FR2492582A1 - TOUCH SWITCH - Google Patents

Abstract

ELECTRIC BUTTON SWITCH, ESPECIALLY INTENDED FOR CARS. A ROTATING ELEMENT 27, ACTUATED BY KEY 3, ACTS ON A MONOSTABLE SWITCH WITH SNAP BREAK 4. APPLICATION TO MOTOR VEHICLE INSTRUMENTS.

Description

The present invention relates to an electric switch with a key,

  intended in particular for vehicles.

  Switches currently used in the automotive industry

  bile must be dimensioned for a continuous current of 15 A, 12 V, which imposes high contact pressures, voluminous contacts

  and high command forces greater than 10 N. These interrupts

  In addition, they have a large mounting depth as a result

  levers, locks or other devices. A race of several

  If millimeters is necessary to identify the functional position of the switch by the position of the button or the button of the latter. The connection position is also indicated during night driving by a color change of the lighting incorporated in the switch. As a result of the requirement of identification of functional positions while driving

  diurnal and nocturnal, these switches present on the front a clutter

  noticeable, resulting from separate control points.

  The invention relates to a touch switch with a low

  control force, a small switching path, a shallow

  mounting height and a small footprint. Lighting of the button of the switch must also facilitate its location in the dark and indicate the function of the switch. According to an essential characteristic of the invention, a rotating element, actuated

  by the key, acts on a monostable switch with sudden break.

  The switch according to the invention has the following advantage: the control of the key requires only a small switching stroke

  for a weak command force, as a result of the instantaneous switching

  the snap switch, so that the device

  gets closer to a touch pad.

  The flat-front switch can also be arranged according to

  aesthetic wishes, without complicating the achievement of

  security conditions. Monostable switch with snap

  allows, in connection with the rotating element, the connection and the coupling.

  pure by pressing a key in one direction. The connection and

  the cut-off does not require movements in the opposite direction, ie

  say no control of the snap switch first by 2 '

  the top, then in the opposite direction. The instantaneous switching of the in-

  sudden-breaking switch can switch relatively continuous DC currents of 15 A or more for a short time, with a control force of 1 to 3 N. According to another advantageous characteristic of the invention, the rotating element is realized in the form of a cam body, whose cams act on the contact blade of the snap switch. The snap switch and the cam body can be mounted on a base bearing the key. The base bearing the key can be housed in a frame housing. The cam body can be rotatably mounted in two bearings disposed on the base. The cam body advantageously has a hexagonal section, of which three lateral faces are farther from the axis of rotation than the three intermediate lateral faces, in order to alternately fix the positions of closing and opening of the contacts of the breaking switch. sudden. The cam body can advantageously carry a ratchet provided with six teeth meshing with a push spring which, actuated by the key, rotates the cam body. The push spring can

  form a constructive unit with the return springs of the key.

  The push spring and the return springs can also be super-

  posed and present a common fastening on the key. The two return springs of the push spring can be supported by the

  hooks mounted on the base for fixing the key.

  The push spring can be fixed on the key. An inter-

  slide, guided in the base, can be provided between the

  cam body and the leaf spring carrying the movable contact of the in-

  interrupting switch, in order to define the point of application of the control force. A slot of the base can ensure the forced guidance of a branch of the intermediate piece at right angles, the second branch has a projection forming a knife, and in particular a

  rib or an impression, for pressing on the leaf spring of the inter-

  breaker with sudden break. A lighting device mounted on the base can enter the key. The lighting device can

  two different colored lamps, one of which

  titled location lighting in the dark and the second the functional indication. Location lighting can be cut

  when the functional indication is illuminated by maneuvering the

  button, or remains lit but is obscured by the radiation of the functional indication. The lamps of the lighting device may be mounted on pads or holding and feeding son, fixed on the base, and arranged under a translucent pad of the key, bearing symbols. The cam body may have additional cams acting on a contact of the switch for connecting and disconnecting the location lighting. The cam body may furthermore have a plurality of switching ranges for the simultaneous control of a plurality of snap switches,

  mounted side by side on the base with the intermediate parts cor-

  corresponding, or other switches.

  The key can be guided in the base of the switch. The guide of the key can be constituted by pins of any section, fixed on the key and guided by mounted columns

  in the base. However, a forced dovetail guide is used

  Sand also for guiding the key. All modules and parts

  the switch can be snapped together.

  The snap between the base and the key can be made to limit the stroke simultaneously. This result is achieved by

  penetrate the hooks of the snap in slots of the key.

  According to another characteristic of the invention, the interrupter is also feasible pulse switch. In this case, the push spring comprises an extended arm, which acts directly on the leaf spring of the snap-action switch, so that

  no cam bodies and no intermediate parts are required.

  sary. Other features and advantages of the invention will be

  better understood using the following detailed description of

  Embodiments and accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is the longitudinal section of the key switch along the axis I-I of Figure 4; Figure 2 is the section of the touch switch along the axis II-II of Figure 4; Figure 3 is the sectional view of the touch switch along axis III-III of Figure 4; Figure 4 is the base plane of the switch without a lighting device; Figure 5 is the plane of the two lamps of the lighting device and the key frame; Figure 6 is the section of the snaps of the various parts; Figure 7 is the section of the base and the contact abutment along the axis VII-VII of Figure 4; Figure 8 is the section along the axis VIII-VIII of Figure 7; Figure 9 is the perspective view of the cam body; Figure 10 is the perspective view of the push spring attached to the key; Figure 11 is the perspective view of the intermediate piece at right angles, acting on the leaf spring of the snap switch;

  FIG. 12 represents an example of mounting of the lighting device

  rage; Figure 13 is the plane of the base of another embodiment of the invention, with two snap switches mounted side by side; Figure 14 is the section along the axis XIV-XIV of Figure 13; Figure 15 is the base section of another embodiment of the invention, with a snap switch made in an inverter, along the axis XV-XV of Figure 16; Fig. 16 is the plane of the embodiment according to Fig. 15; Figure 17 is a perspective view of a cam body for two switches mounted side by side and forming a two-stage switch; and FIG. 18 is the longitudinal section of a switch according to

  Figure 1, realized as a pulse switch.

  The switch according to the invention is constituted according to FIGS. 1 to 8 by a box 1 forming a frame, a base 2 and a button 3. A snap switch 4 is fixed on the base 2. The rivet 5 connects the The spring blade 6 has a snap spring 7, which is mounted on a knife 8 in a notch 9 of the contact pad 10 fixed to the contact blade 10. base. The free end of the leaf spring 6 carries a movable contact 16, which interacts with a fixed contact 17 and which is applied to a stop 18 in its rest position. The fixed contact 17 is in the form of a rivet fixing a contact pad 19 on the base 2. Above the leaf spring 6 of the snap-action switch 4 is a cam body 27 mounted in rotation in two supports 25 and 26 arranged on the base 2,

  and on which acts a push spring 28 fixed on the key 3. Plu-

  Moreover, plates 31, 32 and 33 are fixed on base 2 and carry lamps 34 and 35 of a lighting device, as shown in FIG. 5. Lighting device 36 is arranged under a symbol plate. translucent 37 of the key 3, and omitted in Figure 5. The conductive fastening plate 31 is connected to the contact pad 10, the fastening plate 33 to a contact plate 38 and the fastening plate 32 to a range of contact 40, by a contact of

switching 39.

  The section of FIG. 2 shows the switching contact 39, which is mounted next to the snap switch 4 and connects and cuts the green lamp 34, for example, of the lighting device 36, as indicated by FIG. Figure 12. The switching contact 39 is a rest contact, actuated as the break switch.

abrupt 4 by the cam body 27.

  The two bearings 25 and 26 are shown in FIG. 3; their free ends have bevels to snap the trunnions 45 and 46 of the cam body 27. Between the leaf spring 6 and the cam body 27 is disposed an intermediate piece 50 at right angles, a branch is guided in translation in a slot 51 of the base 2 and whose other branch has at its free end

  an impression 52, which is applied to the leaf spring 6 of the inter-

  snap-action breaker 4 to accurately define the point of application of the control force. The push spring 28 fixed on the key 3 has two elastic branches 53 and 54, which bear on the hooks 55 and 56 (Figure 6), arranged on the base 2 for the key 3. The hooks 55 and 56 engage in recesses 57 and 58 of the key 3 and simultaneously constitute

limit stops of the race.

  Figure 4 shows the plane of the base 2, on which the housing 1, the key 3 and the lighting device 36 have been removed for reasons of clarity. Tubes 60, 61, 62 and 63 are arranged on the base 2; pins 20, 21, 22, 23 of the key 3 enter these tubes to form a column guide of the key 3 and prohibit

  entrapment or seizure of the latter. The circular section

  shown for guidance may be replaced by any other

appropriate section.

  The lighting device 36, omitted in FIG. 4, is represented

  shown in Figure 5 with the key 3 forming a frame. Only the lack

  Symbol plate 37, which attaches to key 3, covers and pro-

  illuminates the lighting device 36 and carries a transparent symbol

  for the identification of the switch.

  FIG. 6 shows the snap-fastening of the various parts, namely the symbol plate 37 and the key 3, the key 3 and the base 2, the base 2 and the housing 1. No screwing is thus provided.

  for these parts, which allows a quick assembly of spare parts.

  The snap of the abutment 18 and a fastening device mounted on the base is illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8. The fixing device consists of two clamps 66 and 67, which block the

stop 18 in the form of ruler.

  The perspective view of the cam body 27 according to FIG. 9 shows

  that it is constituted by three different sections. The first section

  70 is triangular and actuates the contact 39 of the switch; the second section 71 forms with its six teeth a ratchet and meshes with the push spring 28 to rotate the cam body 27; and the third section 72 has a hexagonal section and actuates the snap switch 4. The narrow side faces 73 of the section 72 are located at a greater distance from the axis of rotation than the three intermediate lateral faces 74 and fix alternatively the closing and opening positions of

  snap switch 4.

  The push spring 28 and the return spring of the key 3, constituted by the elastic branches 53 and 54, form a single

  10. The rectangular opening 75 allows the fixing

spring on button 3.

  The intermediate piece at right angle according to FIG. 11 comprises two branches 80 and 81, the branch 80 being guided in a slot 51 of the base, while the second branch 81 is provided with an imprint

  52 for the leaf spring 6 of the snap switch 4.

  The base 2 according to FIGS. 13 and 14 is equipped with two interrup-

  abrupt-breaking heads 85 and 86 mounted side by side, and the two intermediate pieces 87 and 88 thereof. Figures 15 and 16 show another embodiment of a snap-switch inverter. The abutment 18 is replaced in this case by a second fixed contact 90, which interacts with the movable contact 16. The cam body 91 has the form according to FIG. 17 when two switches mounted side by side constitute a switch

two floors.

  The operation of the switches described above is as follows. When depression of the key 3, a radial movement of the push spring 28 rotates the ratchet 71 and consequently the cam body 27 by one step, for example at an angle of 60. The impression of the intermediate piece 50 then pushes down the leaf spring 6 of the snap switch 4 of the open circuit at the beginning of the command. When the pressure point is reached, the leaf spring 6 of the switch 4 is reversed abruptly and the contact 16 closes the circuit by the fixed contact 17. The leaf spring 6 remains in this state because the narrow surface 73 the cam body 27, located at a greater distance from the axis of rotation, sets this position. After his release, the key 3 is brought back

  in its initial position by the branches 53 and 54 of the spring

  28. During this return stroke, the push spring 28 returns elastically in the initial position relative to the ratchet 71. The subsequent depression of the key 3 produces the same cycle of movement of the ratchet 71 and the cam body 27. The narrow face 73 of the cam body 27 then rotates by 600, so that the wide surface 74, closer to the axis of symmetry of the cam body 27, is applied to the intermediate piece 50. The latter

  is applied to the cam body 27 by the extended restoring force

  6. When its resilient return pressure point is reached, the spring blade 6 reverses suddenly and opens the contacts 16 and 17. The switching position is fixed by the cam body 27 After its release, the key 3 is returned to its initial position and the push spring 28 is again in its initial position. A further depression of the key 3 again produces the first movement cycle described, with closure of the contacts 16 and 17. A further depression of the key produces a new opening of the contacts 16 and 17, etc. The snap-action switch 4 is realizable not only in a switch as previously described, but also in an inverter

  unipolar. A multiple cam body makes it possible to combine

  multipole interrupters and multipole inverters. The implementation of the invention is in no way limited to a hexagonal cam body and a ratchet with six teeth. Other embodiments are possible by applying the same principle. It is the same for the cam body, which is achievable with offset geometry,

  that is to say that the sections acting synchronously can simul-

  shut down a snap switch and open a second one. According to the diagram of FIG. 12, the red lamp 35 lights up in the "in" position for the functional indication. The connection of

  the dashboard lighting of the car with the help of the

  The general contractor connects the location lighting 34, a green lamp for example. The second switching contact 39, also actuated by the cam body 27, turns off the green lamp 34 when the snap switch 4 is closed by depressing the

  button 3 and a use is connected, such as an electric motor

  41. The contact 39 of the green lamp 34 can be made of a

  extremely simple way, without abrupt switching, because only a single

  A few mA lamp rays are switched. Switching is all-

  synchronous, because the switches 4 and 39 mounted side by side

  are actuated by a common cam body 27. The switching contact

  39 can also be suppressed when the green lamp 34 is constantly on and masked by the more intense radiation of the lamp

  red when closing the switch.

  The lamps are fixed on supports 31, 32, 33, which simultaneously establish the electrical connection with the base bearing the switches. These supports pass through the box of the key. Both lamps 34 and 35 are fixedly mounted therein. The housing of the key is closed by a transparent cover plate

  37, also feasible in a symbol plate by negative printing.

  tive. The maneuver of the 3 key does not move the lamps, which

the position remains unchanged.

  The embodiment according to FIG. 18 is used when the

  The switch according to the invention must be a pulse switch.

  The push spring 28 of the switch shown in FIG. 18 comprises an extended arm 29, which acts directly on the leaf spring 6 of the snap-action switch 4. The cam body 27 and the intermediate piece 50 are thus because the contact must be established only during the duration of the key press.

the switch.

  Of course, various modifications may be made by those skilled in the art to the principle and to the devices which have just been described solely by way of nonlimiting examples, without

depart from the scope of the invention.

Claims (23)

  1. Electric touch switch, intended in particular for   Particularly to vehicles and characterized in that a rotating element (27), actuated by the key (3), acts on a snap-action monostable switch (4). 2. Key switch according to claim 1, characterized by the embodiment of the rotating element in the form of a cam body (27) whose cams act on the blade.   contact (6) of the snap switch (4).   3. touch switch according to one of the claims   1 and 2, characterized by mounting the key switch (4) and the cam body (27) on a base (2) the key (3).   4. Touch switch according to any one of   Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the base (2)   both the key (3) can be housed in a housing (1) forming a frame. 5. Touch switch according to any one of   Claims 1 to 4, characterized by the rotational mounting   of the cam body (27) in two bearings (25,26) arranged on the base (2).   6. Touch switch according to any one of   Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the cam body   (27) preferably has a hexagonal section, three side faces (73) are further from the axis of rotation than the three side faces (74) intermediate to alternately set the closing and opening positions   contacts 16 and 17 of the snap switch.   7. Touch switch according to any of -   Claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the cam body   (27) is provided with a ratchet (71) preferably having six teeth meshing with a push spring (28) actuated by the key (3).   8. Touch switch according to any one of   Claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the push spring   (28) forms with the return springs (53,54) of the key (3) a piece or that the push spring (28) and the return springs (53,54) are superimposed and fixed in common on the key ( 3). he 9. Touch switch according to any one of   Claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the two springs   return (53,54) of the push spring (28) rest on the hooks (55,56) mounted on the base (2) for fixing the key (3). 10. Touch switch according to any one of   Claims 1 to 9, characterized by fixing the spring pushbutton (28) on the key (3).   11. Touch switch according to any one of   Claims 1 to 10, characterized in that an inter-   sliding and guided median (50) in the base (2) is provided between the cam body (27) and the spring blade (6) of the snap switch (4) carrying the movable contact (16) in order to fix the point of application of the force control.   12. Touch switch according to any one of   Claims 1 to 11, characterized in that a branch (80)   of the intermediate piece (50) at right angle is the subject of a forced guide in a slot (51) of the base (2), while the second leg (81) has a protrusion (52) forming a knife, and in particular a rib or impression, for support on the   spring blade (6) of the snap switch (4).   13. Touch switch according to any one of   Claims 1 to 12, characterized in that a device   illuminator (36) mounted on the base (2) enters the key (3). 14. Touch switch according to any one of   Claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the device   lighting fixture (36) consists of two lamps (34,35) of different colors, one (34) of which is the location illumination in the dark and the second (35) the functional indication. 15. Touch switch according to any one of   Claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the lamps (34,35)   of the illumination device (36) are mounted on holding or supplying tracks or wires (31,32,33) fixed on the base (2) and arranged under a symbol plate (37) translucent key (3).   16. Touch switch according to any one of   Claims 1 to 15, characterized in that the cam body   (27) has other cams (70) acting on a switch contact (39) for connecting and disconnecting the location lighting (34). 17. Touch switch according to any one of   Claims 1 to 15, characterized in that the cam body   (27) presents several switching domains for the com-   simultaneous operation of several snap switches (85,86), mounted side by side on the base (2) with the parts   intermediaries (87,88), or other interrup-   tors. 18. Touch switch according to any one of   Claims 1 to 17, characterized by the key guide   (3) in the base (2) of the switch.   19. Touch switch according to any one of   Claims 1 to 18, characterized in that the guiding of the   key (3) consists of pins (20 to 23) of any section, fixed on the key and guided in columns   (60 to 63) mounted on the base (2).   20. Touch switch according to any one of   Claims 1 to 19, characterized by a key guide (3) Swallowtail.   21. Touch switch according to any one of   Claims 1 to 20, characterized in that all the modules   and essential parts of the switch are assembled by snapping. 22. Key switch according to claim 21, characterized in that the latching (55,56) between the base (2)   and the key (3) is constructed so as to constitute simultaneously   the stroke limitation (slots 57, 58).   23. Touch switch according to any one of   Claims 1 to 22, characterized in that the push spring   (28) has an extended arm (29) which acts directly on   the spring blade (6) of the snap switch (4).