Electricity: circuit makers and breakers – Multiple circuit control – Multiple switch
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-08
2001-07-17
Friedhofer, Michael (Department: 2832)
Electricity: circuit makers and breakers
Multiple circuit control
Multiple switch
C200S018000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06262379
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates a switch assembly structure in which a first switch element and a second switch element are adapted to be selectively operated by a single operating knob.
2. Related Art
FIG. 3
shows a schematic plan view of a power seat switch in a vehicle. This power seat switch is composed of a first switch device
1
on the right side and a second switch device
2
on the left side. A cover
4
corresponding to the first switch device
1
and a cover
5
corresponding to the second switch device
2
are mounted on a common switch body
3
.
The first switch device
1
is so constructed as to operate a reclining switch for adjusting a reclined angle of a back of a seat and a head restraint switch for adjusting a height of a head restraint provided on a top of the seat back. In the cover
4
of the first switch device
1
is formed a guide hole
4
a
in a shape of a cross and a cut-out
4
b
so as to be adjacent to each other as shown in
FIG. 4. A
projection
3
a
provided on a switch body
3
is inserted into the cut-out
4
b
and projects upward from the cover
4
.
A plate
6
is fixed to the switch body
3
underneath the cover
4
. The plate
6
is provided with a guide hole
6
a
in a shape of a cross, and an elongated guide hole
6
b
so as to be adjacent to each other. A knob holder
7
is slidably mounted on the plate
6
. The knob holder
7
has a projection
7
a
which is adapted to be inserted into the guide hole
4
a
on its upper face, and two projections
7
b
and
7
c
which are adapted to be inserted into the guide holes
6
a
and
6
b
respectively on its lower face. Two holders
8
,
9
are disposed underneath the plate
6
at positions below the guide holes
6
a
and
6
b
, respectively. Into recesses
8
a
and
9
a
formed in the holders
8
and
9
respectively, the corresponding projections
7
b
and
7
c
are adapted to be inserted. The recess
8
a
of the holder
8
into which one of the projections
7
b
is inserted extends in a direction of an arrow A
1
, while the recess
9
a
of the holder
9
into which the other projection
7
c
is inserted extends in a direction of an arrow A
2
which intersects the direction A
1
.
A coil spring
10
, a bifurcated member
11
, and a pair of contact blades
12
are disposed below each of the holders
8
,
9
. The switch body
3
is provided with fixed contacts (not shown) corresponding to the contact blades
12
respectively. A pair of the contact blades
12
corresponding to the holder
9
and the mating fixed contacts constitutes the reclining switch
13
as a switch element, while a pair of the contact blades
12
corresponding to the holder
8
and the mating fixed contacts will constitute the head restraint switch
14
as a switch element.
A single operating knob
15
is fitted to the above described projection
3
a
and the projection
7
a
of the knob holder
7
. A guide part
16
consisting of a pair of ribs
16
a
, and an engaging tubular part
17
are provided on a back face of the operating knob
15
. The projection
3
a
is inserted into the guide part
16
, and the projection
7
a
is inserted into the engaging tubular part
17
.
In the above described structure, when the knob holder
7
is operated to move in the direction of the arrow A
1
in
FIG. 3
by operating the operating knob
15
, the holder
9
moves in the same direction, and the reclining switch
13
is actuated with this movement. On this occasion, since the holder
8
will not be moved, the head restraint switch
14
will not be actuated.
When the knob holder
7
is operated to move in the direction of the arrow A
2
in
FIG. 3
by operating the operating knob
15
, the holder
8
moves in the same direction, and the head restraint switch
14
is actuated with this movement. On this occasion, since the holder
9
will not be moved, the reclining switch
13
will not be actuated.
On the other hand, the second switch device
2
on the left side has a front vertical switch
18
for adjusting a front part of the seat in a vertical direction, a slide switch
19
for adjusting back and forth positions of the seat, and a rear vertical switch
20
for adjusting a rear part of the seat in a vertical direction. These three switches
18
19
, and
20
are adapted to be operated by a single operating knob
21
. These three switches
18
,
19
and
20
are of a same fundamental structure. As shown in
FIG. 5
, each of the switches
18
,
19
and
20
is composed of a movable member
22
provided with a projection
22
a
, and a coil spring
10
, a bifurcated member
11
, a pair of contact blades
12
and fixed contacts (not shown) on the switch body
3
which are similar to those elements provided in the switches
13
,
14
.
The aforesaid cover
5
is provided with three guide holes
5
a
,
5
b
and
5
c
into which the projections
22
a
of the movable members
22
are inserted respectively. In these three guide holes
5
a
to
5
c
, the center guide hole
5
b
extends in a direction of an arrow B
1
in FIG.
3
. The projection
22
a
of the corresponding movable member
22
is inserted into the guide hole
5
b
. The left and right guide holes
5
a
and
5
c
extend in a direction of an arrow B
2
in
FIG. 3
, and the projections
22
a
of the corresponding movable members
22
are respectively inserted into the guide holes
5
a
and
5
c.
In the above described structure, when the operating knob
21
of the second switch device
2
is operated in the direction of the arrow B
1
, the movable member
22
in the center part moves in the same direction, and the slide switch
19
is actuated with this movement. On this occasion, the left and the right movable members
22
do not move, and both the front and the rear vertical switches
18
,
20
are not actuated.
When a left part of the operating knob
21
in
FIG. 3
is operated in the direction of the arrow B
2
, the left side movable member
22
moves in the same direction, and the front vertical switch
18
is actuated. On this occasion, the center and the right hand movable members
22
in
FIG. 3
do not move, and both the slide switch
19
and the rear vertical switch
20
is not actuated.
When a right part of the operating knob
21
in
FIG. 3
is operated in the direction of the arrow B
2
, the right side movable member
22
moves in the same direction, and the rear vertical switch
20
is actuated. On this occasion, the center and the left hand movable members
22
in
FIG. 3
do not move, and both the slide switch
19
and the front vertical switch
18
are not actuated.
When the entire operating knob
21
is operated in the direction of the arrow B
2
in
FIG. 3
, both the left hand and the right hand movable members
22
synchronously move in the same direction, and both the front and the rear vertical switches
18
,
20
are actuated. On this occasion, the center movable member
22
does not move, and the slide switch
19
is not actuated.
In this case, the above described first switch device is so constructed that the single operating knob
15
can selectively actuate either of the reclining switch
13
and the head restraint switch
14
. On this occasion, these two switches
13
and
14
are prevented from being simultaneously actuated by the two projections
7
b
,
7
c
provided on the lower face of the knob holder
7
and the two guide holes
6
a
,
6
c
of the plate
6
.
However, a cost for the switch assembly of this structure is high, because it requires a number of components such as the knob holder
7
, the plate
6
and the two holders
8
,
9
in addition to the operating knob
15
and the cover
4
, and a number of assembling steps accordingly. Moreover, the knob holder
7
, the plate
6
and the holders
8
,
9
cannot be used commonly as the components for the second switch device
2
, and must be manufactured for exclusive use. It is a further drawback that a large space is required in a direction of a depth.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in view of the above described circumstance
Friedhofer Michael
Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai Rika Denki Seisakusho
Morgan & Lewis & Bockius, LLP
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