JPH0517867U - Push button device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] To provide a push button device having a spring return mechanism, which requires a small space around the push button, has a simple structure, and is easy to assemble. [Structure] A push button sliding member and a spring housing hole in a direction substantially orthogonal to the sliding hole are formed in a push button supporting member, and a coil portion of a torsion coil spring is inserted into the spring housing hole. , A push button device in which one leg is brought into contact with the back surface of a push button fitted in a sliding hole.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

【Technical field】

 The present invention relates to a push button device used in a camera or the like, and particularly to a spring restoring mechanism thereof.

[0002]

[Prior art and its problems]

 Conventionally, leaf springs and compression coil springs have been generally used for the spring restoring mechanism of the push button device. However, the leaf spring requires a length from the fixed part to the point of action in order to obtain a sufficient restoring force, which requires a space and it is difficult to reduce the size around the push button. Further, the compression coil spring requires a length in the operating direction of the push button, and the structure for attaching and holding the compression coil spring is complicated, resulting in poor assembly.

[0003]

[The purpose of the device]

 It is an object of the present invention to provide a push button device that requires a small space around the push button, has a simple structure, and is easy to assemble. Another object of the present invention is to obtain a push-button device that can be installed especially at the corner of the exterior cover of a camera.

[0004]

[Outline of the device]

 The present invention achieves this object by pressing a push button with a torsion coil spring and proposing a new support mechanism for the torsion coil spring. In the push button device of the present invention, the push button supporting member is formed with a slide hole for the push button and a spring accommodating hole in a direction substantially orthogonal to the slide hole, and the torsion coil spring is formed in the spring accommodating hole. It is characterized in that the coil part is inserted and one of the legs is brought into contact with the back surface of the push button fitted in the sliding hole. According to this push button device, the push button can be biased in the protruding direction in a small space.

Further, in the torsion coil spring, the other leg portion is located in the spring accommodating hole, and the other leg portion and the base portion of the one leg portion are provided in the coil portion in the accommodating state in the spring accommodating hole. It is desirable to set the angle so as to give a forward input in the depth direction of the spring housing hole. By simply inserting the coil portion of the torsion coil spring into the spring accommodating hole, the torsion coil spring can be prevented from falling off.

It is practical that the push button support member is composed of a member different from the support member of the operated member operated by the push button. In the case of a camera, if the operated member support member is the camera body and the push button support member is the camera exterior cover, workability during assembly is good.

[0007]

【Example】

 The present invention will be described below with reference to the illustrated embodiments. The appearance cover 12 is located on the outer appearance of the camera body 11, and both are fixed by fixing means (not shown). A push button device 20, which is a feature of the present invention, is supported on the outer cover 12, and a push switch 13 which is pressed by the push button device 20 is fixed to the camera body 11. The push switch 13 is composed of a conductor 16 facing a well-known pattern that constitutes a switch formed on the printed circuit board 14, and a rubber or the like which holds the conductor 16 in a non-contact state with the printed circuit board 14 at all times. The elastic member 17 is well-known and is turned on when the pressing portion 18 on the back surface of the conductor 16 is pressed to bring the conductor 16 into contact with the pattern of the printed board 14.

The outer cover 12 is made of a molded product of a synthetic resin material, and a sliding hole 22 of the push button 21 is formed in a corner portion of the outer cover 12. The outer cover 12 has a right bottom spring accommodating hole 23 formed at a deep portion of the sliding hole 22 and orthogonal to the sliding hole 22. The spring accommodating hole 23 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the affected portion has a semi-cylindrical cross-section that matches the curvature of the coil portion 24a of the torsion coil spring 24. The direction of the spring accommodating hole 23 is oriented in the direction of pulling out the mold for the outer cover 12.

The torsion coil spring 24 has a short leg portion 24 b located in the spring accommodating hole 23 and a long leg portion 24 c extending out from the spring accommodating hole 23 toward the push button 21 side. The long leg portion 24c has a base portion 24d on the coil portion 24a side, which is once bent to the leg portion 24b side.

The push button 21 has a retaining flange 21 a having a diameter larger than that of the sliding hole 22 at a rear end portion thereof. A flat surface portion 21b is formed on a part of the retaining flange 21a, and the flat surface portion 21b engages with the rotation preventing flat surface portion 12a of the exterior cover 12 to prevent the push button 21 from rotating. There is.

Further, on the back surface of the push button 21, there are formed a projection 21c for pressing the pressing portion 18 of the push switch 13 and a spring insertion groove 21d into which the long leg portion 24c of the torsion coil spring 24 is fitted. A protrusion 21e is formed in the center of the spring insertion groove 21d so as to abut the long leg 24c.

The main push button device 20 having the above-described configuration is assembled to the outer cover 12 in the previous step of connecting to the camera body 11. That is, after inserting the push button 21 from the inside of the sliding hole 22, the long leg portion 24c is fitted into the spring insertion groove 21d, and the torsion coil spring 24 is inserted into the spring housing hole 23 as it is. Then, the push button 21 is biased in the protruding direction by the biasing force of the long leg portion 24c. The protruding end of the push button 21 is regulated by the retaining flange 21a.

When the torsion coil spring 24 is thus inserted into the spring accommodating hole 23 and the long leg portion 24c thereof is in contact with the back surface of the push button 21, the short leg portion 24b and the base portion 24d have the spring accommodating hole. Angles are given so that they approach each other as they move away from 23a. Therefore, the torsion coil spring 24 is given a force in the direction in which the coil portion 24 a thereof enters the inner portion of the spring housing hole 23. Therefore, the torsion coil spring 24 is simply inserted into the spring accommodating hole 23, and is retained in the spring accommodating hole 23 without requiring any special fall prevention means. The base portion 24d prevents the long leg portion 24c from coming into contact with the wall surface of the spring accommodating hole 23, and ensures that the leg portion 24c biases the push button 21 in the protruding direction.

On the other hand, the push switch 13 and the printed circuit board 14 are attached and fixed to the camera body 11 in a process different from the process of assembling the push button device 20. Then, the exterior cover 12 to which the push button device 20 is attached and the camera body 11 to which the push switch 13 and the printed circuit board 14 are fixed are assembled later. At this time, since the push button 21 is held at the protruding position, the push button 21 (protrusion 21c) and the push switch 13 (pressing portion 18) do not interfere with each other, and the assembling workability is good.

When the push button 21 is pressed and displaced in the assembled and fixed state of the camera body 11 and the exterior cover 12, the pressing portion 18 is pressed to bring the conductor 16 and the printed circuit board 14 into contact with each other, and the push switch 13 is turned on. Turns on. When the operating force of the push button 21 is released, the force of the long leg portion 24c of the torsion coil spring 24 causes the push button 21 to return to the protruding position.

As is clear from the drawings, the space for the torsion coil spring 24 is small in both the pressing direction of the push button 21 and the direction orthogonal thereto, and therefore the push button device 20 can be miniaturized, and It is possible to install the exterior cover 12 at the corner portion.

[0017]

[Effect of the device]

 As described above, the push button device of the present invention is provided with the spring accommodating hole in the direction substantially orthogonal to the moving direction of the push button, and the one leg of the torsion coil spring inserted in the spring accommodating hole allows Since the push button is urged outward, a compact device with a simple structure can be obtained. According to the second aspect, it is possible to prevent the coil spring from falling off only by inserting the torsion coil spring into the spring housing hole. According to the third aspect, since the push button device and the member operated by the push button device are supported by different members, the assembling property is good, and in particular, as in the fourth aspect, the appearance of the camera is improved. This is effective when the push button device is provided on the cover and the operated member is provided on the body.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view showing an embodiment of a push button device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 camera body 12 appearance cover (push button support member) 13 push switch (operated member) 20 push button device 21 push button 21a retaining flange 21d spring insertion groove 22 sliding hole 23 spring housing hole 24 torsion coil spring 24a coil section 24b short leg 24c long leg 24d base

Claims (4)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A push button supporting member is formed with a slide hole for a push button and a spring housing hole in a direction substantially orthogonal to the slide hole, and a coil portion of a torsion coil spring is provided in the spring housing hole. A push-button device, characterized in that the push-button device is inserted and one of its legs is brought into contact with the back surface of the push button fitted in the sliding hole. 2. The torsion coil spring according to claim 1, wherein the other leg portion is located in the spring accommodating hole, and the other leg portion and the base portion of the one leg portion are connected to the spring accommodating hole. In the storage bear, a push button device that forms an angle that gives a forward input to the coil storage portion in the coil storage unit. 3. The push button device according to claim 1, wherein the push button support member is a member different from a support member of an operated member operated by the push button. 4. The push button device according to claim 3, wherein the operated member support member is a camera body, and the push button support member is an external cover of the camera.