JPS6360486B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] The present invention relates to electric switches.

Various types of electric switches are known, but all of them are equipped with a fixed contact fixed on the housing and a movable contact in the form of an elastic arm with one end fixed to the housing. The actuator member is operated to move the movable contact between a first position away from the fixed contact and a second position in contact with the fixed contact.

As the actuator member, a push button type, a slide type, a rotary type, etc. are used.

No matter how the actuator member is operated, it is desirable that the actuator member be easy to operate and that the contact pressure between the movable contact and the fixed contact be large when the switch is in the closed state.
However, it has been difficult to simultaneously satisfy the above two requirements with electric switches of conventional structure.

The object of the present invention is to provide an electric switch that can satisfy the above two requirements.

The switch of the present invention includes a fixed contact member supported by a housing, a movable contact member in the form of an elastic arm having one end fixed to the housing, and a movable contact member mounted on the housing to separate the movable contact member from the fixed contact member. The second part engaged with the fixed contact member from the first position.
In the electric switch, the electric switch includes an actuator member that is operated to move the elastic arm-shaped movable contact member to a main arm having one end fixed to the housing, and integrally extending from the other end of the main arm. It has first and second branch arms that branch and extend, and when the actuator member is operated, the first branch arm engages with the actuator member, and the second branch arm engages with the fixed contact member. When the actuator member is operated, the entire movable contact member is displaced by bending of the main arm until the second branch arm engages with the fixed contact member. , the first and second branch arms are then displaced in the same direction and toward each other, such that the actuator member displaces the first branch arm by the force displacing the first branch arm, and
The contact pressure between the branch arm and the fixed contact member is increased.

In the switch of the present invention as described above, the entire movable contact member is displaced by first bending the main arm (this bending does not create much resistance to the movement of the actuator member). The actuator member is easy to operate. Further, next, a large contact pressure can be obtained by displacing the first and second branch arms in a direction toward each other while keeping the first branch arm in contact with the fixed contact member.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

1 to 3, a switch according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a rectangular parallelepiped housing 1 made of an insulating plastic material. A fixed contact member 3 is supported on the bottom wall 2 of this housing 1. This fixed contact member 3 consists of a contact part 4 disposed in a housing 1 and a pin part 5 protruding downward from the bottom wall 2, and the pin part 5 is inserted into a hole in a printed circuit board, for example. There is. Further, a movable contact member 6 stamped and formed from a metal sheet is fixed on the bottom wall 2. The movable contact member 6 includes a pin portion 7 projecting downward from the bottom wall 2 at a position away from the pin portion 5 of the fixed contact member 3, and an elastic contact arm 8 disposed within the housing 1. The contact arm 8 consists of an L-shaped main arm 9 extending from the pin part 7 and first and second branch arms 10 and 11 connected to the main arm 9 by a cross arm 12.

The housing 1 is closed by a cover 13. The cover 13 is provided with a slot 14,
An actuator member 15 is slidably disposed within the slot 14 between a first position shown in FIG. 1 and a second position shown in FIG. The actuator member 15 has a head 1 disposed within the housing 1.
6, the head 16 of which is positioned above the pin portion 7 of the movable contact member 6 when the actuator member 15 is in the first position, and when the actuator member 15 is in the second position. It is positioned above the fixed contact member 3. Although the upper portion of actuator member 15 is not shown, it may have any shape that is convenient for sliding actuator member 15 along slot 14.

The first branch arm 10 of the contact arm 8 extends from one end of the main arm 9 toward the cover 13 with a first portion 17 inclined upwardly and parallel to the cover 13 (and thus parallel to the bottom wall 2). ) consisting of an extending second portion 18.

In the state shown in FIG.
The head 16 of is on the main arm 9 of the contact arm 8, the second branch arm 11 is not in contact with the contact part 4 of the fixed contact member 3, and the contact arm 8 is not deflected.

The actuator member 15 is slid along the slot 14 (to the right in the figure) towards the second position shown in FIG. Upon engagement with the upper edge, initially the main arm 9 is bent and the entire contact arm is elastically displaced until the second branch arm 11 engages the contact portion 4 of the fixed contact member 3. FIG. 2 shows this state. When the head 16 moves further to the right, the first and second branch arms 10 and 11 are elastically bent toward each other, thereby increasing the contact pressure between the second branch arm 11 and the contact portion 4. be enhanced.

The head 16 climbs over the ridge 19 between the first and second parts 17, 18 of the first branch arm 10 to reach the second branch arm 10.
reaches the position shown in FIG. 2 by sliding on the upper edge of the second portion 18, but at this time, since the main arm 9 is bent, the upper edge of the second portion 18 is slopes downward.

When the actuator member 15 is slid, the resistance is large until the head 16 crosses the peak 19, and the resistance decreases once the head 16 passes the peak 19. Therefore, the user can feel that he has "crossed the center" and can therefore clearly feel that the switch has been operated properly. Such a feeling of "crossing over the center" can also be felt when the actuator member 15 is returned to the position shown in FIG. 1, that is, when the second branch arm 11 is separated from the contact portion 4 of the fixed contact member 3. .

The contact pressure between the second branch arm 11 and the contact portion 4 and the deflection of the first and second branch arms 10 and 11 in the direction toward each other are at their maximum when the head 16 crosses the peak portion 19 to the right. Therefore, both branch arms 10 and 11
then loosens slightly. This allows branch arm 11
will slide slightly on the contact portion 4.

As shown in FIG. 3, a large number of housings 1 and covers 13 may be molded as a continuous body, thereby making it possible to manufacture a multi-contact switch. In this case, weak parts 20 are provided between adjacent housings and between adjacent covers,
Desirably, a desired number of cuts are made from the weak portion 20.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. In addition, in FIGS. 4 and 5, the same numbers are given to the same parts as in the above embodiment.

In the switch of the above embodiment, the contact portion between the fixed contact member 3 and the second branch arm 11 is exposed to the outside air, which is normally fine, but it may be desirable that the contact portion is not exposed to the outside air. . That is, an airtight switch may be required.

The switch shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is such an airtight switch, and the wall of the housing 1 adjacent to the fixed contact member 3 is thickened, and the thick part 22
A fixed contact member 3 extends through it. Furthermore, the wall of the housing 1 is provided with a slot 23 into which a body 24 of resilient insulating material is inserted.
The insulating material body 24 is inserted through the slot 23 and rests on the thickened part 22 of the wall 21 and connects the contact part 4 of the fixed contact member 3 and the contact part 25 of the second branch arm 11 of the contact arm 8. wrap The insulating material body 24 may be molded in advance and attached to the housing 1 before the fixed contact member 3 and the movable contact member 6 are attached to the housing 1.
It may be formed by molding a room-temperature curing paste thereon, and in the latter case, it may be formed either before or after the contact members 3 and 6 are attached.

When the switch of this embodiment is first moved from the open position shown in FIG. 4 to the closed position shown in FIG.
The contact portion 25 of the branch arm 11 is connected to the insulating material body 2.
pierced by 4. Therefore, it is desirable that the contact portion 25 be sharp. When the switch is returned to the open position shown in FIG. 1, the insulating material body 24 expands elastically to fill the gap between the contact portions 4 and 25. In this way, the contact portions 4, 25 are always sealed from the outside air.

The switch of this embodiment may be part of a multi-contact switch consisting of a plurality of similar switches integrally formed with housings 1 arranged side by side, as shown in FIG. In this case, the insulating material body 24 may be a single piece common to all switches.

Next, a switch according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 6, the same parts as in FIGS. 1 and 2 are given the same numbers.

The main difference between the switch of this embodiment and the switch of FIGS. 1
It means that it is kept within. Further, in the switch of this embodiment, the fixed contact member 3 is inserted not from the bottom wall 2 of the housing 1 but from the side wall. Therefore, in this embodiment, the housing 1 can be integrally molded with all the necessary cores moved in the horizontal direction of the housing.

In the switch of this embodiment, the left side of the housing 1 is open, and the actuator member 15 is inserted into the housing 1 from the left side. After inserting the actuator member 15, the movable contact member 6 is attached to the housing 1 from the left side. At this time, the extension of the main arm 9 engages the rear part of the actuator member 15 and retains the actuator member 15 within the housing 1.

A switch according to a further embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 7 is substantially similar to the switch shown in FIG. It is equipped with 24. In this embodiment as well, the housing 1 has an integral structure, and the actuator member is held within the housing 1 by the movable contact member 6.

The switches shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 are both simple and therefore inexpensive to manufacture, and yet combine the advantages of the switches of FIGS. 1 and 2 and the switches of FIGS. 4 and 5, respectively.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a switch according to an embodiment of the present invention in an open state, FIG. 2 is a sectional view in a closed state, FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken in a direction perpendicular to FIGS. 1 and 2, and FIG. is a sectional view of a switch in an open state according to another embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the switch in its closed state, and FIGS. 6 and 7 are cross-sectional views of still other switches of the present invention in their open states. 1...Housing, 3...Fixed contact member, 6...
...Movable contact member, 9...Main arm, 10, 11...
...first and second branch arms, 15...actuator member.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A fixed contact member 3 supported by the housing 1,
A movable contact member 6 in the form of an elastic arm whose one end is fixed to the housing 1 and a movable contact member 6 mounted on the housing 1 to connect the movable contact member 6 to the fixed contact member 3 from a first position away from the fixed contact member 3. An electric switch comprising an actuator member 15 which is operated to move into an engaged second position, wherein the elastic arm-shaped movable contact member 6 has a main arm 9 having one end fixed to the housing 1;
and first and second branch arms 10 and 11 that branch and extend integrally from the other end of the main arm 9, and when the actuator member 15 is operated,
The first branch arm 10 is the actuator member 1 thereof.
5, the second branch arm 11 engages with the fixed contact member 3, and when the actuator member 15 is operated, the second branch arm 11 engages with the fixed contact member 3. Until engagement occurs, the entire movable contact member 6 is displaced by the bending of the main arm 9, and then the first and second branch arms 10, 11 move in the same direction and toward each other. The actuator member 15 is displaced so that the actuator member 15
A switch characterized in that the contact pressure between the second branch arm 11 and the fixed contact member 3 is increased by the force that displaces the second branch arm 11 and the fixed contact member 3. 2. An elastic insulating material body 24 is supported within the housing 1, and the contact portion 4 of the fixed contact member 3 and the contact portion 25 of the second branch arm 11 are embedded in the insulating material body 24. When the actuator member 15 is operated, the contact portion 25 of the second branch arm 11 moves within the insulating material body 24 and comes into contact with the contact portion 4 of the fixed contact member 3. A switch according to claim 1, characterized in that: 3. The housing 1 is of integral construction, and the actuator member is held within the housing 1 by a portion of the movable contact member 6. The switch described in item 1 or 2. 4. The switch according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the actuator member 15 is mounted on the housing 1 so as to be slidable relative to the housing 1. 5. The switch according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the main arm 9 of the movable contact member 6 is substantially L-shaped. 6. During the movement of the actuator member 15,
Both arms 10 and 11 of the movable contact member 6
6. A switch according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the displacements in the direction of approaching each other decrease after reaching a maximum.