  40  to the holder  10 , the rib  46  can self-correct the deformation of the lever urging section  14 . 
     Further, according to the first embodiment, it is arranged that the switch lever device and the opening/closing detecting device each include the urging section stopper  15  formed by lancing of the holder  10  in a position that comes into contact with the lever urging section  14  resiliently deformed because of the pushing action of the lever driving section  43 . For this reason, the lever urging section  14  can be restrained from being deformed more than a predetermined level due to the pushing action of the lever driving section  43 . Moreover, the urging section stopper  15  is formed of the holder  10  to lessen the number of components. 
     Furthermore, according to the first embodiment, it is arranged that in the switch lever device and the opening/closing detecting device, the lever  40  have the rotation shaft section  42  protrusively provided on one side of the rotational central section  41 , and the holder  10  have the rotation shaft hole  11  into which the rotation shaft section  42  is inserted, and the lever holding section  12 , formed by lancing of the holder  10 , for pressing the lever  40  from the side opposite the rotation shaft section  42 . For this reason, the members for pivotally supporting the lever  40  are formed of the holder  10  to thus lessen the number of components. 
     Second Embodiment 
       FIG. 8  is a perspective view showing an arrangement of an opening/closing detecting device according to a second embodiment in the invention, and the same or equivalent parts as/to those in  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 7  are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted. In the second embodiment, a slit  16  is provided in a lever holding section  12  of a holder  10 . Therefore, the resilient force for pressing a lever  40  by the lever holding section  12  can be increased. 
     Third Embodiment 
       FIG. 9  is a perspective view showing an arrangement of an opening/closing detecting device according to a third embodiment in the invention, and the same or equivalent parts as/to those in  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 7  are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted. Further,  FIG. 10  shows a sectional view of a holder  10  and a lever  40  taken along a line B-B in  FIG. 9 . In the third embodiment, a rotation shaft hole  48  is pierced in a rotational central section  41  of the lever  40 , and also a hole having a rising wall  17  is formed in the other holder  10  by a burring process, and the hole is provided as a screw hole  18 . The rising wall  17  is fitted and inserted in the inner periphery of the rotation shaft hole  48 , and a screw  19  is fastened in the screw hole  18 . Therefore, the lever  40  and the holder  10  is rotatably mounted on a pivot, and the rotation shaft hole  48  turns around the outer periphery of the rising wall  17 . As discussed above, even the switch lever device and the opening/closing detecting device that employ the screw hole  18  formed by the burring process as a rotation-center/screw-tap of the lever  40  have to use one screw  19  for pivotally supporting the lever  40 ; however, the number of components thereof can be lessened to reduce the number of man-hours for assembly as compared with the conventional arrangement. 
     Hereupon, the first to third embodiments of the present invention are described in detail with reference to the drawings; however, the specific arrangements of the device are not limited to those in the aforementioned embodiments, and it goes without saying that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, in the first to third embodiments discussed above, it is arranged such that when the display  2  is in the opened position, the lever  40  turn off the switch  30 , while when the display is in the closed position, the lever turn on the switch; however, the arrangement is not limited to this; when the concave and convex portions of the concave-convex section  50  are reversed, or the disposed position of the switch  30  is changed, it may be arranged such that when the display is in the opened position, the switch be turned on, while when the display is in closed position, the switch be turned off. 
     INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY 
     As described above, according to the switch lever device and the opening/closing detecting device of the present invention, it is arranged that the number of components thereof are lessened to reduce the number of man-hours for assembly and that also the switch operational sensitivity of the lever is enhanced, and it is thereby suitable for use in a switch lever device and an opening/closing detecting device employed for a display unit or the like.