GB1430076A - Electrical switches - Google Patents

Abstract

1430076 Mechanical switches; mounting switches LUCAS ELECTRICAL CO Ltd 6 July 1973 [26 July 1972] 34871/72 Heading H1N A switch with a slidable and/or rotatable carrier of a movable contact has means for mounting it in an aperture in a panel which include an abutment surface non-perpendicular to the switch axis and which is deformable whereby the switch can be mounted in the panel by insertion from one side and secured in position by the mounting means without access to the other side of the panel. Thus the switch may be readily and horizontally mounted in an inclined panel. Three embodiments are described. In the first (Fig. 1) a flexible sleeve 16 having an inclined recess 18 is deformed to fit an aperture in sloping panel 32, and the switch body 10 is then inserted. This sleeve 16 can be readily substituted to accommodate various panel angles. Projections 33 (only one shown) limit the inward travel of the body 10 and a projection 20 on a resilient blade 21 enters aperture 19 in sleeve 16 to secure the switch body in position. A movable contact bridge 15 is secured to the inner end of a slidable and rotatable carrier 14 for co-operation with three contacts 11 integral with terminal tags 26, 27 and 28. A spring 31 urges the contact 15 to the left and a detent 24 co-operates with recesses 25 to locate the axial positions of carrier 14. Axial pull on a knob (not shown) on carrier 14 may close the circuit of vehicle side-lights while subsequent rotation additionally closes the headlight circuit. A gate (not shown) is provided to prevent direct movement to "sidelights off" position from the "headlights on" position. The switches of the other two embodiments function similarly but have a sliding contact action not requiring the spring 31. In Fig. 2, the front end 45 of body 40 is threaded and a nut 49 causes a wedge-like washer 48 to compress an annular flexible spring backing element 47 against an inclined shoulder 46, thereby expanding the element 47 to secure the switch in the panel 56. In the third embodiment the switch body (60, Fig. 3, not shown) is itself deformable (at 69) and is expanded by insertion of a washer (72) after snap-in abutment of an integral inclined front flange (68) against the panel (67).