Four-directional control switch

Details Four-directional control switch Four-directional control switch

2003-08-21

2004-10-26

Scott, James R. (Department: 2832)

Electricity: circuit makers and breakers

Multiple circuit control

Pivoted contact

C200S004000, C200S557000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06809274

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a four-directional control switch used for controlling various compact electronic apparatuses.
2. Background Art
FIG. 12
shows a sectional front view of a conventional four-directional control switch, and
FIG. 13
shows a plan view of a switch case accommodating movable contacts. Central-fixed contact
3
(hereinafter referred to as “contact
3
”) is placed on a center of an inner bottom of quadrangular switch case
1
(hereinafter referred to as “case
1
”) whose top is open. Contact
3
is formed of common contact
2
and central contact
3
A for a central switch. As shown in
FIG. 13
, four individual-fixed contacts
4
A-
4
D (hereinafter referred to as “contacts
4
A-
4
D”) for peripheral switches are placed at four corners of the inner bottom of case
1
, and respective leading terminals are protruded from an outer periphery of case
1
. Besides, in
FIG. 13
, movable contact spring
5
(hereinafter referred to as “spring
5
”) made of an elastic thin metal plate is formed by coupling dome-shaped central movable contact
6
(hereinafter referred to as “contact
6
”) with individual-movable contacts
7
A-
7
D (hereinafter referred to as “contacts
7
A-
7
D”) via coupling section
5
A. Contact
6
corresponds to contact
3
, and contacts
7
A-
7
D respectively correspond to contacts
4
A-
4
D. Spring
5
is accommodated in case
1
in a manner that contact
6
and contacts
7
A-
7
D respectively face toward contact
3
and contacts
4
A-
4
D. Operating unit
8
and stick
9
are disposed on spring
5
. Operating unit
8
is formed of cylindrical section
8
A and skirt section
8
B at its lower part. Stick
9
is held independently and movably in a vertical direction through central hole
8
C of operating unit
8
. Four hemispherical protrusions
10
A-
10
D (hereinafter referred to as “protrusions
10
A-
10
D”) of a bottom of skirt section
8
B respectively come into contact with tops of contacts
7
A-
7
D, where protrusions
10
B and
10
D are not shown in the drawings. Bottom section
9
A of stick
9
comes into contact with a top of contact
6
. Operating unit
8
is rockably held through central hole
11
A of cover
11
covering the top of case
1
.
For example, as shown by an arrow in a sectional front view of
FIG. 14
, the four-directional control switch is operated by tilting stick
9
in a direction of one of the four corners of case
1
. Thus, operating unit
8
also rocks and tilts, so that protrusion
10
A of the bottom of skirt section
8
B, which has been tilted and moved downward, presses downward contact
7
A corresponding to protrusion
10
A. As a result, contact
7
A is elastically inverted. Contact
7
A comes into contact with contact
4
A, thereby permitting conduction between certain leading terminals. When pressing-force against stick
9
in the tilted direction is removed, the four-directional control switch is returned to an original state shown in
FIG. 12
by elastic restoring force of contact
7
A. When stick
9
is tilted in the direction of another one of the four corners, the same operation is executed, thereby permitting conduction between certain leading terminals. Then, when pressing-force is removed, the four-directional control switch returns to the original state.
As shown by an arrow in a sectional front view of
FIG. 15
, when stick
9
is pressed in a vertical downward direction, only stick
9
moves straight and downward. Thus, bottom section
9
A presses contact
6
downward and elastically inverts contact
6
. Then, contact
6
comes into contact with central contact
3
A of contact
3
, thereby permitting conduction between certain leading terminals. When pressing-force against stick
9
in the downward direction is removed, the four-directional control switch is returned to the original state shown in
FIG. 12
by elastic restoring force of contact
6
.
The conventional four-directional control switch discussed above is disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2001-351478.
The conventional four-directional control switch has individual-switches at the four corners of quadrangular case
1
, so that case
1
can be downsized. However, in an electronic apparatus using the conventional switch, stick
9
is generally tilted in a direction of front, rear, right or left when operated. Therefore, when the conventional switch is mounted on the electronic apparatus, case
1
has to be mounted on the electronic apparatus at a 45° angle with respect to a side of a casing of the electronic apparatus. In a word, case
1
needs to be mounted at an angled. Thus, an area corresponding to a quadrangle whose one side corresponds to a diagonal line of case
1
is needed for a space in the casing of the electronic apparatus. As a result, the conventional switch cannot effectively use a space in the casing of the electronic apparatus and is disadvantageous for downsizing of the electronic apparatus.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A four-directional control switch presses one of four elastic arms, whose flange section has a stiffness characteristic, by tilting a controlling unit formed of a stick and a flange section. The pressed elastic arm operates one of individual-switches disposed at four corners of a switch case. Each elastic arm extends from each side of the switch case to at least a middle point of a side, which is adjacent and parallel to the arm.


REFERENCES:
patent: 2808476 (1957-10-01), Elliott
patent: 6080941 (2000-06-01), Yokobori
patent: 6162999 (2000-12-01), Ishikawa et al.
patent: 6262381 (2001-07-01), Kikuchi et al.
patent: 6399904 (2002-06-01), Mimata
patent: 6593909 (2003-07-01), Chou
patent: 2001/0047926 (2001-12-01), Kozuma
patent: 2001-351478 (2001-12-01), None

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