Electricity: circuit makers and breakers – Electric switch details – Actuators
Reexamination Certificate
2002-08-13
2004-04-27
Lee, R. K. (Department: 2832)
Electricity: circuit makers and breakers
Electric switch details
Actuators
C200S06145M, C200S061270
Reexamination Certificate
active
06727448
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a composite switch unit for vehicle use for changing over various vehicle-mounted functions, and more particularly to a composite switch unit positioned in the vicinity of the steering wheel.
2. Description of the Prior Art
To explain drawings of a composite switch unit for vehicle use according to the prior art,
FIG. 4
shows a schematic exploded perspective view of the prior art composite switch unit for vehicle use;
FIG. 5
, a schematic section of the essential part of the prior art composite switch unit for vehicle;
FIG. 6
, a vertical section of one side of the essential part of the prior art composite switch unit for vehicle use; and
FIG. 7
, a horizontal section of the same side of the essential part of the prior art composite switch unit for vehicle use of FIG.
6
.
Next to describe the configuration of the prior art composite switch unit for vehicle use, as shown in the schematic diagrams of FIG.
4
and
FIG. 5
, a casing
50
is an insulating resin body having a relatively large overall length and an inverted U shape. In the right and left walls and the ceiling are provided guide grooves
50
a
, and the ceiling also has a central hole
50
b
near the center of the top face of the casing
50
. Around the central hole
50
b
, on the top face of the casing
50
are provided a plurality of guide stubs
50
c
, and between the guide stubs
50
c
and the central hole
50
b
are bored holes
50
d.
A rotary connector
53
consists of an insulating resin-made cylindrical fixed body
53
a
and an insulating resin-made movable body
53
b
rotatably fitted to the fixed body
53
a
and having a cylindrical hole
53
i
, and a flat cable
53
h
is wound in the cylindrical space demarcated by these fixed body
53
a
and movable body
53
b
to electrically connect the fixed body
53
a
and the movable body
53
b
. The under face of the fixed body
53
a
and the top face of the movable body
53
b
are provided with a connector
53
c
and a connector
53
d
, respectively, for electrical connection to the outside. On the upper edge of the cylindrical outer wall of the fixed body
53
a
are provided a plurality of protrusions
53
f
protruding in the horizontal direction, and the plurality of protrusions
53
f
have a plurality of holes
53
e
. The plurality of protrusions
53
f
are guided by the plurality of guide stubs
50
c
of the casing
50
, and bolts
53
g
penetrate the holes
53
e
and the holes
50
d
to fix the fixed body
53
a
to the periphery of the central hole
50
b
of the casing
50
.
A winker side stalk switch
51
which is on one side of the composite switch unit for vehicle use, as schematically illustrated in FIG.
4
and
FIG. 5
, has an insulating resin-made, rod-shaped lever
51
a
and a box-shaped base body
60
to which this lever
51
a
is fitted. On the surrounding edge of the base body
60
, a connector
51
c
is provided on the other face than that to which a plurality of guide stubs
51
b
and the lever
51
a
of the base body
60
are fitted.
To describe the base body
60
with reference to FIG.
6
and
FIG. 7
, an upper case
60
a
and a lower case
60
b
, both made of insulating resin, protect the base body
60
by covering it from above and underneath, and have opposite shaft holes. A thin and long working member
60
c
, made of insulating resin, is fixed to the lever
51
a
to communicate the oscillating motion of the lever
51
a
and invades into the base body
60
, and a long hole
60
f
opens in the invading direction. A holder
60
e
, an insulating resin-made structure, is accommodated between the upper and lower cases
60
a
and
60
b
, and has two shafts (not shown) protruding in the horizontal direction and another pair of protruding shafts
60
j
and
60
k
protruding in the vertical direction. The holder
60
e
also has a spring shoe
60
m
inside. Protruding shafts of the holder
60
e
are snapped into shaft holes
60
d
of the working member
60
c
to make the lever
51
a
fixed to the working member
60
c
oscillatable in the directions of arrow a-b. The protruding shafts
60
j
and
60
k
of the holder
60
e
are snapped into opposite shaft holes of the upper and lower cases
60
a
and
60
b
, and the holder
60
e
is oscillatable relative to the upper and lower cases
60
a
and
60
b
in the directions of arrow c-d of the lever
51
a.
An insulating resin-made cap
60
h
, whose tip is formed hemispherically, is snapped onto the tip of a first coil spring
60
g
. The first coil spring
60
g
to which the cap
60
h
is fitted is accommodated in the hole
60
f
of the working member. A first cam wheel assembly
60
i
has one or more insulating resin-made cam wheels, and is formed in a position in a part of the holder
60
e
, opposite the hole
60
f
of the working member
60
c
. The cap
60
h
is elastically suppressed as an elastic suppressing portion against the first cam wheel assembly by the elastic force of the first coil spring
60
g.
An insulating resin-made cap
60
n
, whose tip is formed hemispherically, is snapped onto the tip of a second coil spring
60
l
. The second coil spring
60
l
to which the cap
60
n
is fitted is borne by the spring shoe
60
m
provided on the holder
60
e
. A second cam wheel assembly
60
o
has two insulating resin-made cam wheels
60
q
and a central trough
60
p
between them, and is integrated with the lower case
60
b
. The cam wheel faces are provided opposite the cap
60
n
snapped onto the tip of the second coil spring. The cap
60
n
is elastically suppressed as an elastic suppressing portion against the second cam wheel assembly
60
o
by the elastic force of the coil spring
60
l.
A contact change-over member
60
s
has a hole
60
w
in its insulating resin-made body, to which a movable contact
60
v
is fitted. A protrusion
60
w
protruding from the working member
60
c
is inserted into the hole of the contact change-over member
60
s
, and the movable contact
60
v
moves with the oscillation of the lever
51
a
fixed to the working member
60
c
in the directions of arrow a-b. Another contact change-over member
60
t
has a protrusion and a movable contact
60
u
in its insulating resin-made body, whose protrusion is in contact with and squeezed by a wall
60
x
of the holder
60
e
, and the movable contact
60
u
is moved as the wall
60
x
is interlocked with the oscillation of the lever
51
a
in the directions of arrow c-d.
A printed circuit board
60
r
is fitted to the lower case
60
b
, and on its surface is provided switchable contacts (not shown) for changing over various functions of the vehicle. To an end of the printed circuit board
60
r
is fitted a connector
51
c
to guide outside the signals of the switchable contacts via a connecting conductor
51
d
of the connector
51
c
. The winker side stalk switch
51
, which changes over from one contact to another by having the contact change-over members
60
s
and
60
t
slide over and in contact with the switchable contacts, is snapped on and fixed to the casing
50
by inserting the plurality of guide stubs
51
b
on the peripheral edge of its base body
60
into the guide grooves
50
a
in the right and left inner walls and the ceiling of the casing
50
.
A window wiper side stalk switch
52
, which is on the other side of the composite switch unit for vehicle use is substantially the same in structure as the winker side stalk switch, and therefore its detailed description will be dispensed with.
The window wiper side stalk switch
52
is snapped on and fixed to the casing
50
by inserting the plurality of guide stubs
52
b
on the peripheral edge of its base body
61
into the guide grooves
50
a
in the right and left inner walls and the ceiling of the casing
50
.
A rectangularly shaped relaying printed circuit board
54
has a hole
54
a
at the center, is mounted with a connector
54
b
, a connector
54
c
and a connector
54
d
. From these three connectors, wiring is laid via leads (not shown) on the printed circuit boar
Ito Takehiko
Takahashi Atsuo
Alps Electric Co. ,Ltd.
Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione
Lee R. K.
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