Lever switch and complex switch using the same

Details Lever switch and complex switch using the same Lever switch and complex switch using the same

2000-07-13

2002-06-04

Friedhofer, Michael (Department: 2832)

Electricity: circuit makers and breakers

Special application

Steering wheel, shaft or column mounted

Reexamination Certificate

active

06399905

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a lever switch for vehicle installed near a steering wheel of an automobile, and a complex switch using the same.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A lever switch for vehicle is mainly used for changing over the functions of
1) headlight,
2) turn signal for direction indication,
3) wiper motor for operating the wiper of windshield or rear window, and
4) washer motor for ejecting washer liquid to the windowpane.
Each contact of the lever switch is connected to an electronic control circuit of the vehicle mounting a microcomputer for controlling them. The contacts of the lever switch are directly connected to the microcomputer. However, considering the possibility of malfunction of the microcomputer, the contacts for changing over the HI operation of the wiper motor and the headlight are also connected to the individual relays for driving them.
In such conventional lever switch, an example of use in changeover of washer motor and wiper motor is explained by referring to
FIG. 7
to FIG.
10
.
FIG. 7
is an essential sectional view of a conventional lever switch, and
FIG. 8
is its perspective exploded view. As shown in
FIG. 8
, a coil spring
2
and a pin
3
are inserted into an engaging hole
1
A formed at the front side of a first end of an operation lever (OL)
1
. Further, a cylindrical bump
1
B and a through-hole
1
C are provided at both sides of the first end.
The OL
1
is mounted on a slider
4
so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction. For this mounting, a shaft
5
is inserted into the through-hole
1
C of the OL
1
and a through-hole
4
C of the slider
4
. The position of the OL
1
in the longitudinal direction is determined as a pin
7
inserted into an engaging hole
4
D of the slider
4
together with a coil spring
6
presses a detent plate
8
.
A case
9
having a support hole
9
A is disposed above the slider
4
, and a cover
10
having a support hole
10
A, and guide holes
10
B,
10
C is disposed beneath the slider
4
. A shaft
4
A projecting to the upper side and a shaft
4
B projecting to the lower side of the slider
4
are fitted respectively to the support hole
9
A and support hole
10
A. By this fitting, the slider
4
is held so as to be rotatable in the longitudinal direction.
A contact piece holder
11
is disposed between the slider
4
and the cover
10
. Two holding parts
11
A and
11
B are formed at the lower side of the contact piece holder
11
, and a pair of arms
11
D having slant holes
11
C are provided at the upper side. As shown in
FIG. 7
, the arm
11
D is contained inside the slider
4
, and the bump
1
B of the OL
1
is inserted into the slant hole
11
C.
At the lower side of the holding part
11
A of the contact piece holder
11
, a columnar part of a slider
13
holding a cantilever type contact piece
12
is fitted. At the lower side of the holding part
11
B, a columnar part of a slider
15
holding a cantilever type contact piece
14
is fitted. Further, contacts
12
A,
12
B of the contact piece
12
are composed to contact with fixed contacts
16
A,
16
B for changing over the washer motors formed on a switch substrate
16
. Contacts
14
A,
14
B,
14
C of the contact piece
14
are composed to contact with fixed contacts
16
C,
16
D,
16
E,
16
F,
16
G for changing over the wiper motors formed on the same switch substrate
16
. These fixed contacts are connected to the electronic control circuit (not shown) of the vehicle through lead wires
17
.
In this configuration, the OL
1
can be manipulated in both vertical direction and longitudinal direction as shown in FIG.
8
.
FIG. 8
shows an example of operation of the OL
1
. For example, when the second end of the OL
1
is manipulated in the vertical direction, the washer motor is turned on and off, and when the second end of the OL
1
is manipulated in the longitudinal direction, the wiper moves according to the manipulation position of the OL
1
.
First, when manipulating the OL
1
from the OFF position
100
to the WASH position
104
in the direction of arrow
102
(upward direction), the action of each part until the washer motor is turned on is explained below.
When the OL
1
is manipulated from the OFF position
100
to the WASH position
104
in the direction of arrow
102
,
1) The bump
1
B of the OL
1
swings in the lower direction around the shaft
5
as a fulcrum of the OL
1
,
2) The contact piece holder
11
having the bump
1
B into the slant hole
11
C moves in the left direction,
3) The slider
13
fitted to the lower side of the holder
11
also moves in the left direction as the columnar part of the slider
13
is guided into the guide hole
10
B of the cover
10
,
4) The contact piece
12
held at the lower side of the slider
13
moves from the position shown in the layout diagram of the contact piece in
FIG. 9A
to the position shown in
FIG. 9B
,
5) The contacts
12
A,
12
B contact with the fixed contacts
16
A,
16
B,
6) The fixed contact
16
A and fixed contact
16
B conduct with each other through the contact piece
12
, and
7) The washer motor is turned on by this conduction.
Next, an example of manipulating the second end of the OL
1
in the longitudinal direction is explained below. When the OL
1
is moved from the OFF position
200
to the INT position
202
, the wiper operates intermittently. When the OL
1
is moved to the LO position
204
, the wiper operates at low speed, and when moved to the HI position
206
, the wiper operates at high speed. The operation of the wiper by moving the OL
1
to each position is explained below.
When the second end of the OL
1
is moved from the OFF position
200
in the direction of arrow
208
(forward direction),
1) The slider
4
swings in the rear direction around the shafts
4
A,
4
B held by the support hole
9
A of the case
9
and the support hole
10
A of the cover
10
,
2) The contact piece holder
11
inserting and holding the slider
4
also moves in the rear direction, and the slider
15
fitted to its lower side moves the columnar part in the rear direction as being guided by the guide hole
10
C of the cover
10
,
3) The contact piece
14
held at the lower side of the slider
15
moves from the position shown in the contact piece layout in
FIG. 10A
to the position shown in
FIG. 10B
,
4) The contacts
14
B,
14
C contact with the fixed contacts
16
D,
16
G,
5) The fixed contact
16
D and fixed contact
16
G conduct through the contact piece
14
, and
6) The wiper motor is changed over to the INT mode by this conduction.
When the OL
1
is further manipulated in the forward direction,
7) At the LO position
204
shown in
FIG. 10C
, the fixed contact
16
E and fixed contact
16
G conduct through the contact piece
14
,
8) At the HI position
206
shown in
FIG. 10D
, the fixed contact
16
F and fixed contact
16
G conduct through the contact piece
14
, and
9) The wiper motor is changed over at each position by this conduction.
The current flowing at the time of manipulation of washer motor and wiper motor is explained below.
The current changed over by the contact piece
12
for manipulating the washer motor is a micro-current region of about several mA for operating the microcomputer. Accordingly, the thickness of the contact piece
12
may be thin. The contacting pressure of the contact piece
12
and fixed contact may be set small because the current is small. However, in order to operate the wiper motor, the current to be changed over by the contact piece
14
is the sum of the operating current of the microcomputer and the current flowing in the relay for operating and driving the wiper motor. The total current is turned on and off by the contact piece
14
and the fixed contact for operation of the wiper motor. When turning on and off the current, arc discharge takes place between the contact piece
14
and fixed contact. When an arc is generated, the contact portions of the contact piece
14
and fixed contact are consumed. The current generating the arc at the on/off time is called medium current here

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