Electricity: circuit makers and breakers – Multiple circuit control – Multiple switch
Patent
1989-03-09
1990-06-26
Scott, J. R.
Electricity: circuit makers and breakers
Multiple circuit control
Multiple switch
200 6A, 200 16C, 200 18, 200DIG29, H01H 2504
Patent
active
049374028
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a switching device, and more particularly to a switching device suitably usable as a control switch for adjustable automotive mirrors.
BACKGROUND ART
Heretofore, there have been proposed various types of control switches for adjustable automotive mirrors. As disclosed in, for example, the U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,698,463 and 4,698,464, such switching device has a structure comprising plural fixed contacts disposed on a printed circuit board (will be referred to as "PCB" hereinafter) formed on a substrate mounted in an enclosure, plural resilient, conductive, arcuate bridge-shaped members slidably disposed on the PCB and of which the opposite ends are used as moving contacts to electrically connect certain ones of the plural fixed contacts to each other, plural actuators corresponding to the bridge-shaped members, of which one ends are in contact with the sections near the ends of the bridge-shaped members while the other ends are exposed outside the upper section of the enclosure, and disposed movably in a direction perpendicular to the PCB, and a square push plate disposed above the enclosure and supported on the exposed other end of the actuator In such switching device, the push plate has four sections carrying markings for tilting (up and down) and turning (right and left), respectively, of the mirror surface to be adjusted in posture. When the driver of the car presses any of these four sections of the push plate by finger, a corresponding actuator is moved, thereby deforming deforming resiliently a corresponding bridge-shaped member to electrically connect corresponding fixed contacts to each other In the switching device of this type, plural arcuate bridge-shaped members are provided of which the opposite ends are used as moving contacts, and each of them is resiliently deformed by a corresponding actuator to provide a switching. At this time, the ends of the bridge-shaped member slide while being in surface contact with the PCB or fixed contents, so that sometimes the moving contacts do not smoothly move or a poor contact occurs between the moving and fixed contacts due to any mechanical fatigue of the bridge-shaped member material or to any abrasion of the contacts.
The present invention has an object to overcome the drawbacks of the switching devices of the above-mentioned type by providing a switching device excellent in operability and durability and in which a contact is positively made between the fixed and moving contacts.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The switching device according to the present invention can be applied to a switch unit using a pair of electrically conductive balls as moving contacts. The ball contents in this pair are disposed on a substrate having formed thereon a printed circuit board (will be referred to as "PCB" hereinafter; the PCB will also referred to as "substrate" hereinafter) mounted inside a housing and two slant surfaces of a slider element are in contact with the contact balls in the pair. An elastic member is disposed between the slider element and box-shaped slider which houses the slider element to forced the slider element toward the PCB. The slider is so constructed as to be guided in a predetermined direction by a guide member disposed within the enclosure so that certain two of plural fixed contacts are connected to each other by means of the ball contact pair, and also the slider is moved manually by an operating member so that the certain two fixed contacts are electrically connected to each other.
In case the switching device according to the present invention is applied to a switch unit having a moving contact comprising a pair of ball contacts, the moving contact move smoothly, and the frictional abrasion between the moving and fixed contacts is less and the switch unit is highly durable. Since the switching device has a structure in which the moving contact is moved along with the slider and the slider element is forced toward the PCB, the pair of ball contacts being the moving contact can be put into
REFERENCES:
patent: 3178523 (1965-04-01), Farrell
patent: 3591740 (1971-07-01), Kolster
patent: 4698463 (1987-10-01), Tanaka et al.
patent: 4698464 (1987-10-01), Tanaka et al.
patent: 4816662 (1989-03-01), Kyoden
Ichikoh Industries Limited
Scott J. R.
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