Electricity: circuit makers and breakers – Multiple circuit control – Pivoted contact
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-06
2002-07-23
Luebke, Renee (Department: 2833)
Electricity: circuit makers and breakers
Multiple circuit control
Pivoted contact
C200S406000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06423911
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structure of a multi-directional operating switch and more particularly to a structure of a multi-directional operating switch provided with plural switch contacts and a stem which can be operated in both depressing direction and tilting direction selectively.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As a conventional structure of a multi-directional operating switch there is known such a structure as shown in
FIGS. 7 and 8
, of which
FIG. 7
is a vertical sectional view of a multi-directional operating switch and
FIG. 8
is a plan view with movable contacts mounted in a housing.
In both figures, a housing
11
is formed in the shape of a bottomed box using an insulating material such as a synthetic resin, an upper side of the box being open. A central fixed contact portion
12
formed of an electrically conductive metallic material is disposed at a central of an inner bottom of the housing
11
. On both opposed sides of the central fixed contact portion
12
are disposed a pair of peripheral fixed contact portions
13
also formed of an electrically conductive metallic material.
The central fixed contact portion
12
and each peripheral fixed contact portion
13
are constituted by a pair of contact pieces
12
a
,
12
b
and a pair of contact pieces
13
a
,
13
b
, respectively.
On the upper surface sides of the central fixed contact portion
12
and the peripheral fixed contact portions
13
are disposed movable contacts
14
each constituted by an electrically conductive metallic disc. The movable contacts
14
are each formed in a centrally expanded dome shape.
A stem
15
is formed of an insulating material such as a synthetic resin and is composed of a first stem
16
which constitutes a base portion and a second stem
17
which is disposed centrally of the first stem
16
so as to be movable in a depressing direction.
At both underside ends of the first stem
16
are formed a pair of depressing protuberances
16
b
, which are respectively in abutment against the movable contacts
14
disposed on the upper surface sides of the peripheral fixed contact portions
13
. With a tilting operation of the stem
15
, the corresponding movable contact
14
is depressed and the contact pieces
13
a
and
13
b
of the associated peripheral fixed contact portion
13
are rendered conductive with each other through the movable contact
14
.
The second stem
17
is inserted into an insertion hole
16
a
formed in the first step
16
and a rod-like portion projects from the insertion hole
16
a
and is used an operating rod portion
17
a
, with a depressing protuberance
17
b
being formed on the side opposite to the operating rod portion
17
a
. The depressing protuberance
17
b
is in abutment against the movable contact
14
disposed on the upper surface side of the central fixed contact portion
12
. When the operating rod portion
17
a
is depressed, the depressing protuberance
17
b
depresses the movable contact
14
, causing the contact pieces
12
a
and
12
b
of the central fixed contact portion
12
to become conductive with each other through the movable contact
14
.
A cover
18
is formed by a metallic plate, with a window hole
18
a
being formed therein centrally for insertion therethrough of the operating rod portion
17
a
of the stem
15
. The cover
18
covers the upper-side opening of the housing
11
to prevent the movable contacts
14
and the stem
15
from jumping out of the housing.
In the above conventional structure of a multi-directional operating switch, however, the central fixed contact portion
12
and the peripheral fixed contact portions
13
are formed in the same plane as the inner bottom of the housing
11
, and also as to the movable contacts, it is necessary for them to be disposed in the same plane as the central fixed contact portion
12
and the peripheral fixed contact portions
13
correspondingly thereto. Thus, it is necessary that the movable contacts
14
be arranged at certain intervals so as not to strike against one another. In other words, it is impossible to reduce the size of the housing
11
and hence impossible to reduce the width of the switch body.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problems and provide a structure of a multi-directional operating switch wherein a movable contact disposed over a central fixed contact portion and movable contacts disposed over peripheral fixed contact portions can be positioned overlapping each other so that their switching operations may not interfere with one another, thus permitting the reduction in width of a switch body.
For achieving the above-mentioned object, according to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a multi-directional operating switch comprising a housing having a bottomed receptacle portion, a central fixed contact portion disposed on an inner bottom surface of the receptacle portion, peripheral fixed contact portions disposed at peripheral positions with respect to the central fixed contact portion, a plurality of movable contacts disposed in opposition to the central fixed contact portion and the peripheral fixed contact portions, and a stem for depressing the plural movable contacts selectively to switch over the contacts from one to another, wherein the movable contacts are disposed within the receptacle portion of the housing in such a manner that in the depressing direction of the stem the movable contact disposed in opposition to the central fixed contact portion and the movable contacts disposed in opposition to the peripheral fixed contact portions are spaced a predetermined distance from each other, while in a direction perpendicular to the stem depressing direction they partially overlap each other in their external forms.
According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided, in combination with the above first means, a multi-directional operating switch wherein the inner bottom surface of the receptacle portion of the housing comprises a first inner bottom surface for disposing the central fixed contact portion thereon and a second inner bottom surface for disposing the peripheral fixed contact portions thereon, the first and second inner bottom surfaces being different in height from each other.
According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided, in combination with the above second means, a multi-directional operating switch wherein the first inner bottom surface is formed higher than the second inner bottom surface.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention there is provided, in combination with the above second means, a multi-directional operating switch wherein the first inner bottom surface is formed lower than the second inner bottom surface.
Further, the stem can be operated in both depressing direction and tilting direction selectively so that when the stem is depressed, the movable contact opposed to the central fixed contact portion is depressed to turn ON the central fixed contact portion, while when the stem is tilted, the movable contact opposed to the peripheral fixed contact portion is depressed and turns ON the peripheral fixed contact portion.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3927285 (1975-12-01), Frost et al.
patent: 4122319 (1978-10-01), Jamet
patent: 5889242 (1999-03-01), Ishihara et al.
patent: 6160225 (2000-12-01), Isikawa
patent: 6201196 (2001-03-01), Wergen
Kagawa Kazuyoshi
Yoshida Toshihiro
Alps Electric Co. ,Ltd.
Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione
Luebke Renee
LandOfFree
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