CN113711324B

CN113711324B - Push button switch

Info

Publication number: CN113711324B
Application number: CN202080022031.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 约尔格·格斯曼
Original assignee: Johnson Electric Guangdong Co Ltd
Current assignee: Johnson Electric Guangdong Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-03-21
Filing date: 2020-03-20
Publication date: 2023-07-28
Anticipated expiration: 2040-03-20
Also published as: CN113711324A; DE102019107222A1; WO2020188084A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a push-button switch for switching on and/or off an electrical device, and for this purpose a contact system is provided in a switch housing. The switching operation is effected by means of a manual operating element, i.e. a button or a remote control actuator.

Description

Push button switch

[ field of technology ]

The present invention relates to an electronic switch, and more particularly, to an electronic push button switch that can be manually operated and remotely operated at two switch positions.

[ background Art ]

Push-button switches known from the prior art are generally used for switching electronic devices on and/or off, for which purpose a contact system is provided in the switch housing. The switching operation is effected by means of a manual operating element, i.e. a push button.

DE9305556U1 and EP2141717A1 describe a push button switch in which an electrically controlled actuator is used to move a push button from an on position to an off position releasing contacts from each other. The holding means of the push button are provided in the form of a slider with a switch core guide for the pin of the push button in order to hold the push button in the on position. However, such controlled switching of the contact system is only possible in the on position, and the switch cannot be opened remotely to close the contacts.

In order to integrate electrical devices into the internet of things, the devices must be networked to each other. For such a system (IOT), it is a prerequisite that the switch can be controlled by the actuator with the operating element in two switch positions. Such remotely controllable switches are shown in documents DE102016101016 and DE102016101017, but only in the form of rocker switches.

[ invention ]

The object of the present invention is to provide a push-button switch which can be operated manually and remotely in two switch positions, the effect of both switch operations being identical, i.e. having the same switching force and the same switching feel.

The novel push button switch in the first embodiment of the present invention has a push button for manual operation which is axially movably mounted on a switch housing and has at least two different operating positions. At least one return spring acts on the push button, the spring force of which acts on the push button in the direction of the open position. A contact system having at least one movable contact and at least one fixed contact is disposed in the housing. Electrical connection terminals lead from these contacts out of the housing. The button is not directly connected to the movable contact. The invention also comprises a transmission mechanism for transmitting the manual operation of the push button to the contact element provided with the movable contact, which transmission mechanism on the one hand interacts with the push button and on the other hand interacts with the contact element in order to close the electric circuit in one operating position of the push button, which corresponds to one switch position, for example an on position, and to interrupt the electric circuit in another operating position of the push button, which corresponds to the other switch position, namely an off position. Further, in addition to manual operation of the buttons as described above, the switch may be switched from one switch position to another by remote control of the switch. This remotely controlled switching is achieved by means of a bistable actuator arranged in the housing of the push-button switch and acting on the transmission mechanism. The actuator has an E-shaped core which consists of two half yokes and has a permanent magnet arranged in the middle.

The transmission has a pivotable lever which engages with its drive element in a guide slot on the push button. For example, in the present embodiment, such a guide slot is a heart-shaped guide into which the hook-shaped drive element of the control lever is guided. The control lever is also directly or indirectly connected to a contact spring provided with the movable contact. Preferably, the pivoting lever has two arms. Depending on the pivoting position of the control lever, one arm contacts the bistable actuator and forms a closed magnetic circuit by contact. The permanent magnet generates a permanent magnetic flux to maintain a switching position of the control lever. The switch position can be cancelled by generating another magnetic field. For this purpose, an excitation winding is provided on both sides of the actuator. Electromagnetic flux can be generated by energizing the field winding. The field winding is wound in such a way that during energization an electromagnetic flux is generated which is opposite to the permanent magnetic flux, so that the closed magnetic circuit is extinguished at half of the yoke, the arm of the control lever no longer being attracted. The magnetic flux present in the other half of the yoke exerts an attractive force on the other arm of the lever, causing the lever to pivot. Advantageously, the control lever is coupled to the contact spring, so that a switching-supporting force is generated at the respective contact position.

In addition to such direct coupling, indirect coupling is also possible. The control lever may be directly or indirectly connected to the contact spring.

The core of the push-button switch of the invention is a bistable actuator with two half yokes and a permanent magnet. In the passive state of the field winding, i.e. when the coils are not activated, the permanent magnetic flux holds the arms of the control rod on the actuator and pulls them stably onto the respective yokes. The switch is in either an off or on position depending on which arm is fixed to the actuator.

In another aspect, the lever acts on the contact spring having the movable contact. In particular, in one embodiment of the invention, one arm of the lever extends beyond its contact point with the actuator and is coupled at its end to a transmission element connected to a contact spring. In this way, the contact spring with the movable contact is pressed against the fixed contact in one pivot position of the control lever and pulled away from the fixed contact in the other pivot position of the control lever. The contact spring is designed such that the spring tongue acts as a carrier for the movable contact. By releasing the spring tongue, the contact spring can continue to move even after the contact has been closed, so-called overshooting occurs. This will create a suitable contact force when the contacts are closed.

For switching the contact system, on the one hand, a manual actuation of the push-button switch can be performed, which, by way of its active connection to the control lever, causes a pivoting movement of the control lever and thus a switching of the contact system. On the other hand, for remote control of the push-button switch, one or both coils are activated according to a loop, whereby the corresponding closed magnetic circuit is extinguished and on the other yoke the magnetic circuit attracts the arm of the control lever, which means that the control lever is pivoted. This now fully closed permanent magnetic circuit will also retain the attracted control rod after the coil is disconnected from its control voltage, thus maintaining the new switch position.

The novel button switch can integrate the electrical equipment into an Internet of things system and can also realize remote switching. The new push-button switch can be operated simultaneously in a conventional manual manner. The equivalent switching function is operated remotely and manually so that a satisfactory tactile sensation is provided when the button is manually pressed. This is affected by the equivalent motion behavior of the bi-stable actuator in both switching operations, either when off or when on. In particular, an accurate switching point can be produced in both operating directions and sensed in manual operation. A bistable actuator and its mode of operation are known from document DE102010017874B 4. Which depicts a high energy spectrum and high holding power, the entire push button switch can be highly miniaturized.

All movable parts of the push button switch, such as the push button, the lever, the contact spring, are forcibly coupled to switch the contact system, and movement of one of these parts results in movement of the other part. The bi-stable actuator ensures that the contact system can only assume two defined states.

The novel push-button switch in a second embodiment of the invention comprises a housing, a manual operating element and at least two electrical contacts inside the housing, wherein the operating element is movably mounted and configured to have two different operating positions corresponding to two different switch positions, each electrical contact being led out of the housing as an electrical connection terminal, one contact being designed as a fixed contact and the other contact being designed as a movable contact. The new switch further comprises a bistable actuator for remote control integrated in the switch housing, wherein the operating element interacts directly or indirectly with a control lever or a component of the bistable actuator, the operating element, the control lever or the component and the movable contact being forcibly coupled to each other such that the operating element can be moved from one operating position to another operating position in a manual or remote controlled manner.

The novel push button switch in a third embodiment of the present invention comprises a housing and at least two electrical contacts within said housing, each electrical contact being led out of the housing as an electrical connection terminal, one contact being designed as a fixed contact and the other as a movable contact. The new switch comprises an operating assembly having two different operating positions corresponding to the two different switch positions, and a bi-stable actuator integrated in the switch housing for remote control, wherein the operating assembly interacts directly or indirectly with a control member of the bi-stable actuator, said operating assembly, a control member of said bi-stable actuator and said movable contact being forcibly connected to each other so that the new electronic switch can be remotely switched from one switch position to another.

[ description of the drawings ]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a push button switch in an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the push button switch without the housing in an open position;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a push button switch without a housing and push button;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the push button switch without the housing in the on position;

fig. 5a-5d show perspective views of the position of the lever and the catch when the push button switch is actuated from the on position to the off position.

[ detailed description ] of the invention

Fig. 1 shows a push button switch 10 with a housing 11. The manual operating element, i.e. the push button 20, is mounted on the housing 11 so that it can be moved in the axial direction. This can be ensured by the guide grooves 21 on the push button 20 and the pins 12, 13 on the housing side. The buttons 20 have different operating positions, which will be explained later. Four electrical connection terminals 15, 16, 17, 18 protrude from the housing 11. As can be better seen from fig. 2, fig. 2 shows the push button switch 10 without a housing. The electrical connection terminals 17, 18 are control connection terminals of the bistable actuator 30. The electrical connection terminal 15 is connected to the contact spring 40 through the printed circuit board 19, and the contact spring 40 holds the movable contact 41 at the end of the spring tongue 42. The electrical connection terminal 16 is connected to the fixed contact 61.

The push button switch 10 is in the off position in fig. 2 and can be moved to the on position by manually pressing the push button 20. The push button 20 is not directly connected to a contact spring 40 carrying a movable contact 41, but a transmission mechanism is provided to transfer the movement of the push button 20. The transmission mechanism comprises a control lever 50, or control member, having a hook-shaped driving element, in this embodiment a hook 51, as driving element for interaction with the push button 20. For this purpose, the pushbutton 20 has a guide groove 23 on the support 22. The hook 51 of the lever 50 is engaged in the guide groove 23 and guided when the lever 50 is moved or the button 20 is moved. In the present embodiment, the guide groove 23 is designed as a heart curve. In the starting position of the push button 20 in fig. 2 or 5a, the hook 51 is located in the lower position of the heart curve of the guide slot 23. If the button 20 is operated, i.e., pressed as in the present embodiment, the hook 51 is pushed to the right in the heart-shaped curve, thereby generating a torque on the lever 50, which causes the lever 50 to pivot. In this embodiment, the lever 50 is pivotally mounted to the bi-stable actuator 30. The lever 50 has two arms 53, 54. Arm 54 is coupled to a transmission element 52. The angled arm 43 of the contact spring 40 is coupled to the transmission element 52 such that operation of the push button 20 can cause the lever 50 to pivot and lower the contact spring 40. When the movable contact 41 is pressed against the fixed contact 61, contact is further caused. The realization position of the control lever 50 and its hook 51 is shown in fig. 4 and 5 b. At this time, the push button switch 10 is turned on. If the button 20 is now briefly released, the hook 51 can jump to the rightmost position, as shown in fig. 5 c. The button 20 is moved to its raised initial position by the return spring 14. This allows the button 20 to be pressed further. When the button 20 is pressed again, the hook 51 is forced to move to the left again on the heart-shaped curve, as shown in fig. 5d, and the lever 50 is pivoted, opening the contact, the push-button switch 10 is opened. When the pressed button 20 is released again, it is moved by the return spring 14 to its raised initial position and the catch 51 jumps to the lower position of the cardioid curve, as shown in fig. 5 a.

The above-described manual switching operation can be achieved in the same manner by remote control, since the control lever 50 is connected not only to the push button 20 but also to the bistable actuator 30. The actuator 30 is arranged in the housing 11 and has a permanent magnet 32 in a centered position between two half yokes 34, 35 for holding a center leg 36. In this way, an E-shaped magnetic core is formed. On both sides of the actuator 30, one field winding 31 is provided. In the passive state, i.e. when the field winding 31 is not activated and thus no additional magnetic field is generated, the permanent magnet 32 serves to hold the arms 53, 54 of the control lever 50. In fig. 2, held is an arm 53. In the left half of the illustrated actuator 30, there is a closed magnetic circuit a by contacting the arm 53 of the control lever 50, whereby a permanent magnetic flux flows through the permanent magnet 32, the center leg 36, the yoke 34 and the arm 53. The permanent magnetic flux delivered by the permanent magnet 32 holds the arm 53 on the actuator 30 stably to the yoke 34. In this position of the control lever 50, which is shown in fig. 2, the contact spring 40 is pulled upwards by the transmission element 52 such that the movable contact 41 is at a distance from the fixed contact 61. In the open position of the manual or remote control to the switch, the lever 50 is tilted to the left as shown in fig. 2.

If the coil 31 is activated at this time, in this embodiment, the exciting winding 31 on the yoke 34, the magnetic circuit a in the yoke 34 is canceled out since the magnetic field of the coil 31 is opposite to the magnetic circuit a. The magnetic circuit a generated by the permanent magnet moves from the left parallel circuit to the right parallel circuit. This causes a magnetic attractive force to be exerted on the arm 54 of the control lever 50, causing the control lever 50 to pivot rightward, thereby closing the gap at the yoke 35. If the control voltage of the coil 31 at the yoke 34 is disconnected, the arm 54 remains at the actuator 30. The permanent magnet 32 generates a magnetic force holding the arm 54 due to its magnetic circuit B. This position is shown in fig. 4. As arm 54 descends, transmission element 52 descends as well, and arm 43, which contacts spring 40, moves. By lowering the contact spring 40, contact is established between the movable contact 41 and the fixed contact 61. In the on position of the manual or remote control to the switch, the lever 50 in this embodiment is tilted to the right. The button 20 may be pressed to break contact of the contacts. Likewise, the field winding 31 adjacent to the yoke 35 may be excited by generating a magnetic field to trigger the switching process.

The movable contact 41 is provided by a contact spring 40, as shown in fig. 2 to 4. The shape of the contact spring 40 is preferably shown in the perspective view of fig. 3. The contact spring 40 is shaped as a spring tongue 42 of a carrier with a movable contact 41. One end of the contact spring 40 is connected to the electrical connection terminal 15 through the printed circuit board 19 and is firmly clamped at that end. The other end of the contact spring 40 is angled to the arm 43, the arm 43 having an engagement end 44 engaged in the transmission element 52. The transmission element 52 is coupled to the control lever 50 such that a pivoting movement of the control lever 50 can guide the contact spring 40 to be lowered or raised. Due to the release of the spring tongue 42, the contact spring 40 can also be moved further downwards after the contact has been closed and a so-called overstroke is produced, when the contact spring 40 descends, see fig. 4. This will produce a suitable contact force when the contacts are closed. In the open position, as shown in fig. 2, one end of the spring tongue 42 rests against the stop 33; there is likewise no resistance to further movement of the contact spring 40. The illustrated contact spring 40 has the advantage that due to the release of the spring tongue 42, the contact 41 can safely contact the stationary contact 61 even if the end position of the contact spring 40 varies due to manufacturing and assembly tolerances. In addition, unwanted contact bounce is suppressed. It should be noted that in other embodiments, the control lever 50 may be replaced with any other shape of control member. The contact spring 40 may have a plurality of spring tongues 42 with movable contacts 41, the contacts 41 interacting with a corresponding plurality of fixed contacts 61, respectively, i.e. the contact system may comprise a plurality of pairs of contacts 41, 61. In this way, for the same control-mounted switch 10, bouncing of the contacts can be minimized and the current carrying capacity or switching capacity can be increased.

Furthermore, a preset spring force can be provided to the bistable actuator 30 both in the on position and in the off position, thus supporting the start of the switching movement and enabling a faster and safer switching.

For other embodiments of the push button switch 10, another contact may be provided instead of the stop 33 described previously to form a change-over switch.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments shown. The push button switch 10 may contain additional electronic components that provide illumination, communication, time control, or sound signals.

10. Push button switch

11. Outer casing

12. 13 pin

15 41, electrical connection terminal

16 61, electrical connection terminal

17. 18, 30 electrical connection terminal

19. Printed circuit board with improved heat dissipation

20. Push button

21. Guide groove

23. Guide groove, heart-shaped curve

30. Bistable actuator

31. Exciting winding, coil

32. Permanent magnet

33. Stop piece

34. 35 magnetic yoke

36. Center leg

40. Contact spring

41. Movable contact

42. Spring tongue

43. Arm

44. Joint end

50. Control lever

51. Hook

52. Transmission element, coupler

53. 54 arm

61. Fixed contact

A. B magnetic circuit

Claims

1. A push button switch (10) having a housing (11), comprising:

a push button (20) as a manual operating element, wherein the push button (20) can be guided on the housing (11) and can be acted upon by at least one return spring (14);

the inside of the shell (11) at least comprises two contacts (41, 61), each contact (41, 61) is led out of the shell (11) as an electric connection terminal (15, 16), one contact is a fixed contact (61), and the other contact is a movable contact (41);

the device is characterized in that a bistable actuator (30) for remote control is also arranged in the shell (11);

the push button (20) interacts directly or indirectly with a control lever (50) of the bistable actuator (30) and is provided for this purpose with a guide groove (23);

wherein the guide groove (23) of the push button (20) is designed as a heart-shaped actuating element, the hook-shaped drive element (51) of the control lever (50) being guided in the guide groove (23);

the button (20), the lever (50) of the bistable actuator (30) and the movable contact (41) are coupled to each other.

2. Push button switch according to claim 1, characterized in that the bistable actuator (30) is provided with a permanent magnet (32) between two half yokes (34, 35);

wherein a closed magnetic circuit (A, B) is formed by the contact of the actuator (30) with the arms (53, 54) of the control lever (50) due to the magnetic flux with permanent magnetic force generated by the permanent magnet (32) such that the control lever (50) is in a self-retaining position,

wherein on both sides of the actuator (30) there are respective field windings (31) which, when energized, generate electromagnetic magnetic fluxes in opposite directions to the permanent magnetic fluxes.

3. Push button switch according to claim 2, characterized in that the position of the control lever (50) is switched by means of an electromagnetic flux generated in the contact of the half yoke (34, 35) of the actuator (30) with one arm (53, 54) of the control lever (50), whereby, even without an electromagnetic flux, either arm (53, 54) of the control lever (50) is held on the actuator (30) in each position by a closed permanent magnet path.

4. Push button switch according to claim 2, characterized in that at least one further electrical connection terminal (17, 18) is used for activating the field winding (31), the electrical connection terminal (17, 18) being connected to a printed circuit board (19) arranged in the housing.

5. Push button switch according to claim 1, characterized in that one arm (54) of the lever (50) extends beyond its contact point with the actuator (30), the lever (50) being coupled by this arm (54) to a transmission element (52) connecting the movable contact (41).

6. Push button switch according to claim 5, characterized in that the movable contact (41) is arranged on a contact spring (40), wherein the engagement end (44) of an angled arm (43) on the contact spring (40) engages with the transmission element (52), and the other end of the contact spring (40) is connected with the printed circuit board (19) or directly with an electrical connection terminal (15).

7. The push button switch according to claim 6, wherein the contact on the contact spring (40) is arranged at the free end of a spring tongue (42).

8. Push button switch according to claim 7, characterized in that in the off position the spring tongue (42) remains separated from the contact spring (40), i.e. in the direction towards the fixed contact (61), separation being effected by a stop (33) on the actuator (30).

9. Push button switch according to claim 7, characterized in that in the on position the contact spring (40) remains separated from the spring tongue (42), whereas separation is achieved by the fixed contact (61), which in turn increases the contact force.

10. Push button switch according to claim 8, characterized in that a further contact is provided in the housing (11) as a fixed contact for the function of the change-over switch, which further fixed contact replaces the stop (33) of the actuator (30), both sides of the spring tongue (42) being provided with contacts (41).

11. Push button switch according to any one of claims 1-10, characterized in that an additional electronic control or display element is provided in or on the housing (11).