Electricity: circuit makers and breakers – Special application – Steering wheel – shaft or column mounted
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-24
2001-04-24
Scott, J. R. (Department: 2832)
Electricity: circuit makers and breakers
Special application
Steering wheel, shaft or column mounted
Reexamination Certificate
active
06222142
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a combination switch device comprising a body incorporating an electronic control unit and a lever switch unit incorporating switch contacts and mounted on the body.
2. Related Art
One of the combination switch devices of this type is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. JP-A-10-74573 (referred to as “a rotary connector” in the publication). This conventional combination switch device will be explained referring to
FIGS. 7 and 8
.
FIG. 7
is an exploded perspective view of the conventional combination switch device, and
FIG. 8
is a sectional view of the combination switch device as shown in
FIG. 7
in a state where the lever switch units are mounted thereon.
A combination switch device
1
includes a stationary housing
3
, a movable housing
5
rotatably connected to the stationary housing
3
, and a flexible cable
13
wound and contained in an annular space
11
defined between an outer cylindrical member
7
and an inner cylindrical member
9
of both the housings
3
and
5
. The outer cylindrical member
7
of the stationary housing
3
is formed with a pair of holding walls
15
,
17
which extend substantially diametrically with respect to the space
11
. The holding walls
15
,
17
are adapted to detachably hold a left and a right lever switch units
19
,
21
(referred to as “a stalk switch” in the publication) respectively. A printed circuit board
25
is fixed to a bottom plate
23
of the stationary housing
3
. On a rear face of the printed circuit board
25
are mounted a pair of connectors
31
,
33
to which connector pins
27
,
29
of the lever switch units
19
,
21
are respectively connected.
Therefore, when the lever switch units
19
,
21
are inserted into the holding walls
15
,
17
, the connector pins
27
,
29
come into contact with the connectors
31
,
33
, thereby electrically connecting contact circuits incorporated in the lever switch units
19
,
21
to an electronic control unit (not shown) on the printed circuit board
25
.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
Therefore, relative positions between the connectors provided on the holding walls and the connector pins of the lever switch units will depend on an accuracy of fitting the printed circuit board to the stationary housing, an accuracy of mounting the connectors to the printed circuit board, or an accuracy of fixing the connector pins to the lever switch units. In case where any of the accuracies is decreased, there will be arisen positional displacements between the connectors and the connector pins of the lever switch units. If the lever switch units are inserted in the holding walls with such positional displacements, terminals will not be able to be connected with each other in a good contact relation, and moreover, there has been such a problem that the connectors will collide against the connector pine thus to break the terminals.
This invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is an object of the invention to provide a combination switch device in which such positional displacements as occurring between terminals to be connected when lever switch units are mounted on a body, and the terminals are prevented from damages by collision thereby enabling the terminals to be connected with each other in a reliable state.
In order to achieve the above described object, a combination switch device as described in the invention includes at least one lever switch unit including a casing on which a lever is movably mounted, the casing incorporating switch contacts which are turned on and off in association with movement of the lever, and a housing containing switch side terminals communicating with the switch contacts, and a body incorporating a circuit board on which an electronic control unit is mounted, the body having a fitting part on which the casing and the housing of the lever switch unit are mounted, circuit board side terminals communicating with the electronic control unit being provided on the fitting part so as to contact with the switch side terminals, characterized in that the switch side terminals and the housing are movably fitted to the casing.
In this combination switch device, the switch side terminals provided in the casing of the lever switch unit and the housing are movably mounted on the casing, and when the casing is fitted to the body to bring the switch side terminals and the circuit board side terminals into contact, the positional displacement between the switch side terminals and the circuit board side terminals will be absorbed through the movable arrangement of the switch side terminals and the housing with respect to the casing.
In the combination switch device as described in the present invention, a pair of parallel fitting faces are formed on either one of the casing and the housing, and a pair of parallel flexible support plates facing with the fitting faces are projected from the other of the casing and the housing, either one of the fitting face and the flexible support plate being formed with a locking hole, the other of the fitting face and the flexible support plate being provided with a locking projection which is adapted to be inserted into the locking hole to be locked, the locking projection being undetachable but movable, and smaller in size than the locking hole.
In this combination switch device, the locking hole formed in one of the fitting face and the flexible support plate is locked with the locking projection formed on the other of the fitting face and the flexible support plate, and the locking projection is undetachable but movable and smaller in size that the locking hole. Therefore, the housing can be movable with respect to the casing to an extent that the locking projection moves inside the locking hole. Accordingly, when the casing is mounted on the body to bring the switch side terminals and the circuit board side terminals into contact with each other, the positional displacements which occur between the switch side terminals and the circuit board side terminals can be absorbed.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5263871 (1993-11-01), Sano
patent: 5324203 (1994-06-01), Sano et al.
patent: 5895899 (1999-04-01), Sano
patent: 5936215 (1999-08-01), Masuda et al.
patent: 5977494 (1999-11-01), Sano et al.
patent: 10-74573 (1998-03-01), None
Scott J. R.
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
Yazaki -Corporation
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