EP0036263B1 - Electrical switch - Google Patents

Electrical switch Download PDF

Info

Publication number
EP0036263B1
EP0036263B1 EP81300876A EP81300876A EP0036263B1 EP 0036263 B1 EP0036263 B1 EP 0036263B1 EP 81300876 A EP81300876 A EP 81300876A EP 81300876 A EP81300876 A EP 81300876A EP 0036263 B1 EP0036263 B1 EP 0036263B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
contact
arm
operating member
fixed
switch
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired
Application number
EP81300876A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0036263A1 (en
Inventor
Hermanus Petrus J. Gilissen
Lucas Soes
Eduardus Franciscus A. Ten Berge
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
TE Connectivity Corp
Original Assignee
AMP Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by AMP Inc filed Critical AMP Inc
Priority to AT81300876T priority Critical patent/ATE8722T1/de
Publication of EP0036263A1 publication Critical patent/EP0036263A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0036263B1 publication Critical patent/EP0036263B1/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H19/00—Switches operated by an operating part which is rotatable about a longitudinal axis thereof and which is acted upon directly by a solid body external to the switch, e.g. by a hand
    • H01H19/02—Details
    • H01H19/10—Movable parts; Contacts mounted thereon
    • H01H19/11—Movable parts; Contacts mounted thereon with indexing means
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H1/00—Contacts
    • H01H1/06—Contacts characterised by the shape or structure of the contact-making surface, e.g. grooved
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H19/00—Switches operated by an operating part which is rotatable about a longitudinal axis thereof and which is acted upon directly by a solid body external to the switch, e.g. by a hand
    • H01H19/54—Switches operated by an operating part which is rotatable about a longitudinal axis thereof and which is acted upon directly by a solid body external to the switch, e.g. by a hand the operating part having at least five or an unspecified number of operative positions
    • H01H19/60—Angularly-movable actuating part carrying no contacts
    • H01H19/63—Contacts actuated by axial cams

Definitions

  • This invention relates to an electrical switch.
  • Many forms of electrical switch are known, in which a resilient movable contact arm is urged into engagement with a fixed contact by means of an operating member in order to close the switch.
  • the operating member does not move solely longitudinally of the movable contact arm, but moves transversely thereof, and thus the movable contact arm does not perform only the up and down movement relative to the fixed contact required for making and breaking the connection, but is also moved transversely of its axis.
  • an electrical switch in which a resilient movable contact arm is urged into engagement with a fixed contact by means of an operating member in order to close the switch, the operating member moving transversely of the contact arm to effect such closure, and the contact portion of the fixed contact being convex as seen by the contact arm, is characterised in that the contact portion of the contact arm is concave as seen by the fixed contact, and has a larger radius of curvature then the co-operating contact portion of the fixed contact.
  • the surface of the contact portion of the contact arm rolls across the surface of the contact portion of the fixed contact on operation of the switch, and thus there is little if any fretting of the surfaces, and thus little is any fretting corrosion occurs. Further, in view of this rolling action each part of the surface of the contact portion of the contact arm and of the surface of the contact portion of the fixed contact, is engaged by the other surface for only a small part of the time taken for operation of the switch, and thus any possibility of fretting of any part of either surface is kept to a minimum.
  • the switch shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 is similar to that described and claimed in EP-A2-0004420, and comprises a circular base 1 moulded from electrically insulating plastics material, and carrying an input contact 2 and four fixed output contacts 3.
  • the contacts 2 and 3 are press-fitted in the base 1, and each has an outwardly projecting pin portion for receipt in a hole in a substrate (not shown) thereby to connect the contact 2 or 3 to a conductor on the substrate which may be a printed circuit board.
  • the inner ends of the output contacts 3 constitute contact portions the surfaces of which are convex, and project above the adjacent surface of the base 1, while the inner end of the input contact 2 has a flat head on which is welded a substantially planar bridging contact 5 having four resilient contact arms 6 associated with the four fixed output contacts 3 respectively.
  • the output contacts 3 are located at positions spaced at about 90° around the centre of the base 1 and at mutually different distances, that is radii, from the centre of the base 1, and the input contact 2 is offset from the centre of the base 1 such that it is substantially equispaced from each of the output contacts 3.
  • the effective lengths of the four contact arms 6 of the bridging contact 5 are also equal.
  • the base 1 is formed with an upstanding peripheral flange 7 within which is received a circular operating member 8 which completes the switch.
  • the flange 7 has an inwardly directed segmented lip 9 which engages over a segmented annular shoulder 10 on the operating member 8 to mount the operating member 8 on the base 1.
  • the inner surface of the operating member 8 is formed with a plurality of arcuate cam projections 11 having mutually different radii measured from the centre of the operating member 8, that is from the axis of rotation thereof, which axis passes through the centre of the base 1.
  • Each cam projection 11 has a radius of curvature equal to the distance of each of the output contacts 3 from the centre of the base 1.
  • Each cam projection has end surfaces 12 which slope from the surface of the operating member 8 up to a level middle surface 13 which is parallel to the surface of the operating member 8.
  • the operating member 8 is formed with an outwardly directed bar 14 which can be gripped by a user's fingers to rotate the operating member 8 relative to the base 1.
  • the flange 7 on the base 1 is divided into a plurality of circumferentially spaced segments 15 by slots 16. Two diametrically opposed segments 15 are narrower than the others and the lip portions 9' thereon are enlarged and engage in slots 17 in the shoulder 10 of the operating member 8 to provide an indexing action on rotation of the operating member 8 relative to the base 1, the slots 17 and lip portions 9' thus together defining a number of stable rotary positions of the operating member 8 relative to the base 1.
  • Each contact arm 6 of the bridging contact 5 comprises a single inner limb 18 extending from the input contact 2 and carrying at its outer end a three-legged arrangement comprising three outwardly extending substantially equal length legs 19 lying in a common plane.
  • the free end of the centre leg 19 constitutes a contact portion for engagement with the associated output contact 3 and is concave in transverse cross-section as seen by the output contact 3 and has a larger radius of curvature than the co-operating contact portion of associated output contact 3.
  • the two outer legs 19 are joined by an arcuate linking member 20 which extends towards the operating member 8 for engagement by the cam projection for projections 11 associated therewith.
  • the arrangement is such that when the linking member 20 of a contact arm 6 is not engaged with an associated cam projection 11 on the operating member 8, the centre leg 19 of that contact arm 6 is out of engagement with the associated output contact 3, as shown to the left in Figure 3, but when the operating member 8 is rotated relative to the base 1 to a position in which the linking member 20 is engaged by an associated projection 11, then the centre leg 19 is held in engagement with the associated output contact 3, as shown to the right in Figure 3, whereby the bridging contact 5 provides a connection between the input contact 2 and that output contact 3.
  • the cam projections 11 on the operating member 8 are arranged such that for each of the stable rotational positions of the operating member 8 relative to the base 1 a unique combination of connections between the input contact 2 and the output contacts 3 is established by the bridging contact 5, these connections enabling a coded decimal output to be obtained from the output contacts 3 from a voltage applied to the input contact 2.
  • each of the contact arms 6 of the bridging contact 5 is advantageous in that it gives a two stage closing of the centre leg 19 on to the associated output contact 3, this ensuring ease of operation of the switch with a final high contact force between the centre leg 19 and the output contact 3.
  • the surface of the contact portion of the fixed output contact 3 is convex as seen by the contact arm 6, and the co-operating surface of the contact portion (centre leg 19) of the contact arm 6 is concave as seen by the fixed contact 3, the contact portion of the contact arm 6 having a larger radius of curvature than the co-operating contact portion of the fixed contact 3.
  • the parts of the surfaces of the contact portions which are in contact when the stable closed position is established, are not in contact during the periods of maximum transverse movement of the contact arm 6 relative to the fixed contact 3, that is when the linking member 20 is in engagement with the sloping surfaces 12 of the cam projection 11, and thus fretting of these parts of the surfaces of the contact portions is kept to an absolute minimum.
  • a switch in accordance with this invention can be of any type in which there is the possibility of transverse movement of the resilient contact are relative to the associated fixed contact with consequent possibility of fretting of the surfaces of the contact portions of the contact arm and fixed contact.

Landscapes

  • Rotary Switch, Piano Key Switch, And Lever Switch (AREA)
  • Contacts (AREA)
  • Slide Switches (AREA)
EP81300876A 1980-03-14 1981-03-03 Electrical switch Expired EP0036263B1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AT81300876T ATE8722T1 (de) 1980-03-14 1981-03-03 Elektrischer schalter.

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB8008677 1980-03-14
GB8008677 1980-03-14

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0036263A1 EP0036263A1 (en) 1981-09-23
EP0036263B1 true EP0036263B1 (en) 1984-07-25

Family

ID=10512091

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP81300876A Expired EP0036263B1 (en) 1980-03-14 1981-03-03 Electrical switch

Country Status (10)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0036263B1 (es)
JP (1) JPS56145616A (es)
AR (1) AR227416A1 (es)
AT (1) ATE8722T1 (es)
AU (1) AU542438B2 (es)
BR (1) BR8101503A (es)
CA (1) CA1156299A (es)
DE (1) DE3164956D1 (es)
ES (1) ES8203163A1 (es)
MX (1) MX148638A (es)

Families Citing this family (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS59217914A (ja) * 1983-05-25 1984-12-08 オータックス株式会社 電子回路を内蔵したスイツチ
GB2420448B (en) * 2004-11-19 2007-11-28 Invensys Controls Uk Ltd Switching mechanism
CN109887792A (zh) * 2019-04-04 2019-06-14 江苏雷利电机股份有限公司 电源开关、驱动装置以及制冰机

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2850602A (en) * 1955-05-16 1958-09-02 North Electric Co Relay contact arrangement
US3054879A (en) * 1960-01-20 1962-09-18 Indak Mfg Corp Pushbutton switch
US3281552A (en) * 1965-10-12 1966-10-25 Ark Les Switch Corp Cam operated rotary switch using leaf spring and overlying actuator
EP0004420A2 (en) * 1978-03-17 1979-10-03 AMP INCORPORATED (a New Jersey corporation) Coded electric switch

Family Cites Families (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE2406265A1 (de) * 1974-02-09 1975-08-14 Stahl R Fa Kontakt fuer elektrische schaltgeraete

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2850602A (en) * 1955-05-16 1958-09-02 North Electric Co Relay contact arrangement
US3054879A (en) * 1960-01-20 1962-09-18 Indak Mfg Corp Pushbutton switch
US3281552A (en) * 1965-10-12 1966-10-25 Ark Les Switch Corp Cam operated rotary switch using leaf spring and overlying actuator
EP0004420A2 (en) * 1978-03-17 1979-10-03 AMP INCORPORATED (a New Jersey corporation) Coded electric switch

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE3164956D1 (en) 1984-08-30
JPS56145616A (en) 1981-11-12
ATE8722T1 (de) 1984-08-15
AU6739281A (en) 1981-09-17
CA1156299A (en) 1983-11-01
BR8101503A (pt) 1981-09-15
ES500156A0 (es) 1982-02-16
EP0036263A1 (en) 1981-09-23
ES8203163A1 (es) 1982-02-16
AU542438B2 (en) 1985-02-21
MX148638A (es) 1983-05-19
AR227416A1 (es) 1982-10-29

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