Denso Corporation

Alps Electric Co., Ltd.

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Kuniharu Kutsuna

Yasuhiko Yamazaki

Shinji Ishikawa

Kenichi Takenaka

Yuji Kawamoto

Kazumutsu Azuma

Hiroki Iwashita

An operation unit for a vehicle air conditioner includes a display device, a setting input portion of a control parameter of the air conditioner other than a set temperature, an obtaining portion configured to obtain a present set value of the control parameter, and an operating state identification portion configured to identify whether an air-conditioning operating state is in a plurality of predetermined operating states of the air conditioner. In the operation unit, a moving pattern of a pointer of the display device is changed according to the operating state of the air conditioner. For example, a pointer operation control portion can be configured to control an operation of a pointer driving motor such that the pointer moves on a dial of the display device at different moving speeds according to the air-conditioning operating state.

Operation unit for vehicle air conditioner and vehicle air-conditioning control apparatus using the same

A multi-directional input apparatus includes an operating member including a shaft portion which extends to the outside, a housing having an opening through which the shaft portion extends and configured to support the operating member in a tiltable manner, interlocking members moved by the operating member when the shaft portion is tilted, and detectors which detect changes in the positions of the interlocking members. A sliding member is externally fitted to the shaft portion such that the sliding member is movable in an axial direction, and a coil spring is disposed between a flange provided on the shaft portion and the sliding member. A rubbing surface of the sliding member is in elastic contact with a receiving surface on an inner wall of an annular edge portion surrounding the opening. The rubbing surface and the receiving surface are spherical surfaces centered on a tilting center of the shaft portion.

Multi-directional input apparatus

A multi-directional input apparatus includes a swinging member (first drive lever) having a through hole and an operating lever including a drive shaft which is inserted through the long hole. When the operating lever is tilted in a direction that crosses an axial direction of the swinging member, the swinging member is rotated by the drive shaft. A leaf spring is attached to the swinging member, and the drive shaft of the leaf spring is elastically biased against a side surface of an inner wall of the long hole. The leaf spring includes a bent portion which extends substantially parallel to the axial direction of the swinging member and which is in elastic contact with the drive shaft. A hole at which the long hole is completely exposed is formed in the leaf spring.

Growing community of inventors

Aichi-ken, Japan

Kuniharu Kutsuna