Multi-directional switch device

1. A multi-directional switch device comprising:

an operation shaft configured to perform a rotating operation and a tilting operation and having an operation knob at one end portion; and

a housing which supports the operation shaft so as to be rotatable and tiltable,

wherein, in the housing, a circuit board which has a through-hole through which the operation shaft penetrates, a first fixed contact and a second fixed contact formed integrally with the circuit board, a rotation holder through which the operation shaft is inserted in a loosely-fitted state in which oscillation of the operation shaft is allowed and which rotates integrally with the operation shaft, a rotation slider through which the operation shaft is inserted to rotate integrally and which slides linearly along the circuit board by being driven by the tilted operation shaft, a first movable contact which is held in the rotation holder and is configured to come into contact with and be separated from the first fixed contact, and a second movable contact which is held in the rotation slider and is configured to come into contact with and be separated from the second fixed contact are provided,

wherein, a rotation switch mechanism which includes the rotation holder, the first movable contact, and the first fixed contact is arranged on one surface side of the circuit board, and a slide switch mechanism which includes the rotation slider, the second movable contact, and the second fixed contact is arranged on the other surface side of the circuit board,

wherein, the rotation switch mechanism is configured to output a signal corresponding to at least one rotation position of the rotation holder, and when the rotation holder is set to a predetermined rotation position, the slide switch mechanism is configured to output a signal corresponding to a tilt direction of the operation shaft,

wherein, the rotation switch mechanism outputs a first signal when the rotation holder is set to a first rotation position that is farthest from a rotation neutral position,

wherein, the slide switch mechanism outputs a second signal corresponding to the tilt direction of the operation shaft as the operation shaft is tilted when the rotation holder is set to a second rotation position that is separated from the rotation neutral position in one direction part way to the first rotation position,

wherein, the slide switch mechanism outputs a third signal corresponding to the tilt direction of the operation shaft as the operation shaft is tilted when the rotation holder is set to a third rotation position that is separated from the rotation neutral position in the other direction part way to the first rotation position;

wherein a guide groove which is formed by causing an annular groove portion that extends in an annular form and a linear groove portion that extends outward at predetermined intervals to be continuous is provided on an inner wall surface of the housing,

wherein, a plurality of sliding pins protrude from the rotation slider so as to cause positions of the sliding pins to be restricted by the guide groove, and

wherein, the sliding pins move along the annular groove portion during rotation of the rotation slider, and the sliding pins move along the linear groove portion during sliding of the rotation slider.

2. The multi-directional switch device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the rotation holder is arranged in an accommodation space on the one surface side of the circuit board in the housing,

the operation shaft is tilted using a point that abuts on the rotation holder as an oscillation spot, and

the other end portion of the operation shaft is arranged in an accommodation space on the other surface side of the circuit board in the housing.

3. The multi-directional switch device according to claim 1 ,

wherein one of the rotation holder and the housing is provided with a cam surface which extends along a rotational direction of the rotation holder and has trough portions at a plurality of points, and the other thereof holds an engagement member which comes into elastic contact with the cam surface and is configured to be engaged with and disengaged from the trough portions, and

the cam surface has the trough portions of which the number is at least four so as to position the rotation holder at the rotation neutral position and the first to third rotation positions, respectively.

4. The multi-directional switch device according to claim 1 ,

wherein an actuator which is biased outward in an axial direction by a spring member is held by the other end portion of the operation shaft,

a concave receiving surface, which supports the operation shaft via the actuator, is formed in an inner bottom portion of the housing, and

the actuator, which comes into elastic contact with the concave receiving surface, slides on the concave receiving surface as the operation shaft is tilted.

5. The multi-directional switch device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the first signal is a signal for folding in and folding out side mirrors that are attached to the left and right of a vehicle body,

the second signal is a signal for adjusting a visual angle by tilting a mirror surface of the side mirror on either the left or right, and

the third signal is a signal for adjusting a visual angle by tilting a mirror surface of the side mirror on the other of the left and right.

6. The multi-directional switch device according to claim 5 ,

wherein a wafer which has higher heat resistance than the circuit board is placed in a region of one surface of the circuit board that surrounds the through-hole, and

the first fixed contact is provided in the wafer.

7. The multi-directional switch device according to claim 6 ,

lead terminals derived from the first fixed contact are arranged at a plurality of points of an outer peripheral portion of the wafer, and

the wafer is electrically and mechanically connected to the circuit board by soldering each of the lead terminals to a corresponding connection land of the circuit board.