Electricity: circuit makers and breakers – Special application – Turn indicator type switches
Patent
1991-08-21
1993-03-23
Scott, J. R.
Electricity: circuit makers and breakers
Special application
Turn indicator type switches
200 6B, H01H 2504, H01H 342, H01H 504, B60Q 138
Patent
active
051966590
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an electric switch in particular used as a turn-signal switch for motor vehicles for indicating a change of direction or a lane change and having a carrier mounted in a switch housing, which carrier is preferably movable from a central position to opposite directions and especially swivellable about an axis of rotation fixed to the housing.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
An electric switch of this kind is for example known from the German laid open publication 3 626 241. In this switch, a middle stationary contact and two lateral ones as well as a movable bridging contact are accommodated in a switch housing, which bridging contact, in its center, is tiltably mounted on the middle stationary contact. In the central position of the carrier, the bridging contact is tilted about an edge of the middle stationary contact and bumps on a lateral stationary contact. The middle stationary contact is then connected in an electrically conductive manner with the lateral stationary contact, so that, e.g. the left-hand turn-signal lamps emit a signal, when the switch is used as a turn-signal switch. It is true that the bridging contact of this electric switch can be changed over rapidly, however, the switching speed can be negatively influenced by slowly moving the switch lever.
From the German laid open publication 3 626 241 as well as from the German patent 3 336 877 a so-called click-action switching device is also known in which the switching speed of the movable contact cannot be influenced via the operating device. A click-action switching device comprises a snap contact bar which is swivellably mounted on one end and bears a catch on the other end. Another catch, movable by a contact piece, rests against the catch of the snap contact bar. In the longitudinal direction of the snap contact bar at least one of the catches is displaceable against a spring and at least one of the catches has a wedge profile which faces the other catch. When the contact piece is operated, one catch glides along a side of the wedge profile of the other catch, whereby the spring acting upon one catch is increasingly tensioned. When the tip of the wedge profile has been passed, the first catch glides along on the other side of the wedge profile, whereby the spring is released and changes over the snap contact bar abruptly. Because it is not possible to hold one catch at the tip of the wedge profile of the other catch, the changeover speed of the snap contact bar cannot be affected by the moving speed of the contact piece.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to develop an electric switch in such a way that a high number of operations can be achieved and that by a compact construction a small overall size of the switch housing is made possible.
This problem is solved according to the invention in that an electric switch includes a first snap contact bar, a first touch slide and a first stationary contact symmetrically arranged with respect to a second snap contact bar, a second touch slide and a second stationary contact.
Thus, in an electric switch according to the invention one of two snap contact bars or click devices is actuated, when the carrier is moved out of its central position or back into its central position, whereas the other click device remains at rest. A high number of operations can be achieved by click devices of this kind. In the sense of a compact construction a touch slide is used for each click device. Each snap contact bar is swivellably mounted closely to a lateral wall of the switch housing. The two touch slides in front of the inner ends of the two snap contact bars are positioned one beside the other, if looked at in their moving direction. The two click devices are altogether symmetrically arranged relative to the central position of the carrier.
Advantageous embodiments of an electric switch according to the invention can be seen from the subclaims.
According to one embodiment each one of the two snap cont
REFERENCES:
patent: 3209092 (1965-09-01), Vitaloni et al.
patent: 3892932 (1975-07-01), Erdelitsch et al.
patent: 4336428 (1982-06-01), Berginski
Lewis J. Gordon
Scott J. R.
Seitter Robert P.
SWF Auto-Electric GmbH
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