Power generation switch apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9551327-B2
Application number	US-201314386856-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 22, 2013
Priority date	Mar 22, 2012
Publication date	Jan 24, 2017
Grant date	Jan 24, 2017

Abstract

A power generation switch apparatus including multiple switch keys, a power generation apparatus that is driven to perform power generation by an operation force applied to the multiple switch keys, multiple switches being supplied with an electric power generated by the power generation apparatus and performing a switching movement by an operation of the multiple switch keys, and a switch signal transmission circuit being driven by the electric power from the power generation apparatus and outputting multiple switch signals that are different from each other in correspondence with the switching movement of the multiple switches.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A power generation switch apparatus comprising:
a plurality of switch keys;
a power generation apparatus that is driven to perform power generation by an operation force applied to the switch keys;
a plurality of switches being supplied with an electric power generated by the power generation apparatus and performing a switching movement by an operation of the switch keys; and
a switch signal transmission circuit being driven by the electric power from the power generation apparatus and outputting a plurality of switch signals that are different from each other in correspondence with the switching movement of the plurality of switches, the switch signal transmission circuit including a switch control circuit connected to the plurality of switch keys,
wherein the switch control circuit is configured to detect the operation of the plurality of switch keys based on a corresponding relationship between an on/off state of one or more switches of the plurality of switches and an on/off state of the power generation apparatus,
wherein the corresponding relationship is stored beforehand in the switch control circuit,
wherein the switch control circuit is configured to determine whether the one or more of the plurality of switch keys are on according to the corresponding relationship,
wherein the switch signal transmission circuit is configured to transmit the switch signal to an electronic device according to the on/off state of the one or more switches of the plurality of switches and the on/off state of the power generation apparatus, and
wherein the plurality of switches are configured to be switched before the power generation of the power generation apparatus.

2. The power generation switch apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
a link mechanism including a coupling arm that couples the plurality of switch keys and the power generation apparatus;
wherein the electric power is generated by transmitting an operation force exerted to any one of the plurality of switch keys by way of the link mechanism and driving a power generator of the power generation apparatus.

3. The power generation switch apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of switches include a substrate formed with switch patterns arranged in a manner facing the switch keys.

4. The power generation switch apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein one of the plurality of switches is installed in the power generation apparatus.

5. The power generation switch apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein only a single power generation apparatus is provided with respect to the plurality of the switches.

Assignees

• Mitsumi Electric Co Ltd
• Honda Access Kk

Inventors

• Kaneko Toshio
• Tsuneyoshi Nobutaka
• Umeoka Hidetaka

Classifications

• G06F3/0202

  Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the input device · CPC title

• H01H2239/076

  Key stroke generating power · CPC title

• H02K7/1853

  driven by intermittent forces · CPC title

• G08C17/02 Primary

  using a radio link · CPC title

• F03G5/06 Primary

  other than of endless-walk type · CPC title