JP4378223B2 - Push button device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a push button device, and more particularly to a push button device used in equipment such as a vending machine.

  In general, a front panel of a vending machine is provided with a plurality of display shelves displaying product samples along the left-right direction, and push button devices are arranged corresponding to the respective display shelves. The push button device includes a casing extending along the display shelf, and a push button switch arranged to be operable with respect to the casing to constitute a push button unit, and a plurality of sets of push button units are connected to each other by a support member. It is attached to the front panel via a support member (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent No. 2838916

  By the way, in the push button device as described above, since the protrusion formed on the support member is engaged with the casing, it is necessary to form a recess for inserting the protrusion of the support member into the casing. Here, in order to securely engage the casing and the support member, it is necessary to configure the contact area between the protrusion of the support member and the recess of the casing as large as possible. That is, in the invention described in Patent Document 1, a large recess must be formed at the end of the casing.

  Normally, various components such as a push-button switch contact and a wiring board on which electronic components such as an IC and a light source are mounted are accommodated in the casing. For this reason, in the pushbutton device in which a large concave portion is formed at the end of the casing, the internal component accommodation area of the casing is reduced, and it is not necessarily preferable when considering the degree of freedom in arranging the components. .

  In view of such circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a push button device capable of reliably engaging a casing and a support member without impairing the degree of freedom in arranging components.

In order to achieve the above object, a push button device according to claim 1 of the present invention includes a push button unit in which a push button switch is operably disposed with respect to a casing, and a push button unit engaged with an end of the casing. In the push button device provided with a supporting member for supporting , the push button unit being provided on the front surface of the vending machine in a state where the casing is exposed to the outside, a stepped shape in which the outer surface is lowered at the end of the casing A recess is formed in the support member to fit into the stepped portion of the casing, and a cover portion is provided in a portion of the support member that covers the stepped portion of the casing. is supported on the front of the vending machine push button unit through the supporting member by a manner covering the surface by a cover portion is fitted accommodating an end portion of the casing in the recess of the support member And wherein the door.

  According to the push button device according to the present invention, since the outer surface of the end portion of the casing is covered with the cover portion of the support member, it is not necessary to form a recess in the end portion of the casing. Therefore, the contact area with the support member can be increased as much as possible without reducing the internal component housing area of the casing.

  Exemplary embodiments of a push button device according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a vending machine to which a push button device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. The vending machine 1 illustrated here sells products such as canned beverages and beverages containing plastic bottles in a cooled or heated state, and includes a main body cabinet 2 and an outer door 3.

  The main body cabinet 2 is configured by combining a plurality of steel plates and has a box shape with a heat insulating structure having an open front surface. Although not clearly shown in the drawing, a plurality of products are stored in the main body cabinet 2 via a product storage rack. The outer door 3 is for closing the front opening of the main body cabinet 2 and is held at one side edge of the main body cabinet 2 in such a manner that it can be opened and closed.

  On the front panel of the outer door 3, a bill insertion slot 4, a coin insertion slot 5, a display unit 6, and a product outlet 7 are provided. The bill insertion slot 4 is an opening for a user to insert a bill, and the coin insertion slot 5 is an opening for a user to insert a coin, and is provided at an intermediate position in the height direction of the front panel. It is. The money inserted through the bill insertion slot 4 and the coin insertion slot 5 is appropriately processed in a money processing apparatus (not shown). The money handling apparatus determines whether or not the money inserted through the bill insertion slot 4 or the coin insertion slot 5 is a regular one, and takes in the money that has been identified as a regular one, while identifying it as a regular currency. When it is not possible and when the return lever 8 is operated after the insertion operation, the money is returned. In addition, the banknote insertion port 4 functions also as a banknote return port at the time of returning a banknote with respect to a user. On the other hand, the coins inserted from the coin insertion slot 5 are returned to the user through the coin return slot 9. The display unit 6 is for displaying various information necessary for selling the product, such as the amount of money inserted by the user, the amount of change, etc., and is configured by a liquid crystal display, for example. is there. The product outlet 7 is an opening through which a user takes out the product paid out from the main body cabinet 2 and is provided at the lowermost part of the front panel.

  The front panel of the outer door 3 is provided with a display window 10 in the upper part thereof. The display window 10 is a window whose front surface is covered with a transparent plate 11, and a plurality of display shelves 13 on which product samples 12 are displayed along the left-right direction. The product sample 12 of each display shelf 13 can be viewed from the outside through the transparent plate 11.

  On the front surface of the transparent plate 11, there are provided push button devices 100 for selecting products for sale corresponding to the respective display shelves 13. The push button device 100 includes a casing 110 and a plurality of push button switches 120 disposed so as to be operable with respect to the casing 110 to form a push button unit 130, and the plurality of sets of push button units 130 are supported by a transparent member 11 by a support member 140. By supporting this, the push button switch 120 corresponding to each product sample 12 is individually provided to the user.

  2 and 3 show a push button unit 130 of the push button device 100 applied to the vending machine 1 shown in FIG. In FIG. 1, a push button unit 130 having six push button switches 120 in the casing 110 is shown. However, in the following description, for convenience, the push button unit 130 having two push button switches 120 in the casing 110 is shown. I will explain.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the casing 110 of the push button unit 130 includes a base member 111 and a cover member 112.

  The base member 111 has a rectangular plate shape. The base member 111 has a frame portion 111a at the periphery of the surface thereof and a mounting groove 111b in the frame portion 111a. The frame portion 111a has a rectangular frame shape provided along each side of the base member 111, and protrudes from the surface of the base member 111 toward the surface side. The mounting groove 111b is a narrow recess formed in the protruding end surface of the frame portion 111a, and is formed in an endless rectangular shape.

  The cover member 112 covers the surface of the base member 111, and includes a front plate portion 112a, a pair of stepped portions 112b, and a pair of side plate portions 112c. The front plate portion 112a is a portion having an arcuate cross section centered on an axial center along the longitudinal direction, and has two button insertion holes 112d. The button insertion hole 112d is for exposing an operation member 125 of a push button switch 120 described later to the outside. In the present embodiment, elliptical button insertion holes 112 d that are horizontally long along the longitudinal direction of the cover member 112 and have the same size are formed so as to be arranged in parallel along the longitudinal direction of the cover member 112. It is. The stepped portion 112b has an arc tube shape whose cross section is smaller in diameter than the front plate portion 112a, and is formed at both longitudinal ends of the front plate portion 112a. As is apparent from the drawing, the stepped portion 112b is connected to the front plate portion 112a in such a manner that the outer surface bulging in an arc shape is lower than the outer surface of the front plate portion 112a. The side plate portion 112c is for closing the end face opening of the stepped portion 112b, and has a flat plate shape having an outer shape according to the cross-sectional shape of the stepped portion 112b. The cover member 112 is configured to have a size that allows the base member 111 to close a rectangular opening formed by the front plate portion 112a, the stepped portion 112b, and the side plate portion 112c. The cover member 112 is formed of a light-shielding material or coated with a light-shielding property so that the light is not transmitted to the front surface side when light is irradiated from the back side. Is processed.

  On the other hand, the push button switch 120 of the push button unit 130 is configured by sequentially superposing the wiring board 121, the reflector member 122, the packing 123, the display board 124 and the operation member 125.

  One wiring board 121 is prepared for two (plural) push button switches 120, and is formed into a rectangular shape having a size that can be accommodated in the frame portion 111a of the base member 111 described above. On the surface of the wiring board 121, mounting regions for the pushbutton switches 120 are formed in respective portions that are approximately bisected in the longitudinal direction, and the contact member 126, the first light source 127, the second light source are respectively provided in the mounting regions. While individual electronic components individually required by the push button switch 120 such as the light source 128 are mounted, common electronic components such as the integrated circuit element 129 that are commonly used by the two push button switches 120 at a portion serving as a boundary between both mounting regions Is implemented.

  The contact member 126 switches a desired electronic circuit configured on the wiring board 121 to an ON state when a pressing operation is performed. Two contact members 126 are provided for each push button switch 120. In the present embodiment, the contact members 126 are arranged at both ends of each mounting region in a state where a gap substantially equal to the long diameter of the button insertion hole 112d formed in the cover member 112 is secured between them. .

  The first light source 127 and the second light source 128 are used for notifying the state of the vending machine 1 according to the difference in the blinking state, and each includes two pairs of light emitting elements having different emission colors, for example, a pair of light emitting diodes. It is configured. More specifically, the first blue light emitting diode 127a that emits blue light emission color and the first orange light emitting diode 127b that emits orange light emission color are arranged in the short direction of the wiring board 121 on one end side of each mounting region. The first light source 127 is arranged in parallel, and the second red light emitting diode 128a that emits red light and the second orange light emitting diode 128b that emits orange light are provided at the other end of each mounting region. The second light source 128 is configured by arranging them side by side in the lateral direction of the wiring board 121.

  The integrated circuit element 129 outputs an individual operation signal to a main controller (not shown) of the vending machine 1 when the contact member 126 arranged in each mounting area is pressed, and a command is given from the main controller. In this case, the first light source 127 and / or the second light source 128 arranged in each mounting area is blinked in response to this command.

  The reflector member 122 is provided individually for each push button switch 120, and can be accommodated between the contact members 126 in each mounting region of the wiring board 121 by a light-shielding material, and the cover member 112. It is formed in an elliptical shape that can be loosely fitted in the button insertion hole 112d formed in the above. Each reflector member 122 has a first reflecting surface 122a at a portion corresponding to the first light source 127, while a portion corresponding to the second red light emitting diode 128a and the second orange light emitting diode 128b of the second light source 128. Are provided with individual second reflecting surfaces 122b.

  The first reflecting surface 122a has an elliptical opening on the surface of the reflector member 122, is a concave portion recessed in an elliptical cone shape from the opening, and has a first light passage hole 122c at the apex. The first light passage hole 122c has a circular shape formed in a size including the first blue light emitting diode 127a and the first orange light emitting diode 127b, and holds the light guide member 1220 therein. The light guide member 1220 is formed in a cylindrical shape that fits into the first light passage hole 122c of the first reflecting surface 122a, using a material having translucency. The light guide member 1220 has a light diverging surface 1220a formed by forming a conical recess in the end surface located on the front surface side of the reflector member 122, while the end surface located on the back surface side of the reflector member 122 is formed. The light scattering surface 1220b is formed by forming a curved concave shape.

  Each of the second reflecting surfaces 122b has a rectangular opening on the surface of the reflector member 122, is a concave portion that is recessed in a quadrangular pyramid shape from each opening, and has a second light passage hole 122d at each apex portion. ing. The second light passage hole 122d has a rectangular shape formed in a size including the second red light emitting diode 128a and the second orange light emitting diode 128b, respectively.

  Although not clearly shown in the drawing, the reflector member 122 is formed by depositing aluminum or an aluminum alloy rich in light reflectivity on at least the first reflecting surface 122a and the second reflecting surface 122b.

  One packing 123 is prepared for two (plural) pushbutton switches 120, and the base 123a is equivalent to the wiring board 121 by a material having translucency and elasticity such as silicone rubber. It is molded into a rectangular outer shape having a size of. The packing 123 is integrally formed with a ridge portion 123b, a button mounting portion 123c, a component housing portion 123d, and a spring portion 123e.

  The protruding portion 123b is an endless rectangular portion that protrudes from the periphery of the back surface of the base portion 123a along each side, and is configured to correspond to the mounting groove 111b of the base member 111. Although not clearly shown in the drawing, the protruding end portion of the protruding portion 123b is configured to have a thickness slightly larger than the width of the mounting groove 111b.

  The button mounting portion 123c has an elliptical opening into which the reflector member 122 can be inserted and inserted into a portion corresponding to each mounting region of the wiring board 121 on the back surface of the base portion 123a, and the surface side of the base portion 123a from the opening. This is a portion protruding toward the surface, and has an elliptical cylindrical shape with each protruding end face closed.

  The component housing portion 123d is a portion for avoiding interference with an electronic component having a large protruding amount, such as the contact member 126 and the integrated circuit element 129 mounted on the wiring board 121, and a base portion 123a at a portion corresponding to these electronic components. Projecting to the surface side and covering the electronic component. Specifically, the component housing portion 123d is formed between the both ends in the longitudinal direction of the packing 123 and the button mounting portion 123c so as to be continuous with the button mounting portion 123c. These component accommodating portions 123d are provided with operation projections 123f at portions corresponding to the contact members 126, respectively. The operation projecting portion 123f is formed in a cylindrical shape with the same length from the surface facing the back surface side in the component housing portion 123d.

  The spring portion 123e is a portion formed in a thin shape so as to be more easily elastically deformed than the other portions while maintaining a desired elastic restoring force, and between the base portion 123a and the button mounting portion 123c, and the base portion 123a. And the component housing portion 123d.

  The display board 124 is formed of a film material made of a light-transmitting material into a shape substantially the same as the protruding end face of the button mounting portion 123c, and is individually provided for each push button switch 120. Although not clearly shown in the drawing, each of the display plates 124 is formed with a blank character at a portion corresponding to the two second reflecting surfaces 122b of the reflector member 122. The extracted character is a character that is lifted when light is transmitted through the display board 124 by applying a process for reducing translucency, such as painting other parts. In the embodiment, “sold out” is displayed on the portion corresponding to the second reflecting surface 122b of the second red light emitting diode 128a, while the portion corresponding to the second reflecting surface 122b of the second orange light emitting diode 128b is displayed. It is configured to display “Preparing”.

  The operation member 125 is individually provided for each push button switch 120, and the button base portion 125a is larger than the button insertion hole 112d formed in the front plate portion 112a of the cover member 112 by a material having translucency, It is molded into a rectangular outer shape having a width and length sufficient to cover the two contact members 126 mounted on the mounting area of the wiring board 121. The outer surface of the button base 125 a bulges in an arc shape following the inner surface of the cover member 112. Each operation member 125 is provided with an operation portion 125b at the center of the button base portion 125a. The operation portion 125b has an elliptical opening into which the button mounting portion 123c of the packing 123 and the display plate 124 can be fitted and inserted on the back surface of the operation member 125, and the elliptical shape extends from the opening toward the front surface side of the button base 125a. This is a portion protruding in a cylindrical shape, and is configured to have an outer dimension that can be inserted into the button insertion hole 112 d of the cover member 112. The protruding height of the operation portion 125b from the outer surface of the button base portion 125a is configured to be slightly larger than the plate thickness of the cover member 112, and the respective distal end surfaces of the operation portions 125b are closed as pressing operation surfaces 125c. It is.

  The push button unit 130 having the above configuration is assembled as follows, for example. First, the reflector member 122 is inserted into the button mounting portion 123c provided in the packing 123, and these are operated from the back side of the operation member 125 in a state where the display plate 124 is superimposed on the protruding end surface of the button mounting portion 123c. The reflector member 122, the packing 123, the display plate 124, and the operation member 125 are integrated by being inserted into the portion 125b. Thereafter, if the protrusion 123b of the packing 123 is press-fitted into the mounting groove 111b in a state where the wiring board 121 is accommodated in the frame portion 111a of the base member 111, the spring of the packing 123 is interposed between the base member 111 and the operation member 125. The operation member 125 is held by the base member 111 with the portion 123e interposed.

  In this case, the contact member 126 mounted on the wiring board 121 is in a state where the button base portion 125 a of the operation member 125 is disposed to face the contact member 126 via the operation protrusion portion 123 f of the packing 123. If a pressing force is applied to the pressing operation surface 125c of the operation member 125 against the elastic force of the spring portion 123e from this state, the contact member 126 is pressed by the back surface of the button base portion 125a via the operation projection 123f of the packing 123. can do. When the pressing force applied to the pressing operation surface 125c of the operating member 125 is removed, the operating member 125 moves away from the wiring board 121 by the elastic restoring force of the spring portion 123e, and the pressing operation of the contact member 126 can be released.

  In addition, the first light source 127 mounted on the wiring board 121 is in a state where the light guide member 1220 provided on the reflector member 122 is opposed to the first light source 127, and the second light source 128 communicates with the second reflecting surface 122b. The two light passage holes 122d are arranged at the opposing positions.

  When the first blue light emitting diode 127a and / or the first orange light emitting diode 127b of the first light source 127 is driven from this state, the emitted light is diverged by the light diverging surface 1220a when passing through the light guide member 1220. Further, after being reflected by the light scattering surface 1220b to the first reflecting surface 122a of the reflector member 122 and reflected by the first reflecting surface 122a, the packing 123, the display plate 124, and the pressing operation surface 125c of the operation member 125 are sequentially transmitted. Thus, the transmitted light can be visually recognized from the outside. Therefore, for example, when the money inserted from the bill insertion slot 4 or the coin insertion slot 5 exceeds the selling price of the product, the first light source 127 of the push button switch 120 corresponding to the product is driven, so that the push button switch 120 Products that can be sold can be clearly indicated to the user by the transmitted light from. In this case, in the case of the pushbutton switch 120 corresponding to the product held in the cold state, the first blue light emitting diode 127a is driven, while in the case of the pushbutton switch 120 corresponding to the product held in the warm state, the first switch It is preferable to drive the two orange light emitting diodes 128b and let the user imagine the product temperature from the respective emission colors.

  On the other hand, when the second red light emitting diode 128a and / or the second orange light emitting diode 128b of the second light source 128 is driven, the emitted light passes through the corresponding second light passage hole 122d and further appropriately. After being reflected by the second reflecting surface 122b, the packing 123, the display plate 124, and the pressing operation surface 125c of the operation member 125 are sequentially transmitted, and this transmitted light can be visually recognized from the outside. At that time, the emitted light from the second red light emitting diode 128a causes the “sold out” character provided on the display plate 124 to rise on the pressing operation surface 125c of the operation member 125, and the emitted light from the second orange light emitting diode 128b. The incident light causes the extracted character “preparing” provided on the display panel 124 to rise on the pressing operation surface 125 c of the operation member 125. Therefore, if the second red light emitting diode 128a of the pushbutton switch 120 corresponding to when there is no product to be sold is driven, the second orange light emitting diode of the pushbutton switch 120 corresponding to the case where the product to be sold has not reached the proper temperature state. If 128b is driven, the operating state of the vending machine 1 can be clearly indicated to the user.

  Finally, if the base member 111 is covered with the cover member 112 in such a manner that the operation portion 125b of the operation member 125 is inserted into the button insertion hole 112d and the two are joined together by a method such as laser welding, the base member 111 and the cover A casing 110 is constituted by the member 112, and a push button unit 130 in which a plurality of push button switches 120 are operably disposed inside the casing 110 can be constituted. In this push button unit 130, since the wiring board 121 is accommodated in the sealed space formed by press-fitting the protruding portion 123b of the packing 123 into the mounting groove 111b of the base member 111, the dustproof and watertight properties are improved. It will be possible to secure enough.

  On the other hand, the support member 140 for supporting the above-described push button unit 130 in the push button device 100 is disposed between the push button units 130 or at the end of the push button unit 130 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 to 6. The support substrate 140a is a base, and the support substrate 140a is provided with a boss portion 140b, a cover portion 140c, and a cover wall portion 140d. The support substrate 140a has a rectangular flat plate shape, and its long side has substantially the same length as the short length of the base member 111, and its short side is the width of the stepped portion 112b provided in the cover member 112. It has a length greater than twice. The boss 140b is a columnar member extending from the center of the back surface of the support substrate 140a, and has a screw hole 140e at the center. The cover portion 140c is for covering the outer surface of the stepped portion 112b formed at both ends of the cover member 112, and bulges in an arc shape between one short side and the other short side of the support substrate 140a. It is comprised in the mode to do. The cover wall portion 140d extends from a position at which the short side is equally divided on the surface of the cover portion 140c in such a manner as to close a gap between the surface of the support substrate 140a and the cover portion 140c. As is apparent from the drawing, the support members (hereinafter referred to as “intermediate support members 140M”) disposed between the push button units 130 are provided with cover portions 140c on both sides of the cover wall portion 140d, and the support substrate 140a. A support member (hereinafter referred to as “end”) is provided at the end of the push button unit 130 while having a recess 140f for fitting the end of the casing 110 between the cover portions 140c located on both sides of the cover wall 140d. The part support member 140E ”is provided with a cover part 140c only on one side of the cover wall part 140d, and has a concave part 140f for fitting the end part of the casing 110 between the support substrate 140a and the cover part 140c. It is constituted as follows.

  In order to support the push button unit 130 by applying the support member 140 configured as described above, the intermediate support member 140M is engaged and disposed between the push button units 130, as shown in FIGS. The end support member 140E is engaged and arranged at the end of the push button unit 130, and the intermediate support member 140M and the boss 140b of the end support member 140E are passed through the transparent plate 11, respectively. The mounting screw S is screwed into the screw hole 140e. In order to engage and dispose the intermediate support member 140M or the end support member 140E on the push button unit 130, the end of the casing 110 may be fitted into the recess 140f of the support member 140.

  Here, according to the push button device 100 in which the end of the casing 110 is fitted into the recess 140 f formed in the support member 140, it is not necessary to form a recess in the end of the casing 110. Therefore, in order to ensure a large contact area between the support member 140 and the casing 110 to ensure engagement, specifically, the stepped portion 112b of the casing 110 is configured to have a large width and a concave portion. Even when the depth of 140f is configured to be large, the internal component accommodation area of the casing 110 is not greatly reduced, and there is no possibility of incurring problems such as the degree of freedom in arranging components.

  In the above-described embodiment, the push button device 100 for selecting a product for sale in the vending machine 1 is illustrated, but it is of course applicable to other uses. Further, the push button unit 130 includes two push button switches 120, but the number of the push button switches 120 included in the push button unit 130 may be one or three or more. Furthermore, although the push button device 100 having a shape in which the front surface of the cover member 112 bulges in an arc shape is illustrated, other shapes may be used.

  In the embodiment described above, the recess 140f for fitting the end of the casing 110 to the support member 140 is formed. That is, the recess 140f that matches the end cross-sectional shape of the casing 110 is formed. Although it is made to form in the support member 140, it is not necessary to make it fit, and if the cover part 140c of the support member 140 covers the outer surface of the end part of the casing 110 without incurring a positional shift of both. It is enough.

1 is a front view of a vending machine to which a push button device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the pushbutton unit of the pushbutton apparatus shown in FIG. It is principal part sectional drawing which shows the pushbutton unit of the pushbutton apparatus shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the support aspect of the pushbutton unit with respect to a support member in the pushbutton apparatus shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the support aspect of the pushbutton unit with respect to a support member in the pushbutton apparatus shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the support aspect of the pushbutton unit with respect to a support member in the pushbutton apparatus shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Pushbutton apparatus 110 Casing 120 Pushbutton switch 130 Pushbutton unit 140 Support member 140c Cover part 140f Recessed part

Claims (1)

A push button unit disposed so that a push button switch can be operated with respect to the casing; and a support member that engages with an end of the casing to support the push button unit, and the push button unit is exposed with the casing exposed to the outside. In the push button device provided on the front of the vending machine ,
A stepped portion is provided in an aspect where the outer surface is lowered at the end of the casing,
Forming a recess that fits into the stepped portion of the casing in the support member, and providing a cover portion at a portion of the support member that covers the stepped portion of the casing ;
The push button unit is supported on the front surface of the vending machine through the support member by fitting and accommodating the end of the casing in the recess of the support member in such a manner that the outer surface of the stepped portion provided in the casing is covered by the cover portion. push button and wherein the letting.

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