JP2000057901A - Micro switch - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a micro switch designed to decrease the number of components of its lever and reduce the cost. SOLUTION: A micro switch comprises a main body and a lever 10. The main body has a plurality of terminals, a terminal switch which switches the connections between the terminals, and a push button to operate the terminal switch. In the lever 10, supporting parts 12 formed at one end of a shaft 11 are supported by the main body so as to be rotatable, and ear-like holding parts 13 formed on both sides of the other end thereof are raised oppositely with respect to the one side of the shaft 11, and a rolling element 15 is clamped rotatably. Thereby, the push button is pushed by rotation of the lever 10.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] The present invention relates to a microswitch.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A large number of microswitches are used in automatic equipment and the like as various detecting means such as position detection and stroke detection. As shown in FIG.
A switch body 3 including a plurality of terminals, a terminal switching unit (none of which is shown) for switching connection between these terminals, a push button 2 for operating the terminal switching unit, and a base end 5a having a switch. A lever 6 rotatably supported by the main body 3 as shown by an arrow, and a roller 6 as a rolling element is rotatably provided at the tip 5b, and a lever 5 for pushing the push button 2 is provided.

The lever 5 comes into contact with a member to be detected via a roller 6 provided at the tip. At this time, the roller 6 rolls and is smoothly pushed in the direction of the arrow by the member to be detected. Push 2. When the push button 2 is pressed, the connection of the connection terminal of the micro switch 1 is switched.

[0004]

In the conventional microswitch 1, when the roller 6 is supported on the lever 5, the both ends of the tip 5b of the lever 5 are integrally formed in an ear shape as shown in FIG. The raised roller holding units 5c, 5
Since the pin 7 as a rotating shaft is inserted through the shaft holes 5d and 5d of FIG. 3c and the shaft hole 6a of the roller 6, and the tip 7a of the pin 7 is caulked, the number of parts and the number of processing steps are increased. In addition, there are problems that the cost of the lever 5 increases, and that the cost of manufacturing equipment also increases.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has as its object to provide a microswitch in which the number of parts of the lever of the microswitch is reduced and the cost is reduced.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a plurality of terminals, a terminal switching unit for switching connection between the terminals, and a push button for operating the terminal switching unit are provided. And a switch body having one end rotatably supported by the switch body, and ear-shaped holding portions formed on both sides of the other end so as to be raised to face one side so that the rolling element can be rotated freely. A lever which is held between the levers, and the push button is pushed by rotation of the lever.

[0007] The rolling element is rotatably held by a holding portion formed at the other end of the lever, so that the rolling element smoothly abuts the detected object and rolls with the movement of the detected object. The lever is rotated by the object to be detected and pushes the push button of the switch body to switch the connection between the terminals. According to the second aspect of the invention, the rolling element is a cylindrical body having concave portions provided on both end surfaces, and the convex portions formed on the holding portions of the lever are fitted into the concave portions to rotate the cylindrical body. It is characterized by being freely pinched.

The cylindrical body is rotatably sandwiched between the both end faces by the convex portions formed on the holding portion of the lever, so that the cylindrical body smoothly abuts on the object to be detected and rolls. The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that the rolling element is a sphere, and the sphere is rotatably held by a concave receiving portion formed on each holding portion of the lever. The sphere is rotatably held by the concave receiving portion formed on the holding portion of the lever, so that the sphere smoothly abuts and rolls on the object to be detected. By using a sphere, it is possible to cope with movement of the detected object in any direction.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the lever is characterized in that a reinforcing portion having both ends at the other end extending in the longitudinal direction is folded back to support the corresponding holding portions from the outside. I do. The reinforcing portion supports the holding portion from the outside, thereby preventing the holding portion from spreading outward and preventing the rolling element from deviating.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. (Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a developed view of a lever of a microswitch according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a lever 10 has a pair of support portions 12, 12 and a rolling element holding portion (hereinafter simply referred to as “ends”) on both sides of one end (hereinafter referred to as “base end”) and the other end (hereinafter referred to as “distal end”) of a shaft portion 11. Each of the “holding portions” 13 and 13 is formed in a substantially I shape so as to protrude like an ear. Cuts 11a, 11a are provided on both sides of the shaft portion 11 at the bases of the holding portions 13, 13. These cuts 11a, 11a are allowances for bending the holding portions 13, 13 at the same position as the width of the shaft portion 11 as shown by a dotted line. Supports 12, 12
The shaft holes 12a, 12a are respectively formed at predetermined positions. These support portions 12, 12 are also bent at the positions shown by the dotted lines.

At substantially the center of the holding portions 13, 13, convex portions 13a, 13a for rotatably holding a roller 15 as a rolling element to be described later are formed so as to bulge to one side. These projections 13a are formed by a so-called burring process for flanging around the hole as shown in FIG. The outer diameter of the convex portion (burring portion) 13a is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the shaft hole 15a of the roller 15. The lever 10 having such a shape is formed by pressing from a strip-shaped thin steel plate.

As shown in FIG. 3, the lever 10 is
3 and 13 are preliminarily bent at a predetermined angle so as to face one side of the shaft portion 11 from the position shown by the dotted line in FIG. Then
A roller 15 as a cylindrical body is supplied between the holding portions 13, 13, and positioning is performed so that the protrusions 13 a, 13 a of the holding portions 13, 13 are fitted to both ends of a shaft hole 15 a of the roller 15. Is done. This roller 15 is, for example,
It is a roller made of resin. Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the holding portions 13 are raised to a position perpendicular to the shaft portion 11. In this state, as shown in FIG. 5, the projections 13a, 13a of the holding portions 13, 13 are fitted into the shaft hole 15a of the roller 15 and rotatably clamped. A processing procedure for nipping the roller 15 by the holding units 13 will be described later. Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the support portions 12, 12
Is raised to the opposite side to face. In addition, this support part 1
Steps 2 and 12 are performed by ordinary bending.

The lever 10 has support portions 12, 12 rotatably supported by a switch body (not shown) through holes 12a, 12a. The switch body is a switch body as shown in FIG. 14 and includes a plurality of terminals, a terminal switching unit for switching connection between these terminals, and a push button for operating the terminal switching unit. The push button is pushed by the movement to switch the connection of the terminals.

The height (length) of the projection (burring portion) 13a formed by burring is determined by the diameter of the prepared hole before burring, the average diameter of the outer and inner diameters of the opening after burring, and the like. (Or the thickness of the sheet metal before the flange, the bending radius of the base of the burring portion, etc.). Therefore, when the height of the convex portion (burring portion) 13a is increased, the thickness may be reduced and the strength may be reduced.
In addition, when the height is low, there is a possibility that the convex portion 13a may come off the shaft hole 15a of the roller 15 even when the holding portions 13 are slightly expanded for some reason. In the present embodiment, in consideration of these points, the height of the convex portion 13a is set to approximately １ ／ of the length of the shaft hole 15a of the roller 15 (the width of the roller 15).
Set to about. The height of the projection 13a is not limited to this height.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the preparatory bending of the holding portions 13 and 13 shown in FIG. 3 includes a female die 16 having a trapezoidal concave portion 16a formed at a predetermined angle and a female die 16 having a tip 17a.
Of each of the inclined surfaces 17
recesses 17 for accommodating projections 13a, 13a in b, 17b
c, 17c are formed by the male mold 17 formed. Also, when the holding units 13 and 13 shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 8 to FIG. 10, the female mold 18 provided with a concave portion 18 a for accommodating the pre-bent holding portions 13 and a gap 18 b having the same width as the shaft portion 11 is held. Positioning members 21 and 22 for positioning and supporting the roller 15 between the parts 13 and 13 and a parts feeder 21 for supplying the roller 15 are used.

As shown in FIG. 9, positioning members 19, 20
Is a half-split type, and inclined surfaces 19a and 20a are formed at each end. These positioning members 19 and 20 are
It moves in the direction of arrows A, A, and is inserted between the holding parts 13, 13, each upper surface abuts on the shaft part 11, and the front end surface abuts, forming a V-shaped recess by the inclined surfaces 19 a and 20 a. , The roller 15 supplied from the transport unit 22 of the parts feeder 21
To support the positioning. In this state, as shown in FIG. 10, when the transport unit 22 pushes the roller 15 upward as shown by the arrow, the support portions 13 on both sides are gradually pushed into the gap 18 b of the female mold 18 from the base portion and bent. Accordingly, the projections 13a are fitted into the shaft hole 15a of the roller 15. In this manner, the holding portions 13a, 13a
1 is vertically raised to one side with respect to
Is rotatably held.

In the present embodiment, the shaft hole 15a of the roller 15 into which the convex portion 13a is fitted is a through hole. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The concave portion, which is slightly deeper than the height of the convex portion 13a, is used. It may be a hole with a bottom.

(Embodiment 2) FIG. 11 is a sectional view of a tip portion showing a second embodiment of the lever of the microswitch according to the present invention. The members corresponding to the lever 10 shown in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the detailed description is omitted.
The lever 30 uses a sphere 35 as a rolling element, and holding portions 33, 33 formed on both sides of the tip of the shaft portion 31 are formed with receiving portions 34, 34 of the sphere 35, respectively. Sphere 3
5 may be made of a synthetic resin or a steel ball. Receiving part 34
Is formed by enlarging the distal end portion 34b of a convex portion (burring portion) 34a formed by burring in the same manner as in the first embodiment to form a concave surface 34c having substantially the same curvature as the sphere 35.

The receiving portions 34, 3 of the holding portions 33, 33
The spherical body 35 is rotatably held from both sides by the four concave surfaces 34c, 34c. The sphere 35 is held by the holding portions 33, 33.
Is the same as that in the first embodiment. Thus, the receiving portions 34, 3 of the holding portions 33, 33
4 so that the sphere 35 is rotatably held by the sphere 35.
Is rotatable in any direction, and can detect the object to be detected in all circumferential directions.

In order to rotatably hold the sphere 35, instead of the receiving parts 34, 34, holes are formed in the holding parts 33, 33 to the extent of the concave surfaces 34c, 34c, so that the sphere 3
5 may be fitted so as to be rotatably sandwiched. However, if a large-diameter hole is formed, the strength is reduced and the ball 35 is easily deformed, and the rolling of the sphere 35 becomes poor, or It is easy to come off. Further, in order to increase the strength, it is necessary to increase the thickness of the plate or to increase the shape of the holding portion, which causes problems such as an increase in cost. Therefore, it is preferable to form the receiving portion 34 on the holding portion 33 as in the present embodiment in terms of strength and cost.

(Embodiment 3) FIG. 12 is a developed view showing a third embodiment of the lever of the microswitch according to the present invention, and FIG. 13 is a front end portion of the assembly perspective view of the lever shown in FIG.
The members corresponding to the lever 10 shown in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the detailed description is omitted. As shown in FIG. 12, in the lever 40, the tip portion 41 a of the shaft portion 41 slightly projects from the holding portions 43, 43.
Reinforcing portions 41b, 41b are formed by extending both side portions of a in a thin rod shape along the longitudinal direction. Other shapes are formed similarly to the lever 10 of the first embodiment.

After the roller 15 is rotatably held between the holding portions 43, 43 as shown in FIG. 13, the tip portion 41a is vertically raised toward the holding portions 43, 43 at the position shown by the dotted line in FIG. The reinforcing portions 43b, 43b are folded back, respectively, so that the outer surfaces of the holding portions 43, 43 are abutted so as to traverse from the distal end side to the base end side substantially at the center. This prevents the holding portions 43 and 43 from spreading outward, and prevents the rollers 15 from deviating. It is needless to say that such reinforcement of the holding portion by the reinforcement portion may be applied to the lever 30 of the second embodiment shown in FIG.

[0023]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, one end of the lever is rotatably supported by the switch body, and the other lever is used to push the push button for operating the terminal switching section of the switch body by the rotation. Since the holding portions formed in the shape of ears on both sides of the end are raised to face one side so as to rotatably hold the rolling element, only the step of bending the holding portion formed on the lever can be used. The moving body can be held rotatably, the number of parts can be reduced, and the manufacturing process can be simplified, so that cost can be reduced and manufacturing equipment cost can be reduced.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the rolling element is a cylindrical body having concave portions on both end surfaces, and the convex portions formed on each holding portion of the lever are fitted into the concave portions to rotate the cylindrical body. By freely pinching, the rotating body can be supported easily and easily. According to the third aspect of the present invention, the rolling element is a sphere, and the sphere is rotatably sandwiched by concave receiving portions formed on each holding portion of the lever, so that the detected object moves in any direction. Can be dealt with.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the lever is formed by folding back a reinforcing portion having both sides at the other end extending in the longitudinal direction and supporting the corresponding holding portions from the outside, respectively. Can be prevented from spreading outward,
The deviation of the rolling elements can be prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a first example of a lever of a microswitch according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a development view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of mounting a roller on the lever shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which a roller is mounted on the lever shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the tip portion taken along the line VV of FIG.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a preliminary bending process of the holding unit shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a male tip shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view of a process of supplying a roller and holding the holder rotatably in a state where the holding unit shown in FIG. 3 is preliminarily bent.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory view of a roller positioning member shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is an explanatory view of a process of bending the holding portion vertically from the state shown in FIG. 8 and rotatably holding the roller.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view of a holding portion and a rolling element showing a second embodiment of the lever of the micro switch according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a developed view showing a third embodiment of the lever of the microswitch according to the present invention.

13 is a perspective view showing a state in which a holding unit that rotatably holds a roller by the lever shown in FIG. 12 is reinforced.

FIG. 14 is a front view of a conventional micro switch having a lever.

15 is an assembled perspective view of a roller portion of a lever of the micro switch shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10, 30, 40 Lever 11, 31, 41 Shaft 12, 32, 42 Support 13, 33, 43 Holding (rolling member holding) 13a, 43a Convex (burring) 15 Roller (rolling) 16, 18 Female mold 17 Male mold 19, 20 Positioning member 21 Parts feeder 34 Rolling element receiving part 35 Ball (rolling element) 41b Reinforcing part

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Kazuto Yonemoto 2-12-19 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo F-term (reference) 5G019 CX33 SK04

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A switch body having a plurality of terminals, a terminal switching unit for switching connection between the terminals, and a push button for operating the terminal switching unit, and one end rotatably supported by the switch body. A holding portion formed in the shape of an ear on both sides of the other end is raised to face one side, and a lever rotatably sandwiches the rolling element. The rotation of the lever pushes the push button. A micro switch characterized by operating. 2. The rolling element is a cylindrical body having concave portions provided on both end surfaces, and a convex portion formed on each holding portion of the lever is fitted into the concave portion so that the cylindrical body is rotatable. The microswitch according to claim 1, wherein the microswitch is sandwiched. 3. The micro-roll according to claim 1, wherein the rolling element is a sphere, and the sphere is rotatably held by a concave receiving portion formed on each holding portion of the lever. switch. 4. The lever according to claim 1, wherein a reinforcing portion having both sides at the other end extending in the longitudinal direction is folded back to support the corresponding holding portion from the outside. 4. The microswitch according to any one of the above items 3.