ES2598033T3 - Sliding switch and thermostat controller that uses the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A slide switch, comprising a base, a slider set at the base and several pins arranged in two rows, in which the slider is configured to slide in the direction of sliding defined by said two rows of pins; The slide switch further comprises a contact element (12) provided respectively on each of two faces of the slider (10) opposite the pins, in which each of said contact elements (12) are configured to electrically connect a pair of neighboring pins in the same row; and a first elastic element (34) and a contact sheet (32) provided along the sliding direction in the base, in which one end of the first elastic element (34) is configured to connect to the base, the Another end of the first elastic element (34) is configured to connect to the contact sheet (32), and an end surface of the slider (10) adjacent to the contact sheet (32) is configured to press against the sheet (32). ) of contact from a direction opposite to the first elastic element (34), in which, when each of said contact elements (12) is in contact with a pair of said pins closest to the contact sheet (32), the contact sheet (32) is separated from said two pins closest to the contact sheet (32) with the pressure of the slider (10), and when each of said contact elements (12) is in contact with pairs of pins other than those closest gray hair (20a, 20b) to the contact sheet (32), the contact sheet (32) is pressed against said two pins (20a, 20b) closer to the contact sheet (32) by the first elastic element (34 ), characterized in that, when each of said contact elements (12) is in contact with pairs of pins other than those closest (20a, 20b) to the contact sheet (32), the contact sheet (32) is separate from the slider (10).

Description

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DESCRIPTION

Sliding switch and thermostat controller using the same Background of the invention Field of the invention

The present invention relates to a sliding switch, in particular, to a sliding switch for connecting and disconnecting the fan and adjusting the fan speed in a thermostat.

The present invention further relates to a thermostat controller using said slide switch.

Related Technique

In various kinds of speed adjustment controllers, a slide switch could be used to switch between circuit phases of different functions. However, a few switching devices can be used together to achieve the control function since there are too many objects to be controlled at the same time. For example, in existing thermostat controllers, the fan speed is controlled by two slide switches, in which a slide switch is used to connect and disconnect the fan, and the other slide switch is used to control the fan speed. These slide switches are both set on the thermostat controller, thus leading to the thermostat controller with high volume and high cost.

In addition, only adjacent contact points could be connected in the sliding direction of the slide switch on the existing slide switches. In this case, if two rows of contact points, each of which have m contact points, are arranged the direction of sliding on the circuit board, a pair of neighboring contact points in each row could be connected at the same time operating the slide switch, so that two circuits are linked to achieve switching between m-1 control phases. In some situations, the slide switch is required to connect three pairs of contact points at the same time to link three circuits, in which case the slide switch circuits have to be reconfigured to meet such demands.

In addition, the slider is connected to the contact points on the circuit board by a point contact and therefore there is a tendency for poor contact between them in the existing slide switch. Additionally, the smaller the contact surface between the slider and the contact points, the higher the contact resistance. Therefore, the slide switch will generate too much heat when used to control a large current, adversely affecting the reliability of the thermostat controller.

The German utility model DE8527547U1 unveils a switch with a sliding drive mechanism. The document DE8527547U1 switch provides a resting position. The switch of document DE8527547U1 also provides at least two switching positions in addition to its resting position.

Summary of the invention

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a sliding switch, which could achieve both the function of connecting and disconnecting the circuit and the function of adjusting different operating conditions when the circuit is on.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a sliding switch in which two rows of several contact points are arranged in the direction of sliding thereof. A switch of this type could be able to switch between different phases and connect three circuits.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a sliding switch to increase the contact surface in each contact position therein, and reduce contact resistance.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a thermostat controller that could only be used with a slide switch to connect and disconnect the fan and adjust the fan speed.

In order to achieve the objects mentioned in this way, certain exemplary embodiments may provide a slide switch, comprising a base, a slider set at the base and several pins arranged in two rows, in which the slider could slide in the defined sliding direction. for said two rows of pins. A contact element could be provided on each of two sides of the slider opposite to the 5 pins, and each of said contact elements could electrically connect a pair of neighboring pins in the same row. A first elastic element and a contact sheet could be provided along the sliding direction in the base. One end of the first elastic element could be connected to the base, and the other end of the first elastic element could be connected to the contact sheet. An end surface of the slider adjacent to the contact sheet could be pressed against the contact sheet from a direction 10 opposite the first elastic element. When each of said contact elements is in contact with a pair of said pins closest to the contact sheet, the contact sheet could be separated from said two pins closer to the contact sheet with the pressure from the slider. When each of said contact elements is in contact with other pairs of pins other than those closest to the contact sheet, the contact sheet could be pressed against said two pins closest to the contact sheet 15 by the first elastic element .

According to certain exemplary embodiments of the slide switch, the contact elements may have a planar end surface opposite the pins in the vertical direction to the sliding direction.

According to certain exemplary embodiments of the slide switch, a second elastic element can be provided additionally between the contact elements and the slider and could press the contact elements against the pins.

According to certain exemplary embodiments of the slide switch, the second elastic element may be a pair of helical springs.

According to certain exemplary embodiments of the slide switch, each of said two pins closest to the contact sheet can be additionally provided with an additional contact portion 25 respectively. Each of said additional contact parts could be connected to one end of the adjacent pin and extend in a direction parallel to the contact sheet. The contact sheet could be pressed against the additional contact parts to form an electrical connection between the contact sheet and said two pins closest to the contact sheet.

According to certain exemplary embodiments of the slide switch, the first elastic element may be a pair of helical springs.

Certain exemplary embodiments may provide a thermostat controller using the aforementioned slide switch.

In the sliding switch of certain exemplary embodiments, the contact sheet can be subjected to the elastic force of the first elastic element and the pressure of the slider. When the contact elements in the slider are connected to a pair of pins closer to the contact sheet, the slider is pressed against the contact sheet, and the contact sheet is separated from the two pins closest to the sheet. contact, so that the fan is disconnected. When the circuit has to be switched to other positions, the slider could be pressed by the operator, and the contact sheet could be connected to the two pins closest to the contact sheet by the contact sheet with the action of the first elastic element. In this way, the slider could switch between different circuits in the direction of sliding when required, and the contact sheet could keep in contact with two pins closer to the contact sheet. In this case, three circuits could be electrically connected without reconfiguring the circuit.

In addition, the surface contact between the pins and the contact elements and / or the contact sheet could guarantee a stable and reliable contact on the slide switch as well as reduce the contact resistance between the contacts.

By means of the sliding switch of certain exemplary embodiments, a push rod is additionally provided on the end face of the slider opposite the contact sheet. The contact between the slider and the contact sheet could be achieved by said pushrod, in which case the volume and weight of the slider would be reduced, the cost would be reduced, and the switch could be operated conveniently.

In another aspect of certain exemplary embodiments, the slide switch of the invention is used in the thermostat controller, and two conventional slide switches used in the existing thermostat controller could be replaced by a slide switch of the invention. Therefore, the production cost is effectively reduced and the volume of the thermostat controller is decreased.

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The scope of additional applicability of certain exemplary embodiments will be apparent from the detailed description provided hereafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, although indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are provided by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the scope of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. from this detailed description.

Brief description of the drawings

The present invention will be more fully understood from the detailed description provided herein below for illustration only, and therefore not limitative of the present invention, and in which:

Figure 1 is a structural diagram of a slide switch according to an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a diagram from the direction II of Figure 1, in which the slide switch is in an operating position;

Figure 3 is a diagram of the slide switch in a slide position;

Figure 4 is a diagram of the slide switch in another operating position; Y

Figure 5 is a diagram of the slide switch according to another embodiment of the invention.

Detailed description of the invention

Certain exemplary embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings, where similar reference numbers indicate identical or similar functionality elements. Hereinafter, "a / a" does not indicate only the case of "only one" but also indicates the case of "more than one". In this document, "contact" does not only indicate the case of "direct contact" but also indicates the case of "indirect contact".

Figure 1 is a structural diagram of a slide switch according to an exemplary embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the slide switch includes a base 30, a slider 10 adjusted to the base 30, and several pins 20 (only 5 pins shown in Figure 1 illustratively) arranged in two rows (as shown in Figure 2). The slider 10 could slide the sliding direction G defined by said two rows of pins 20.

Figure 2 is a diagram from address II of Figure 1, illustratively describing the structure of the slide switch. As shown in Figure 2, the slider 10 has a contact element 12 on each side opposite to the pins 20. Each of said contact element 12 could electrically connect a pair of neighboring pins 20 in the same row . A first elastic element 34 and a contact sheet 32 are further provided in the base 30, which are located along the sliding direction G as shown. One end of the first elastic element 34 is connected to the base 30, and the other end thereof is connected to the contact sheet 32. One end of the slider 10 adjacent to the contact sheet 32 could be pressed against the contact sheet from a direction opposite to the first elastic element 34. When the contact element 12 is in contact with a pair of neighboring pins 20 closest to the contact sheet 32, the contact sheet 32 is separated from the two pins 20 closest to the contact sheet 32 by pressing the slider 10. In this case, for example, the fan is disconnected.

When the circuit is to be switched, the operator could press the slider 10 along the sliding direction G in Figure 2. While the slider 10 is in the sliding position as shown in Figure 3, one end of the slider 10 facing the contact sheet 32 remains in contact with the contact sheet 32, the contact elements 12 of the slider 10 are simply in contact with the pins 20c and 20d, and the contact sheet 32 is in contact with the pins 20a and 20b actuated by the first elastic element 34.

When the operator additionally presses the slider 10 to another operating position shown in Figure 4 along the sliding direction G, two contact elements 12 are in contact with the pins 20c and 20e as! As with the pins 20d and 20f respectively, the contact sheet 32 is separated from the slider 10, and the contact sheet 32 is pressed against the pins 20a and 20b by the first elastic element 34. In this situation, the contact sheet 32 will remain pressed against the pins 20a and 20b even if the slider 10 is pressed further to contact different pins.

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Figure 4 illustrates an operating position of the slide switch. Those skilled in the art will understand the operation process of the slider that slides along another direction, which is therefore not described here shortly.

Figure 5 is a diagram of a slide switch according to another embodiment of the invention, in which the internal structure of the slider 10 is described illustratively. In this figure, the contact elements 12 have a planar end surface opposite the pins in the vertical direction to the sliding direction G. A second elastic element 13 is additionally provided between the contact elements 12 and the slider 10. contact elements 12 are pressed against the pins by the second elastic element 13. The second elastic element 13 could be a spring, a plate spring or a leaf spring. In particular, the second elastic element 13 is implemented to be a pair of helical springs in Figure 5.

The pins 20a and 20c could be additionally provided with an additional contact part 22 respectively. Each said additional contact part 22 is connected to one end of each of the pins 20a and 20c, and extends in a direction parallel to the contact sheet 32. The contact sheet 32 could be pressed against the additional contact parts 22 to form an electrical connection between the contact sheet 32 and the pins 20a and 20b.

Additionally, the first elastic element 34 that interacts with the contact sheet 32 could be a spring, a plate spring or a leaf spring. In particular, the first elastic element 34 is implemented to be a pair of helical springs in Figure 5.

The slider 10 is provided with a push rod 14, whereby the slider is in contact with the contact sheet.

It is clear that those skilled in the art could understand that the contact element and the contact sheet are conductive in the aforementioned embodiments. Two rows of pins with 5 pins in each row are illustrated. However, the slide switch of the invention could also be used when there are more than two rows of pins with more than three pins in each row. In the situation where the pins are arranged in more than two rows along the sliding direction, the number of the sliders will be increased. The additional contact parts are provided to improve the contact between the pins 20 and the contact sheet 32 to increase the contact surface, which could be replaced by other means having functions similar to those of the additional contact parts.

According to the sliding switch of certain exemplary embodiments, the contact sheet and the first elastic element connecting the base and the contact sheet are inserted, so that the contact sheet could be separated from and in contact with two more pins. close to the contact sheet by carrying the slider away from and in contact with the contact sheet, and the contact sheet could therefore be electrically connected to or detached from said two pins closer to the contact sheet. Therefore, the fan could connect and disconnect. Three circuits may be connected by contacting the contact elements of the slider with two other pairs of pins other than the two pins closest to the contact sheet. The fan speed, for example, could be adjusted by moving the slider to switch different connection circuits.

When the slide switch of a certain exemplary embodiment is used for existing thermostat controllers, the two conventional slide devices for connecting and disconnecting the fan and adjusting the fan speed respectively can be combined together, in which case the production cost is reduced and the volume of the thermostat controller is decreased.

Using the slide switch of a certain exemplary embodiment when two rows of pins with m (m> 3) pins in each row are arranged in the sliding direction of the slide switch, m-1 control phases can be switched and three circuits can be connected. In other words, when n (n> 2) rows of pins with m (m> 3) pins in each row are arranged in the sliding direction of the slide switch, at least m-1 control phases may be switched and connected to the minus n + 1 circuits.

According to the slide switch of a certain exemplary embodiment, the contact element is connected to the pins by a contact surface instead of the point contact between the slider and the contact points in the prior art. Therefore, contact resistance is effectively reduced. In addition, a second elastic element is provided between the slider and the contact element to effectively improve the contact force of the contact element and the pins, and the contact resistance is reduced in this way.

According to the sliding switch of a certain exemplary embodiment, the slider is in contact with the contact sheet through a pushrod, in which case the volume of the slider is reduced and the cost is reduced. The contact force of the contact sheet and two pins closer to the contact sheet is improved

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by providing additional contact parts on two pins closer to the contact sheet and providing a first elastic element between the contact sheet and the base, and the contact resistance is reduced in this way.

Those skilled in the art should understand that the slide switch could be used for occasions that require switching and connection between multiple circuits, for example, lighting control, heating control and display control.

It should be understood that although the invention is described with reference to different embodiments, each embodiment does not merely contain an independent technical solution. In other words, the specification is described in such a way that those skilled in the art should read and understand the specification in its entirety. The technical solutions mentioned in these embodiments could be combined in an appropriate manner to form other embodiments understandable by those skilled in the art.

The invention described in this way, it will be apparent that it can be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be considered as a departure from the scope of the invention, and all such modifications that would be apparent to those skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.

List of reference numbers

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20, 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e, 20f

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contact element second elastic element push rod pin

additional base contact part

first elastic element contact sheet

Claims (5)

1. A slide switch, comprising a base, a slider set at the base and several pins arranged in two rows, in which the slider is configured to slide in the direction of sliding defined by said two rows of pins; 5 the slide switch further comprises a contact element (12) provided respectively on each of two faces of the slider (10) opposite the pins, in which each of said contact elements (12) are configured to electrically connect a pair of neighboring pins in the same row; Y a first elastic element (34) and a contact sheet (32) provided along the direction of sliding in the base, in which one end of the first elastic element (34) is configured to connect to the base, the other end of the first elastic element (34) is configured to connect to the contact sheet (32), and an end surface of the slider (10) adjacent to the contact sheet (32) is configured to press against the contact sheet (32) from an opposite direction to the first elastic element (34), in which, when each of said contact elements (12) is in contact with a pair of said pins plus 15 close to the sheet ( 32) of contact, the contact sheet (32) is separated from said two pins closest to the contact sheet (32) with the slider pressure (10), and when each of said contact elements (12) is in contact with pairs of pins other than those closest (20a, 20b) to the sheet (32) of contact, the contact sheet (32) is pressed against said two pins (20a, 20b) closer to the contact sheet (32) by the first elastic element (34), 20 characterized in that, when each of said contact elements (12) is in contact with pairs of pins other than those closest (20a, 20b) to the contact sheet (32), the contact sheet (32) is separated from the slider (10 ). 2. The slide switch according to claim 1, wherein the contact elements (12) have a planar end surface opposite to the pins in the vertical direction to the sliding direction. The slide switch according to claim 2, wherein a second is additionally provided elastic element (13) between the contact elements (12) and the slider (10) and is configured to press the contact elements (12) against the pins. 4. The slide switch according to claim 3, wherein the second elastic element (13) is a pair of helical springs. 30 5. The slide switch according to claim 1, wherein each of said two more pins close to the contact sheet (32) is additionally provided with an additional contact part respectively, each of said additional contact parts is configured to connect an end of the adjacent pin and extend in a direction parallel to the sheet (32) of contact, and the contact sheet (32) is configured to press against the additional contact parts to form an electrical connection between the contact sheet (32) and said two pins closest to the contact sheet (32). 6. The slide switch according to claim 1, wherein the first elastic element (34) is a pair of helical springs. 7. The slide switch according to claim 1, wherein the slider (10) is provided with a push rod, and the slider (10) is in contact with the contact sheet (32) by the push rod . 40 8. A thermostat controller, which uses a slide switch according to any one of the claims 1-7.