Electricity: circuit makers and breakers – Electric switch details – Actuators
Reexamination Certificate
2004-03-17
2004-12-21
Lee, Kyung (Department: 2832)
Electricity: circuit makers and breakers
Electric switch details
Actuators
C200S553000, C200S302300
Reexamination Certificate
active
06833521
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improvement in a rocker switch that is used in various kinds of OA (office automation) machines or equipments, amusement and game machines, measurement instruments, medical instruments and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
A rocker switch (also called a seesaw switch due to its mechanism) is used, for example, as a power switch in various kinds of OA machines, amusement and game machines, measurement instruments, medical instruments and the like. In general, the rocker switch is constructed such that its switch components or parts are housed in a square or rectangular box (casing) the top of which is open and an operation button (operation knob) is mounted at the opening space of the box at the top thereof such that it can be moved for seesaw movement.
Various types of rocker switches having their constructions or structures different from one another have been heretofore proposed, and the present invention relates to an improvement in a rocker switch of the type in which a movable contact piece is made of an elastic or resilient member and is mounted on a movable contact piece support member such that it can move for swinging or rocking movement; a terminal portion (tab terminal) of the movable contact piece support member is led out to the outside of a box through a corresponding slit formed through the bottom wall of the box; a terminal portion (tab terminal) of a fixed contact piece is led out to the outside of the box through a corresponding slit formed through the bottom wall of the box; an actuator for actuating the movable contact piece is integrally formed on an operation button or knob and extends downwardly therefrom; and when the operation button is operated for rocking operation, the movable contact piece actuator is moved for rocking operation together with the operation button thereby to actuate the movable contact piece so that it is moved to one position where a movable contact mounted thereto is brought into contact with a fixed contact mounted to the fixed contact piece or the other position where the movable contact is spaced apart from the fixed contact.
Rocker switches of this type have been also proposed in the past, and a seesaw switch is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Examined Utility Model Application Publication No. 05-001870 (JP, 05-001870, Y(1993)) published on Jan. 19, 1993, in which a large contact pressure can be applied between a movable contact and a fixed contact. In Japanese Examined Utility Model Application Publication No. 06-035333 (JP, 06-035333, Y(1994)) published on Sep. 14, 1994, there is disclosed a terminal fixing structure for a seesaw switch in which there are no possibility that a bad or poor contact or a joining between contacts by fusion occurs. In Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 08-055542 (JP, 08-055542, A(1996)) published on Feb. 27, 1996, there is disclosed a seesaw switch in which if a movable contact and a fixed contact should be joined with each other by fusion, it is ensured that these contacts can be securely opened or released from each other, but a compression coil spring is used as a movable contact actuator. In Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-195955 (JP, 2001-195955, A) published on Jul. 19, 2001, a seesaw switch having a dustproof structure is disclosed, but a compression coil spring is used as a movable contact actuator. In Japanese Patent No. 3224949 (JP, 3224949, B) issued on Nov. 5, 2001, there is disclosed a terminal fixing structure of a seesaw switch using a clinching or fastening technique in which a displacement in position of a terminal and/or a displacement in position of a contact is hard to occur when a terminal is fixed by use of a clinching or fastening technique, but a combination or assembly of a torsion coil spring and a movable contact piece is used.
The prior art rocker switches disclosed in the above-stated documents have disadvantages that it is not easy to build or assemble a terminal portion of a movable contact piece support member and a terminal portion of a fixed contact piece in a box and to fix them thereto, and that there sometimes occurs a case that the terminal portion or portions of the movable contact piece support member and/or of the fixed contact piece are securely not fixed to the box. Moreover, there is a drawback that when an operation button is operated, there cannot be obtained actual feeling that the operation button swings lightly and smoothly (without feeling a resistance thereto) as well as that the operation button has positively stopped at its on position or off position, that is, feeling in actuation of the operation button is bad or unfavorable.
In addition, there is a problem in that a movable contact piece is rapidly swung, and since a stable reverse operation thereof cannot be obtained, it is difficult to reduce a bounce time in throwing the movable contact piece to its on position. Furthermore, it is also difficult to make smaller an arc that occurs when the movable contact piece is thrown to its off position.
It is necessary to prevent a trouble or accident that a displacement in position of a movable contact piece occurs or a movable contact piece gets out of place due to an external shock from occurring. However, in the prior art rocker switches disclosed in the above-stated documents, there is not provided means for preventing such trouble or accident from occurring without fail.
Moreover, since it is impossible to prevent an arc that occurs between a movable contact piece and a movable contact piece support member due to a bounce of the movable contact piece in turning a rocker switch on or off, there is a defect that a lifetime of the switch is shortened.
Further, TAB 187 terminal of IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) standard is used as a terminal portion (tab terminal) of a rocker switch of rated current 10A type, and it is necessary that TAB 250 terminal of IEC standard is used as a terminal portion (tab terminal) of a rocker switch of rated current 16A type. The width of TAB 187 terminal is 4.75 mm, while the width of TAB 250 terminal is 6.35 mm. Therefore, the width of TAB 250 terminal is wider by 1.6 mm than that of TAB 187 terminal. For example, in some machine or apparatus having a rocker switch of rated current 10A type mounted thereon, if the user therefor wishes to use a rocker switch of rated current 16A type in place of the rocker switch of rated current 10A type, the machine or apparatus must have a space in which the rocker switch of rated current 16A type can be accommodated at a location that the rocker switch of rated current 10A type has been now mounted, because the external sizes (width and depth) of a box of the rocker switch of rated current 16A type are necessarily larger than those of a box of the rocker switch of rated current 10A type. If the machine or apparatus should not have a space in which a rocker switch having its external width and depth larger than those of the rocker switch of rated current 10A type can be accommodated, it is impossible to use the rocker switch of rated current 16A type in that machine or apparatus.
In recent years, various kinds of OA machines or equipments, amusement and game machines, measurement instruments, medical instruments and the like are showing a tendency to be miniaturized more and more, and hence there is a strong demand for the advent of a miniature rocker switch that has larger rated current/voltage value as well as can be accommodated in a small space.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a rocker switch in which components thereof can easily be built or assembled in a box and fixed thereto, and yet, a rapid reverse operation as well as favorable and excellent feeling in actuation of an operation button when it is operated, can be obtained.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a rocker switch in which favorable and excellent feeling in actuation of an operation butt
Gallagher & Lathrop
Lathrop, Esq. David N.
Lee Kyung
Sagami Electric Co., Ltd.
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