Electricity: circuit makers and breakers – Special application – Turn indicator type switches
Reexamination Certificate
2002-10-16
2003-12-09
Enad, Elvin (Department: 2832)
Electricity: circuit makers and breakers
Special application
Turn indicator type switches
C200S061000, C200S013000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06660951
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a canceling structure of a combination switch, such as a turn signal switch for activating, for example, a turn signal lamp of a vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
As such a canceling structure, there is a canceling structure of a turn signal switch as previously proposed by the inventor in JP-A-2001-10406. A turn signal switch incorporating this canceling structure is shown in
FIGS. 4 and 5
.
In this case, a swing block
2
having a control lever
1
is rotatably supported by a casing
3
and a cover
6
around a shaft
2
a
, and a cancel cam
9
is disposed between the swing block
2
and the cover
6
. Referring to
FIG. 5
, the control lever
1
can be rotated vertically in the direction shown by arrows C and D around a lever shaft Q relative to the swing block
2
; however, referring to
FIG. 4
, the control lever
1
is rotated horizontally in the direction shown by arrows A and B along with the swing block
2
around the shaft
2
a
to move in the direction corresponding to the rotation of a steering shaft
14
.
The swing block
2
includes an arm
2
k
for pushing a moderate body
8
at the end thereof biased by a moderate spring
7
against a moderate groove
3
b
formed in the casing
3
.
An upper shaft
9
b
of the cancel cam
9
can be moved along a long hole
6
b
formed in the cover
6
in a normal mode. As particularly shown in an enlarged view of
FIG. 6
, the cancel cam
9
is biased longitudinally toward a steering shaft
14
by a coil spring
11
via an elastic contact material
12
. In the drawing, reference numeral
6
d
denotes a guide formed at the lower surface of the cover
6
and guides the elastic contact material
12
on the line connecting the steering shaft
14
with the shaft
2
a
of the swing block
2
.
Returning to
FIGS. 4 and 5
, the swing block
2
is provided with a support groove
2
c
for receiving a lower shaft
9
a
coaxial with the upper shaft
9
b
of the cancel cam
9
. The support groove
2
c
includes an angular projection
2
d
at the center thereof in the direction from the steering shaft
14
toward the shaft
2
a
of the swing block
2
. When the control lever
1
is in a neutral position, the lower shaft
9
a
of the cancel cam
9
is positioned at the top of the angular projection
2
d
and a butting portion
9
c
is positioned out of a rotating path of the cancel pin
10
.
As shown in
FIG. 6
, the cancel cam
9
includes a pressure contact surface
9
e
in contact with the upper shaft
9
b
and coming into contact with a pushing face
12
a
of the elastic contact material
12
, the butting portion
9
c
extending toward the steering shaft
14
, and a pressure portion
9
d
extending toward the shaft
2
a
for pushing against a cam guide
13
, which will be described later.
FIG. 7
is an enlarged perspective view showing the cancel cam
9
, the elastic contact material
12
, and the coil spring
11
.
The cam guide
13
is formed in substantially U shape in
FIG. 4
, which is slidably placed on the swing block
2
only along the shaft
2
a
of the swing block
2
, is pushed by a pressure spring
15
to be biased toward the cancel cam
9
, movement of projections
13
a
formed on right and left sides thereof toward the steering shaft
14
is limited by a support
2
h
, and the inner wall in the U-shape is separated from the pressure portion
9
d
of the cancel cam.
When the control lever
1
is operated toward a leftward indicating position shown by arrow A to rotate the swing block
2
integrated with the control lever
1
around the shaft
2
a
, the angular projection
2
d
of the support groove
2
c
is moved and the cancel cam
9
is pushed by the elastic contact material
12
biased by the coil spring
11
, and the lower shaft
9
a
slides down the slope of the angular projection
2
d
to move to the base of the angular projection
2
d
and the upper shaft
9
b
is moved toward the steering shaft
14
along the long hole
6
b
in the cover
6
. Consequently, the butting portion
9
c
of the cancel cam
9
projects into the rotating path of the cancel pin
10
which rotates along with the steering shaft
14
.
The cam guide
13
is rotated around the shaft
2
a
along with the swing block
2
. As a result, the sidewall of the cam guide
13
, on the upper side in
FIG. 4
, is positioned in contact with the side end of the pressure portion
9
d
of the cancel cam
9
. The swing block
2
slides a moving part having a moving contact for a turn signal lamp, and thus, the moving contact is brought into contact with a fixed contact to blink a left turn signal lamp.
In this state, when a steering handle is operated in the same direction as the control lever
1
to rotate the steering shaft
14
leftward in the direction shown by arrow J, the cancel pin
10
pushes the butting portion
9
c
in the direction shown by arrow E to rotate the cancel cam
9
around the lower shaft
9
a
and the upper shaft
9
b.
During the rotation, the pressure portion
9
d
of the cancel cam is only separated from the sidewall of the cam guide
13
that was close thereto, not obstructing the rotation.
By the rotation, the pressure contact surface
9
e
of the cancel cam
9
is rotated to compress the coil spring
11
via the elastic contact material
12
; however, since a contact point between the pressure contact surface
9
e
and the elastic contact material
12
is separated from the lower shaft
9
a
and the upper shaft
9
b
, the cancel cam
9
is subjected to a rotating force by the coil spring
11
, thereby returning to an initial state after the cancel pin
10
has been separated from the butting portion
9
c.
During this period of time, since the swing block
2
pushes the moderate body
8
at the end of the arm against the cam groove
3
b
, the control lever
1
is held in the leftward indicating position rotated in the direction shown by arrow A.
Next, in this leftward indicating position, when the steering handle is operated to rotate the steering shaft
14
rightward in the direction shown by arrow K, the cancel pin
10
pushes the butting portion
9
c
in the direction shown by arrow F to rotate the cancel cam
9
around the lower shaft
9
a
and the upper shaft
9
b.
By this rotation, the pressure portion
9
d
of the cancel cam pushes at the sidewall of the cam guide
13
which was close thereto. Accordingly, the swing block
2
having the cam guide
13
is rotated in the direction shown by arrow B to return to the neutral position, and the control lever
1
also returns to OFF position automatically, thereby turning off the left turn signal lamp.
With the return of the swing block
2
, the angular projection
2
d
of the support groove
2
c
biases the lower shaft
9
a
to move the cancel cam
9
in the direction apart from the steering shaft
14
, thus separating the butting portion
9
c
from the rotating path of the cancel pin
10
.
The same goes for a case in which the control lever
1
is operated in the direction shown by arrow B, except that the direction of operation is reversed.
When the control lever
1
is rotated leftward in the direction shown by arrow A, and with the position held by hand, the steering handle is rotated rightward in the direction of returning the control lever
1
automatically, the cancel cam
9
which is forced to rotate by the pressure of the cancel pin
10
rotating in the direction shown by arrow K rotates in the direction shown by arrow F to push the pressure portion
9
d
against the sidewall of the cam guide
13
. In this case, since the sidewall of the cam guide
13
is inclined, the cam guide
13
is moved toward the shaft
2
a
against the pressure spring
15
, the rotation of the cancel pin
10
and the cancel cam
9
is allowed, thus causing no damage by the application of an excessive force.
When the cancel pin
10
is further rotated and passes through the cancel cam
9
, the cam guide
13
returns to a position before the cancel cam
9
abuts thereon by the elasticity of the pressure spring
1
Enad Elvin
Fishman M.
Niles Parts Ltd.
Radar Fishman & Grauer PLLC
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