JP2001307598A - Four-way switch device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a four-way switch device that realizes to get a sure contact between contacts by giving flexible elasticity to a movable spring and makes it possible by reducing width of a movable contact element to house two sets of the movable contact elements in a housing with limited width in the four-way switch device unforcedly. SOLUTION: A first and a second movable contact element 41, 42 comprise a plate- like movable spring 44 having a movable contact 46, 47 in a middle region of the movable contact element, engaging elements 45 that are engaged with operating elements on both sides of the movable contact element, bent structure formed between the movable spring 44 and the engaging element 45 and notched structure formed over an appointed length between the movable spring 44 and the engaging element 45. As the engaging element 45 that is engaged with the operating element is formed separately from the movable spring 44 and is discriminate over the appointed length by the notch 48, it can be realized to get sure contact between the contacts by giving flexible elasticity to the movable spring 44. According to the structure of being bent between the movable spring 44 and the engaging element 45, the widths of the first and the second movable contact element 41, 42 are reduced by a large margin and two sets of the movable contact elements are housed in the housing with limited widths of the four-way switch device unforcedly.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a four-way switch device used for indoor wiring that enables ON / OFF operation of electric equipment at a plurality of different places.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, a switch device used for indoor wiring swings (reverses) a movable contact in conjunction with a swing operation of an operator, and a movable contact formed on the contact is opposed to the movable contact. A structure is provided to make contact with and separate from the fixed contact. FIG.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a movable contact used in a conventional single-pole switch device. The movable spring 111 has elasticity capable of flexibly deforming flexibly in order to reliably contact the fixed contact while urging the movable contact 112 formed thereon. A slit 11 is provided on both sides of the movable spring 111.
The engaging pieces 114 are formed through the engaging pieces 3, and the distal ends of the engaging pieces 114 are engaged with the operation element, so that the rocking force from the operation element is received by the engagement element 114. .
The engaging piece 114 preferably has a rigidity that can resist swinging power.
5 are formed. As described above, the movable contact 110 shown in FIG. 10 has elasticity or rigidity that matches the functions of the movable spring 111 and the engagement piece 114, respectively. Can be realized.

On the other hand, in a four-way switch device, a pair of movable contacts 201, 201 are incorporated in a body to form a circuit as shown in FIG.
By the integrated switching operation of 201, a state where conduction is established between the contacts ab and cd as indicated by a solid line and a state where conduction is established between the contacts ac and bd as indicated by a broken line are selected. It is formed. In the four-way switch device 200 having such a configuration, the pair of movable contacts 20
As a result, the movable contact having a large width as shown in FIG. 10 cannot be incorporated, and the movable contact 20 having a shape as shown in FIG.
1 was used.

The movable contact 201 shown in FIG.
No engaging piece is provided, and the engaging projection 20 is provided on the upper end of the movable spring 202.
3 is formed, and as shown in FIG.
03, a hard spring member 204 is engaged with the spring member 2.
It is configured to receive the oscillating power of the operation element 205 via the actuator 04.

[0005]

As described above, the conventional four-way switch device has a configuration in which the movable contact 201 has no engaging piece and receives the swinging power from the operating member 205 at the upper end of the movable spring 202. As a result, the movable spring cannot have a flexible elasticity like the movable contact 110 (see FIG. 10) used in the single-pole switch device. There was a risk of becoming. Moreover, the hard spring member 2 is provided on the upper end of the movable spring 202.
Since 04 is engaged, while the swinging operation is repeated,
There is a disadvantage that the contact portion of the spring member 204 is worn and the durability of the movable spring is reduced.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and comprises a swingable first movable contact having a first movable contact, and the first movable contact having a first movable contact. A first connection terminal electrically connected, a swingable second movable contact having a second movable contact, a second connection terminal electrically connected to the second movable contact, and a terminal body First
A first fixed terminal having a fixed contact and having a first switching contact at a distal end of an arm extending from the terminal main body, and a distal end of an arm having a second fixed contact at the terminal main body and extending from the terminal main body A second fixed terminal having a second switching contact, and an operation member that engages with each movable contact and swings the movable contact, wherein the first fixed contact and the second switching contact are opposed to each other. , With the swing of the first movable contact,
The movable contact comes into contact with or separates from the first fixed contact or the second switching contact, and the second fixed contact and the first switching contact are arranged to face each other, and the second movable contact moves with the swing of the second movable contact. In the four-way switch device configured to be in contact with or separated from the second fixed contact or the first switching contact, the movable contact is configured as follows. That is, each movable contact has a plate-shaped movable spring that forms a movable contact at an intermediate portion, and has an engagement piece that engages with the operation element on both sides, and the movable spring and the engagement piece The space is bent and the space between the movable spring and the engagement piece is cut out over a predetermined length.

[0007] According to this configuration, since the engagement piece that engages with the operation element is formed separately from the movable spring and is separated over a predetermined length by the notch, the movable spring has a flexible elasticity. To achieve reliable contact between the contacts,
In addition, since the movable spring and the engagement piece are bent, the width of the movable contact is greatly reduced, and even when the four-way switch device has a limited width, two sets of movable contacts can be provided. The contacts can be stored without difficulty.

Each movable contact is supported by a resilient support so that the bottom can swing freely, and is urged in the direction of the operating element by a spring member via the support. Is preferred. With such a configuration, the hard spring member does not directly contact the movable contact, so that the wear of the movable contact can be reduced.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a switch device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the internal structure of the switch device, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the switch device, and FIG. Also a plan view,
4B is a side view, and FIG. 5 is a side sectional view.

In these figures, reference numeral 1 denotes a body, which is a case body 2 having an open upper surface, and a lid 3 attached to an opening of the case body 2 by a fastener 4.
It is composed of The boss surface of the lid 3 has an opening for exposing an operation element 70 described later. As shown in FIG. 5, the case body 2 is formed with an electric wire insertion hole 5 into which electric wires are individually inserted, and a tool insertion hole 6 for operating the release button 51, which are opened downward. is there.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a first and second fixed terminals 11 and 12, a first and second connection terminals 21 and 22, a first and second support members are provided inside the body 1. 31 and 32 and the first and second movable contacts 41 and 42 are housed therein, and a holding spring 50 is housed inside each of the terminals 11, 12, 21, 22 to form a so-called screwless terminal structure. are doing. A release button 51 is provided beside the holding spring 50.
Is arranged for storage. The release button 51 is used for the first and second
In addition to being shared between the fixed terminals 11 and 12,
The second connection terminals 21 and 22 are also shared.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the holding spring 50 has locking pieces 50a and 50b formed at both ends by bending one end into a U-shape and the other end into an S-shape. . The locking pieces 50a and 50b extend in the same direction as each other, and hold the electric wire inserted from the electric wire insertion hole 5 at each end edge. In addition, each locking piece 50a, 50b
The leading edge of the release button 5 is disposed opposite the tool insertion hole 6.
1 by moving the release button 51 with a tool such as a screwdriver.
The distal end edges of the a and 50b are pressed and elastically deformed, whereby the holding state of the electric wire can be released.

The first fixed terminal 11 has a contact support piece 11b extending horizontally from the upper surface of the terminal main body 11a and having an intermediate portion bent downward. A first fixed contact is provided at the tip of the contact support piece 11b. 13 are formed. Also, terminal body 1
An arm 14 bent stepwise extends from the upper side of the side surface of the arm 1a.
Is formed.

The second fixed terminal 12 also has a contact support piece 12b extending horizontally from the upper surface of the terminal body 12a and having an intermediate portion bent downward. A second fixed contact is provided at the tip of the contact support piece 12b. 16 are formed. Also, terminal body 1
A stepped arm 17 extends from the lower side surface of 2a. The tip of the arm 17 projects upward, and a second switching contact 18 is formed at the tip.

The first and second fixed terminals 11 and 12 are:
They are arranged side by side in the width direction in the container body 1. At this time, the arms 14, 17 of the fixed terminals 11, 12 are connected to the intermediate portions 14a,
17a intersect at different heights, the first switching contact 15 formed on the first fixed terminal 11 is arranged to face the second fixed contact 16 of the second fixed terminal 12, and the second fixed terminal 1
The second switching contact 18 formed on the second fixed terminal 2 is arranged to face the first fixed contact 13 of the first fixed terminal 11.

The first connection terminals 21 are arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction so as to face the first fixed terminals 11 in the housing 1.
On the other hand, the second connection terminals 22 are arranged in the length direction so as to face the second fixed terminals 12. At this time, the second
The second switching contact 18 extending from the fixed terminal 12 comes close to the first connection terminal 21.
The first switching contact 15 extending from the second connection terminal 22 comes close to the first switching contact 15.

The first support 31 is connected to a lower portion of the side wall of the first connection terminal 21 to form an electrically conductive state.
The first support 31 includes a connecting piece 33 and the connecting piece 33.
Leg piece 34 standing up at one end of the
V-shaped piece 3 formed in a substantially V-shape that is continuous with the upper end of
5, and the leg piece 34 imparts elasticity to the V-shaped piece 35. The lower end of the first movable contact 41 is swingably supported at the trough of the V-shaped piece 35. The second support 32 has a shape similar to that of the first support 31 and is connected to a lower portion of the side wall of the second movable contact 42 to form an electrically conductive state.

Now, in the four-way switch device of the present embodiment, as described above, the second switching contact 18 extending from the second fixed terminal 12 is arranged close to the first connection terminal 21, and the first fixed contact 21 is provided. First switching contact 1 extending from terminal 11
5 is arranged close to the second connection terminal 22. further,
Intermediate portions 14a and 17a of the arms extending from the fixed terminals 11 and 12 are arranged at intermediate portions of the movable contacts 41 and 42 arranged in the width direction. Therefore, especially the first
The switching contact 15 and the second connection terminal 22, the second switching contact 18 and the first connection terminal 21, and the arm intermediate portions 14a and 17a of the fixed terminals 11 and 12 and the movable contacts 41 and 42 are not connected to each other. , The withstand voltage performance may be reduced.

Therefore, the four-way switch device of the present embodiment is provided with an insulating seat 60 made of an insulating resin material. Isolated. The insulating seat 60 includes a front insulating wall 61 and an intermediate insulating wall 62 extending from a central portion thereof.
As shown in FIG. 6, a front insulating wall 61 is disposed between each of the connection terminals 21 and 22 and each of the switching contacts 15 and 18 so that these connection terminals 21 and 22 and each of the switching contacts 15 and 1
8 Further, slits 63 into which the intermediate portions 14a and 17a of the arms extending from the fixed terminals 11 and 12 are inserted and arranged in the intermediate insulating wall 62 of the insulating seat 60.
Is formed. The intermediate portions 14a and 17a of the arms extending from the fixed terminals 11 and 12 are inserted into slits 63 formed in the intermediate insulating wall of the insulating seat as shown in FIG. Is reliably prevented.

The first and second movable contacts 41 and 42 are both made of a metal plate and are formed in the same shape. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, each of the movable contacts 41 and 42 has a movable spring 44 and an engagement piece 45 extending from the base 43 a of the contact body 43. The movable spring 44 is formed in a flat plate shape and extends from the center of the base 43a.
The movable spring 44 of the first movable contact 41 is provided with a first movable contact 46 on its surface 44a. This first
The movable contact 46 is connected to the first fixed contact 13 and the second
It is arranged between the switching contact 18 and makes contact with one of these contacts 13 and 18 in conjunction with a swing operation of an operation element 70 described later. On the other hand, the movable spring 4 of the second movable contact 42
4, a second movable contact 47 is provided on the surface portion 44a. The second movable contact 47 is disposed between the second fixed contact 16 and the first switching contact 15 in the body 1, and interlocks with a swing operation of an operation element 70, which will be described later. ,
15 is contacted.

Further, near the base of the movable spring 44, a bent portion 44b in the shape of a dogleg is formed, so that in this embodiment, the surface portion 44a of the movable spring 44 becomes the tip of an engagement piece 45 described later. It has been adjusted so that it is arranged on substantially the same plane. The surface portion 44 of the movable spring 44 may be used if necessary.
a can be disposed forward or rearward of the engagement piece 45, and by adjusting the position of the surface portion 44a, the fixed contacts 13, 16 of the first or second movable contacts 41, 42 or the switching contacts 1
It is possible to arbitrarily adjust the contact pressure for 5, 18.

The engagement pieces 45 are formed on both sides of the movable spring 44 (that is, on both sides of the contact body 43). These engagement pieces 45 are attached to the base 43a of the contact body 43.
From the bent portion 44b which is continuous to the right side. By bending the engagement piece 45 in this manner, the width dimension of each of the movable contacts 41 and 42 can be significantly reduced, and as shown in FIG. 41,
42 can be stored without difficulty. Further, the overall rigidity of each of the movable contacts 41 and 42 is increased by the bending, and unstable distortion is suppressed. Each movable contact 41, 4
2 is swingable about a lower end supported by each of the supports 31 and 32, but the flat portion of the engaging piece 45 is formed by bending the engaging piece 45 as described above. It is arranged substantially parallel to the swing direction.

Further, a notch 48 is formed between the movable spring 44 and the engaging piece 45 so that the flat movable spring 4
4 is configured to be elastically bent so as to reduce the impact when coming into contact with the fixed contacts 13 and 16 or the switching contacts 15 and 18. Each engaging piece 45 has a shape that becomes narrower as it goes toward the tip, and a sharp tip engages with a V-shaped groove 74 of an operation element 70 described later.

As shown in FIG. 8, the operating element 70 has an operating block 71 and four operating arms 72 extending from the center of the bottom of the operating block 71. Of these, the operation block 71 penetrates through the opening of the lid 3 and the upper part is exposed to the outside. At the center of both sides of the operation block 71, a fulcrum 73 having a triangular shape that is pointed upward is formed to protrude. The upper edge of each fulcrum 73 is the lid 3
And is engaged with a downwardly opening fan-shaped groove 3a (see FIG. 1) provided on the inner side surface.

At the lower end of each operating arm 72, there is provided a V contact forming a driving contact portion with the engaging piece 45 of each movable contact 41, 42.
The V-shaped groove 74 is formed, and the tip of the corresponding engagement piece 45 of each movable contact 41, 42 is engaged with the V-shaped groove 74 (see FIG. 8).

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 8, spring members 36, 36 are provided below the support members 31, 32, respectively.
Each support 31, 32 and each movable contact 41, 42 are pushed up. As described above, since the movable contacts 41 and 42 receive the urging force of the spring members 36 and 36 via the supports 31 and 32, the movable contacts 41 and 42 do not contact the hard spring members 36 and 36, and thus wear is reduced. Few. The spring members 36, 3
By the biasing force of 6, the tip of the engagement piece 45 formed on each of the movable contacts 41 and 42 holds the engagement state with the V-shaped groove 74 formed on the operation arm 72 of the operation element 70,
A fulcrum 73 formed on the operation block 71 holds the engagement state of the lid 3 with the fan-shaped groove 3a.

With such a configuration, the inner surface of the V-shaped groove 74 formed in the operation arm 72 moves the tip of the engagement piece 45 with the swing of the operation member 70 about the fulcrum 73. Press. As described above, the flat portion of the engagement piece 45
Since the movable contacts 41 and 42 are arranged substantially parallel to the swinging direction, the pressing force on the engagement piece 45 acts on the leading edge of the engagement piece 45 as shown by the arrow in FIG. (That is, it acts in parallel with the plane portion of the engagement piece 45). Therefore, the engagement piece 45 hardly bends even when receiving the pressing force from the operation arm 72.

Next, the operation of the above-described switch device will be described. FIG. 9A is a side cross-sectional view showing a state where each movable contact contacts each switching contact, and FIG. 9B is a side cross-sectional view showing a state where each movable contact is at an intermediate position in a swing range. . FIG. 5 shows a state where each movable contact is in contact with each fixed contact.

First, from the state shown in FIG.
When the upper part (0) on the protruding side of 0 is pressed, the operating element 70 swings clockwise around the fulcrum 73, and the operating arm 72 integrated therewith similarly swings.
As described above, the distal end of the engaging piece 45 formed on each of the movable contacts 41 and 42 is engaged with the V-shaped groove 74 provided at the lower end of the operating arm 72. As a result, the leading edge of the engagement piece 45 is pressed. As a result, each movable contact 41, 42 is attached to each support 31, 32.
Swinging counterclockwise about the lower end supported by
The movable contacts 46 and 47 respectively contact the fixed contacts 13 and 16 as shown in FIG.

In the state of FIG. 5 where the movable contacts 46 and 47 contact the fixed contacts 13 and 16 as described above, the first
The fixed terminal 11 and the first connection terminal 21 are the first movable contact 41
Through the second fixed terminal 12.
And the second connection terminal 22 are electrically connected to each other via the second movable contact 42. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9 (a), each movable contact 46, 47 is connected to each switching contact 15, 18 respectively.
When the first fixed terminal 11 and the second connection terminal 22 are in contact with each other, the first fixed terminal 11 and the second connection terminal 22 are electrically connected via the first movable contact 41, and the second fixed terminal 12 and the first connection terminal 21 are connected to the second movable terminal 21. Each of them is electrically conducted through the contact 42.

In the process of swinging the movable contacts 41, 42, the pressing force acting on the movable contacts 41, 42 includes a downward component force. Therefore, each of the movable contacts 41 and 42 is slightly pushed downward against the urging force of the spring member 36. The settlement amount is
Each of the movable contacts 41 and 42 is positioned at an intermediate position of the swing range (FIG. 9).
(The position shown in (b)) is maximized, and thereafter decreases. As described above, each of the movable contacts 41 and 42 operates by drawing a trajectory in which the swing around the lower end and the vertical movement are overlapped. Therefore, each movable contact 46,
Numeral 47 designates each fixed contact 1
3, 16 or each of the switching contacts 15, 18.

On the other hand, when the upper side (upper left side in FIG. 5) of the operator 70 is pressed from the state shown in FIG. 5, the operator 70 swings counterclockwise around the fulcrum 73,
The operating arm 72 integrated therewith similarly swings. With the swing of the operating arm 72, the leading edge of the engaging piece 45 formed on each of the movable contacts 41 and 42 is pressed, and as a result,
Each movable contact 41, 42 is attached to each support 31, 3.
The movable contacts 46 and 47 are separated from the fixed contacts 13 and 16 by swinging clockwise about the lower end supported by the second contact 2. At this time, the movable contacts 46 and 47 are separated from the fixed contacts 13 and 16 by slightly rubbing down, contrary to the operation at the time of the above-mentioned contact. Arc discharge can be suppressed. Note that, needless to say, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment.

[0033]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Since the engagement piece that engages with the operation element is formed separately from the movable spring and separated by a notch over a predetermined length, the movable spring is provided with a flexible elasticity so that reliable contact between the contacts can be achieved. In addition, since the movable spring and the engagement piece are bent, the width dimension of the movable contact is greatly reduced, and even in the case where the width of the four-way switch device is limited. Two sets of movable contacts can be stored without difficulty.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a four-way switch device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the internal structure of the switch device.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the switch device.

4A is a plan view of the switch device, and FIG. 4B is a side view of the same switch device.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of the switch device.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an arrangement relationship between first and second fixed terminals and an insulating seat of the switch device.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a movable contact of the switch device.

FIG. 8 is a side view showing an engagement state of an engagement piece of each movable contact and an operation arm of the operation element.

9A is a side sectional view showing a state where each movable contact contacts each switching contact, and FIG. 9B is a side sectional view showing a state where each movable contact is at an intermediate position in a swing range. .

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a movable contact used in a conventional single-pole switch device.

FIG. 11 is a circuit diagram of a four-way switch device.

12A is a perspective view showing a movable contact used in a conventional four-way switch device, and FIG. 12B is a side sectional view of the conventional four-way switch device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: body 2: case body 3: lid 3a: sector groove 4: fastening fitting 5: wire insertion hole 6: tool insertion hole 11: first fixed terminal 11a: terminal body 11b: contact support piece 12: second fixed Terminal 12a: Terminal body 12b: Contact support piece 13: First fixed contact 14: Arm 14a: Middle part 15: First switching contact 16: Second fixed contact 17: Arm 17a: Middle part 18: Second switching contact 21: First connection terminal 22: Second connection terminal 31: First support 32: Second support 33: Connection piece 34: Leg 35: V-shaped piece 36: Spring member 41: First movable contact 42: Second Movable contact 43: Contact body 43a: Base 44: Movable spring 44a: Surface portion 44b: Bent portion 45: Engagement piece 46: First movable contact 47: Second movable contact 48: Notch 50: Presser spring 50a: Engagement Stop piece 50b: locking piece 5 1: Release button 60: Insulation seat 61: Front insulation wall 62: Intermediate insulation wall 63: Slit 70: Operator 71: Operation block 72: Operating arm 73: Support point part 74: V-shaped groove (drive contact part)

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A swingable first movable contact having a first movable contact, a first connection terminal to which the first movable contact is electrically connected, and a swingable having a second movable contact. The second
A movable contact, a second connection terminal to which the second movable contact is electrically connected, a first fixed contact on the terminal body, and a first switching contact at a tip end of an arm extending from the terminal body. A first fixed terminal having a second fixed contact on the terminal body, a second fixed terminal having a second switching contact at a tip end of an arm extending from the terminal body, and engaging with each of the movable contacts. And an operator for swinging these movable contacts, wherein the first fixed contact and the second switching contact are arranged to face each other, and the first movable contact is moved by the swing of the first movable contact. The first fixed contact or the second switching contact is brought into contact with or separated from the first fixed contact or the second switching contact, and the second fixed contact and the first switching contact are arranged to face each other. (2) Four-way switch having a structure that comes into contact with or separates from the fixed contact or the first switching contact In the latch device, each of the movable contacts has a plate-shaped movable spring that forms a movable contact at an intermediate portion, and has an engagement piece that engages with the operation element on both sides, and these movable springs A four-way switch device wherein a bent portion is formed between the engaging piece and the movable spring and the engaging piece are cut out over a predetermined length. 2. The four-way switch device according to claim 1, wherein each of the movable contacts is supported by a resilient support so that a bottom portion is swingable, and a spring member is provided via the support. A four-way switch device which is urged in the direction of an operator. 3. The four-way switch device according to claim 1, wherein the second switching contact and the first connection terminal are arranged close to each other, and the first switching contact and the second connection terminal are arranged close to each other. Wherein an insulating seat formed of an insulating material is inserted between the second switching contact and the first connection terminal and between the first switching contact and the second connection terminal, which are disposed close to each other. Four-way switch device. 4. The four-way switch device according to claim 3, wherein the insulating seat further extends between the first and second movable contacts to isolate the movable contacts from each other. A four-way switch device.