Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Panasonic Corporation

Hyundai Motor Company

Takahiro Nishimura

Jun Sato

Takumi Nishimoto

Tetsuya Fukuda

Hiroshi Matsui

Masaki Sawada

Seung Hai Hwang

Koji Ono

Masato Yamasaki

Yukihiro Ishihara

Minoru Karaki

Seungryong Noh

Tomohiro Meigi

A control knob device that may be used in a vehicle to control audio volume or the like includes a shaft connected with a knob cap, an elastic member pressed by the shaft to be elastically deformed, and a switch located adjacent to the elastic member. The switch includes a switch part configured to output a signal upon a deformation of the elastic member. A deformable member deformed by a load greater than that when the elastic member is deformed and the switch outputs the signal, is configured to change a relative position between the knob cap and the shaft.

Control knob device

A panel switch includes an insulating substrate, a resist layer provided on an upper surface of the insulating substrate, a cover sheet, an adhesive layer bonded onto an upper surface of the resist layer, and plural push switches activated upon being pressed via the cover sheet. The resist layer has plural contact openings and a communication opening provided therein. The contact openings and the communication opening exposes the upper surface of the insulating substrate from the contact openings and the communication opening. The communication opening allows the contact openings to communicate with each other. The adhesive layer is provided entirely on a lower surface of the cover sheet and covers the contact openings and the communication opening. The push switches are accommodated in the contact openings, respectively. In this panel switch, the adhesive layer can easily be printed on the cover sheet and bond the cover sheet securely to the insulating substrate.

Panel switch

A rotationally-operated electronic component in which a predetermined signal is obtained by rotating a roller-shaped operating dial, and a detent generating mechanism can easily be disposed even when the diameter of the operating dial is reduced. The rotationally-operated electronic component is configured in such a manner that the detent generating mechanism for the operating dial is stored within a recess formed on the left circular portion with coil spring being deflected, and with an urging force of coil spring, movable clicking member is brought into resilient contact with fixed clicking member on the outside thereof. Accordingly, even when the diameter of the operating dial is reduced, the detent generating mechanism can be disposed easily and the preferable detent feeling can be maintained for a long time.

Rotationally-operated electronic component

A movable-contact unit to be used in an operating panel of various electronic devices is disclosed. The movable-contact unit is formed of movable contacts directly held on an inorganic EL sheet. To obtain adequate tactile feedback from the movable contacts even in a low temperature environment, a holding section of adhesive is patterned on the underside of the inorganic EL sheet such that the area of the holding section is not less than 25% and not greater than 50% of the area of the movable contact. Then the movable contact is held adhesively by this patterned holding section of the adhesive.

Movable-contact unit and panel switch using the same

The disclosed rotary encoder includes contact substrate and movable contact plate . Substrate contains three fan-shaped conductive layers A, B, and C on positions having a same distance from the center of substrate . On the other hand, movable contact plate retains three elastic contacts A, B, C, and rotates. The three contacts have continuity with each other and disposed at positions with a same distance from the center of substrate , spaced at a radial angle of 120&deg;. When contact plate is rotated, any two out of three elastic contacts A, B, and C consecutively contact with any two out of three conductive layers A, B, and C. Through the continuity, an electric signal is led out from terminals A, B, and C.

Rotary encoder and multi-operational electronic component using the same

A rotary type electronic component includes (a) a bearing formed of a cylindrical section and a substrate on which the cylindrical section is situated, (b) a rotary shaft formed of an upper section protruding from the bearing, a mid section journaled by the bearing, and a lower section having a flange with a hole which communicates with a recess formed axially in the shaft, (c) a case coupled with a lower face of the substrate so that the case covers the lower section of the shaft, and on its bottom plate having fixed contacts corresponding to movable contacts, (d) a spring housed in the recess of the shaft and biasing from inner section of the recess toward the bottom plate of the case, and (e) a frictional plate having a hole in the axial direction, engaging with a rim of recess opening, being urged by the spring against the bottom plate of the case, following the rotation of the shaft and yet moving axially and independently of the shaft. This construction allows the downsized component to keep required high torque with smooth tactile feel as well as a long service-life.

Growing community of inventors

Okayama, Japan

Takahiro Nishimura