Reset switch

Details Reset switch Reset switch

2002-03-28

2004-04-06

Donovan, Lincoln (Department: 2832)

Electricity: circuit makers and breakers

Electric switch details

Cases and bases

C200S295000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06717081

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a reset switch, such as an attendant call reset switch equipped to a lavatory on an aircraft and the like, which enables the operator to turn off the lamp (for example, an attendant call indication lamp) by pressing the lamp lens.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
Conventionally, a lavatory unit provided in a vehicle (an aircraft) or used in a house is designed compactly to take up minimum mounting space, and utilizes a panel structure or a honeycomb structure so as to reduce its total weight. The lavatory unit often utilizes a center-folding door as its entrance door. Since the center-folding door takes up less space when opening and closing compared to a single-plate door, such door is utilized not only in a lavatory unit of an aircraft, but also in a telephone booth or in a bath or shower booth.
FIG. 2
is a schematic front view showing the lavatory unit adopting a center-folding door. The center-folding door shown as a whole by reference number
20
comprises a first door panel
21
and a second door panel
22
, and the first and second door panels
21
and
22
are connected to each other at adjacent vertical rim portions by a hinge
23
in a foldable manner. The hinge
23
can be formed for example by engaging gears (not shown) equipped to both door panels
21
and
22
, which enables the door panels
21
and
22
to be folded smoothly. A coil spring not shown can be disposed within the hinge
23
, allowing the center-folding door
20
to be biased toward the closing direction. Moreover, by applying a cover for covering the hinge
23
, the state of enclosure at the hinge
23
can be improved. Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. H7-11836 (11836/95) discloses an example of the above-mentioned lavatory unit.
The center-folding door
20
is mounted to an opening
33
formed to a front wall panel
31
of the lavatory unit
30
. A pin (not shown) is embedded to the end portion of the first door panel
21
, which can be inserted to a hole formed to the opening
33
created to the front wall panel
31
of the lavatory unit
30
, by which the whole center-folding door
20
can be rotatably supported by a panel frame
32
shown on the right side of the drawing. On the upper portion of the second door panel
22
is provided a guiding device
24
, such as a slider guided along a guide rail
34
equipped to the door opening
33
.
The second door panel
22
is equipped with a lock unit
25
that looks like a doorknob. The indicator
26
corresponds to the movement of the lock unit
25
, and indicates the status of use of the lavatory unit
30
. When the user, such as a passenger on board the aircraft, enters the lavatory unit
30
and operates the lock unit
25
equipped to the inner side wall of the second door panel
22
, the second door panel
22
is locked to the front wall
31
, and the indicator
26
indicates that the lavatory is occupied.
A push plate
27
is mounted to the first door panel
21
approximate the hinge
23
, and when the user pushes the push plate
27
, the first door panel
21
rotates centering around the pin and the second door panel
22
moves linearly along the guide rail
34
by the guiding device
24
resisting against the spring force of the door spring, and thereby the folding door folds inwardly centering around the hinge
23
, and the door opens. When the pressing force is removed, the center-folding door
20
automatically closes by the restoring force of the door spring.
In the lavatory unit
30
, not only the panel members used for forming the first door panel
21
and the second door panel
22
of the center-folding door
20
but also those used for forming the interior of the lavatory, the front wall
31
, and the upper panel
35
of the door forming a portion of the front wall
31
all adopt a honeycomb panel structure wherein two panels sandwich a honeycomb structure. The use of such panel structure enables the lavatory unit to maintain the necessary strength while reducing the total weight thereof.
In a conventional lavatory unit equipped inside a vehicle such as an aircraft, an attendant call switch (not shown) is equipped to the interior of the lavatory, so that when the passenger feels sick during use of the lavatory, he or she can call the attendant for help. When the attendant call switch is operated, an attendant call signal is transmitted to the crew cabin, by which a lamp or an alarm is turned on so as to notify the attendant to check on the lavatory. Further, when the attendant call switch is pressed, simultaneously as when a signal is transmitted to the crew cabin, a lens
36
of an attendant call lamp disposed on the panel
35
above the center-folding door
20
of the lavatory unit
30
is turned on, notifying the people near the lavatory unit
30
that an emergency has occurred.
After helping the passenger etc. out of the lavatory, the light of the lens
36
of the attendant call lamp must be turned off. The lamp is turned off by operating an attendant call reset switch (hereinafter simply called “reset switch”)
40
formed behind the attendant call lamp
36
, wherein the attendant call lamp
36
itself is the operation unit of the switch. By pushing in the lens
36
of the attendant call lamp, the light of the attendant call lamp can be turned off.
FIG. 3
shows a structure for mounting the conventional reset switch to the panel. As shown in
FIG. 2
, the reset switch
40
is fixed to a structural material called a lintel that is formed by extruding aluminum alloy. The lintel comprises a panel
35
and a panel
37
positioned behind the panel
35
, and the reset switch
40
is mounted within a gap
38
formed between the two panels. A cord
42
such as a lead wire for supplying power to the reset switch
40
and for transmitting the signal generated when the switch is operated is connected to a switch body
41
by soldering
43
. The attendant call lamp is mounted to the body
41
, and a lens
36
is mounted to the switch body
41
from the front side of the front wall
31
through an opening
39
formed to the panel
35
. The switch body
41
is brought to the mounting position of the reset switch
40
, and at this position, an appropriate tool such as a wrench (for a nut) is moved through the gap
38
formed between the two panels
35
and
37
, so as to tighten a nut
44
equipped to the switch body
41
. The lens
36
and the switch body
41
of the attendant call lamp are fixed firmly to position when the nut
44
is tightly fit to the panel
35
. When mounted, the lens
36
of the attendant call lamp can be pressed into the switch body
41
so as to turn off the attendant call lamp within the body
41
and to reset the reset switch.
The conventional attendant call lamp utilizes a filament lamp, the lifetime of which is as short as 1000 hours. Therefore, when the lifetime of the lamp ends, the attendant call lamp mounted within the body
41
must be replaced. Moreover, since the design of the reset switch
40
differs between an AC type and a DC type corresponding to whether the power source is an AC (alternating current) or a DC (direct current), the appropriate type of reset switch must be placed according to the power source.
As explained, since the conventional reset switch, one example of which is the attendant call reset switch equipped in a lavatory unit, utilizes a filament lamp, often replacement of the lamp is necessary. Moreover, various kinds of switches must be manufactured in advance so as to correspond to the various voltage specifications of airplanes, which requires many kinds of parts to be stocked, and which increases the manufacturing cost and complicates the inventory control. Moreover, in order to replace the reset switch, the operator must insert a tool through the narrow gap formed between the front and rear panels, unfasten the nut so as to remove the reset switch, and fix a new switch onto position by fastening the nut. At this time, the cord must be soldered to the reset switch, which troubles the mounting of the switch to the panel greatl

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