Electricity: circuit makers and breakers – Multiple circuit control – Sequential operations
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-02
2001-02-20
Friedhofer, Michael (Department: 2832)
Electricity: circuit makers and breakers
Multiple circuit control
Sequential operations
C200S0050EA, C200S293000, C200S339000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06191372
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a switch device, and more particularly to a switch device used for opening or closing a window in an automobile-installed power window device.
2. Prior Art
With reference to the drawings, a description will be made of a conventional switch device.
FIG. 9
is an exploded perspective view showing a conventional switch device;
FIG. 10
is a perspective view showing a conventional knob of the switch device;
FIG. 11
is a sectional view taken on line
11
—
11
in
FIG. 10
; and
FIG. 12
is s sectional view showing a conventional panel, a knob and a housing in the switch device.
As shown in
FIGS. 9
to
12
, the conventional switch device is schematically constructed of a panel
1
; a plurality of (for example, two) knobs
20
to be housed in the panel
1
; a housing
3
with which the panel
1
is engaged; a switch unit
4
which is housed in the housing
3
and to which the knobs
20
are mounted; a printed circuit board
5
to which the switchunit
4
is connected; and a cover
6
for housing the printed circuit board
5
.
The panel
1
is made of synthetic resin material, is formed by fabrication, and has a substantially plane panel unit
1
a
; a side wall
1
b
which is orthogonal to the panel unit
1
a
from the back surface thereof and substantially surrounds the periphery of the panel unit
1
a
; and a plurality of (for example, two) concave portions
1
c
, each shaped to have a bottom, provided in a substantially central portion of the panel unit
1
a
. Also, the concave portion
1
c
has a pair of mutually opposed inclined walls
1
d
, a curved surface wall
1
e
provided between the pair of inclined walls
1
d
, and a substantially rectangular hole if. The bottom of the concave portion
1
c
is constituted by the curved surface wall
1
e
, and part of this bottom is provided with the hole if.
The pair of inclined walls
1
d
are inclined such that an interval therebetween becomes narrower away from the panel unit
1
a
. Also, this concave portion
1
c
on a side of the plane of the panel unit
1
a
of the panel
1
is open.
The knob
20
has a substantially box-like shape, made of synthetic resin material, formed by fabrication, and has a curved surface-shaped top surface wall
20
a
; a pair of first side walls
20
b
substantially orthogonal to the top surface wall
20
a
; a second side wall
20
c
provided between the pair of first side walls
20
b
, substantially orthogonal to the first side walls
20
b
; and an opening
20
d
on a side opposite to the top surface wall
20
a
. The periphery of the top surface wall
20
a
is subjected to so-called chamfering, and is formed into a curved surface shape. One end portion of the top surface wall
20
a
in the longitudinal direction protrudes outwardly to be formed as an operating unit
20
g
, while the other end portion extends to the opening
20
d.
One surface (outer side) of the pair of first side walls
20
b
is inclined such that the interval becomes wider from the top surface wall
20
a
side toward the opening
20
d
, and the other surface (inside side) is provided to be substantially orthogonal to the top surface wall
20
a
. More specifically, the first side walls
20
b
are formed such that the thickness dimension thereof becomes thicker from the top surface wall
20
a
side toward the opening
20
d
for manufacturing reasons to be described later. A circular hole
20
f
is formed on the first side wall
20
b.
In other words, this knob
20
is formed such that a width dimension to be formed between the pair of first side walls
20
b
becomes gradually larger from substantially the top surface wall
20
a
(socalled apex of knob
20
) toward the opening
20
d
. Also, the knob
20
constitutes a so-called finger grip portion.
A housing
3
is made of synthetic resin material, is formed by fabrication, and has a substantially rectangular top wall
3
a
; a side wall
3
b
extending outwardly from the top wall
3
a
and surrounding the periphery; and a plurality of (for example, two) mounting units
3
c
provided at a substantially central portion of the top wall
3
a.
The side wall
3
b
is provided with a plurality of (for example, six) rectangular convex portions
3
e
and a rectangular hole
3
f.
The mounting unit
3
c
has a rectangular hole
3
d
, wall portions
3
g
provided all around the hole
3
d
, and a pair of cylindrical column-shaped convex portions
3
h
provided to oppose to the mutually-opposed wall portions
3
g
. This housing
3
is housed into the panel
1
from the side of the opened plane of the panel
1
, and is arranged by appropriate means such as snap-in. At this time, the mounting unit
3
c
of the housing
3
is housed and arranged within the concave portion
1
c
of the panel
1
.
The knob
20
is inserted into the concave portion
1
c
, and the pair of convex portions
3
h
of the mounting unit
3
c
are inserted into the circular hole
20
f
in the first side wall
20
b
of the knob
20
, whereby the knob
20
is arranged to enable it to rock with respect to the housing
3
.
In this state, the pair of inclined walls
1
d
of the concave portion
1
c
in the panel
1
and the pair of first side walls
20
b
of the knob
20
are assembled to oppose to each other so as to have different directions of inclination. Therefore, a gap dimension
12
(See
FIG. 12
) between the inclined wall
1
d
and the first side wall
20
b
on the panel unit
1
a
side is set to a comparatively large value, and a gap dimension
13
of the concave portion
1
c
on the bottom side is set to a comparatively small value (12>13).
That is, the gap dimension between the inclined wall
1
d
and the first side wall
20
b
is set so as to become gradually larger from the bottom side of the concave portion
1
c
toward the panel unit
1
a
side.
Next, a description will be made of a forming mold for manufacturing a conventional knob for the switch device.
FIG. 13
is a sectional view showing a forming mold for manufacturing the knob for the switch device. As shown in
FIG. 13
, this forming mold is schematically constructed of: a first mold
41
as a stationary mold; a second mold
42
to be inserted into the first mold
41
, as a movable mold; and a third mold
43
, as a slide core, to be mounted to the first mold
41
, and to be slid so as to sandwich the second mold
42
therebetween.
The first mold
41
has a concave portion
41
a
which is substantially U-shaped in cross section, and whose angular portions have been chamfered. In this concave portion
41
a
, mutually-opposed sides in the concave portion
41
a
are inclined such that they are slightly opened toward an open end side. The mutually-opposed inclined sides within the concave portion
41
a
are provided in order to reliably and easily release on releasing a knob to be fabricated by this forming mold from the forming mold.
The second mold
42
is shaped like an inverted, substantially T-character in cross section, and has a base
42
a
and a convex portion
42
b
protruding outward (upward) from the substantially central portion of one surface (upper surface) of the base
42
a
. The structure is arranged such that the tip end portion of the convex portion
42
b
is arranged to oppose within the concave portion
41
a
of the first mold
41
and that the convex portion
42
b
goes in and out of the concave portion
41
a
. When the end surface of the first mold
41
has abutted upon the base
42
a
of the second mold
42
, substantially U-shaped space is formed between the concave portion
41
a
and the convex portion
42
b.
A third mold
43
is substantially T-shaped in cross section, and has a pair of bases
43
a
, which slide, and a pair of cylindrical column-shaped convex portions
43
b
, each protruding outward from one side of the base
43
a
. The tip end portion of the convex portion
43
b
abuts upon the side of the convex portion
42
b
of the second mold
42
, and the convex portion
43
b
is used to form the circular hole
20
f
in the first s
Sasaki Mikio
Sotooka Kazuo
Alps Electric Co. ,Ltd.
Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione
Friedhofer Michael
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