JP2005078852A - Push-button switch - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a short circuit between a pair of fixed contacts even water infiltrates into a housing in a push-button switch. <P>SOLUTION: A partition wall 8 to divide the inside of the housing 1 of the push-button switch into an upper chamber 10a and a lower chamber 10b is formed in the housing, a pair of fixed contact members 2, 2 are disposed in the two chambers 10a, 10b, respectively. Protrusions 16, 16 are formed on the partition wall 8 so that movable contact members 3, 3 come into contact with/away from the fixed contact members 2, 2 in accordance with the movement of a push-button 4 and also separate from the fixed contact members 2, 2 in the chambers 10a, 10b. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention includes a housing, a pair of fixed contact members disposed in the housing, a push button fitted to the housing so as to be able to advance and retreat, and the push button connected to the push button. Accordingly, the present invention relates to an improvement of a push button switch including a movable contact member that contacts and separates from the pair of fixed contact members to turn on and off between the two fixed contact members.

Such a push button switch is already known as disclosed in Patent Document 1.
Japanese Patent No. 3118086

  In such a conventional push button switch, a pair of fixed contacts are arranged side by side on the bottom surface of the housing, so if there is water in the housing, there is a risk of short circuit between the two fixed contacts. .

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide the push button switch capable of preventing a short circuit between both fixed contacts even when the housing is flooded. To do.

  To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a housing, a pair of fixed contact members disposed in the housing, a push button fitted to the housing so as to be able to advance and retreat, and a connection to the push button. And a movable contact member that contacts and separates the pair of fixed contact members in accordance with advancement and retraction of the push button to turn on and off between the two fixed contact members. A partition that divides the interior into two chambers is formed, and the pair of fixed contact members are disposed in the two chambers, and the movable contact member is connected to the fixed contact member according to the advancement and retraction of the push button. The first feature is that an on / off control means for separating and separating in the air is connected.

  The on / off control means corresponds to the protrusion 16 and the on / off control member 32 in an embodiment of the present invention described later.

  According to the present invention, in addition to the first feature, the two chambers are an upper chamber and a lower chamber arranged vertically, and the upper chamber is provided with a high potential side member of the pair of fixed contact members. The arrangement is a second feature.

  Furthermore, in addition to the first or second feature, the present invention provides the on / off control means such that the movable contact member wipes the surface of the fixed contact member with a constant stroke before the advance limit of the push button. The configuration is the third feature.

  According to the first feature of the present invention, the pair of fixed contact members are respectively disposed in the two chambers of the housing that are partitioned by the partition wall and are separated from each other. The short circuit between the contact members can be prevented by the partition wall, and the water resistance of the push button switch can be improved.

  Further, according to the second feature of the present invention, even when a large amount of water enters the housing, it is difficult for the upper chamber to be submerged, so that a short circuit between the two fixed contact members due to the submergence can be prevented more reliably. . In addition, the fixed contact member in the upper chamber, which is difficult to submerge, is on the high potential side. Therefore, even if the fixed contact member on the low potential side in the lower chamber is submerged with the lower part of the switch holder that holds this push button switch, it is fixed. Electrolytic corrosion of the contact member and the switch holder can be prevented, which can contribute to improvement of resistance to electrolytic corrosion.

  Furthermore, according to the third feature of the present invention, it is possible to ensure a good contact state between the fixed contact member and the movable contact member due to the wiping effect, thereby preventing contact failure.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below on the basis of preferred embodiments of the present invention shown in the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a sectional view around a steering handle of a motorcycle equipped with a push button switch according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the button switch, and FIG. 3 is an off state of the button switch. 4 is an enlarged vertical side view, FIG. 4 is a view corresponding to FIG. 3, showing the button switch ON start point, FIG. 5 is a corresponding view corresponding to FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6, FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 7-7 in FIG. 6, FIG. 8 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 7, FIG. 11 is a longitudinal side view of a button switch according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along line 12-12 of FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 13-13 of FIG. 11, and FIG. 14 shows a button switch according to a third embodiment of the present invention in an OFF state. Longitudinal side view showing, Fig. 15 shows the on-state of the button switch, a corresponding view of the FIG. 14.

  First, the description starts with the description of the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS.

  1 and 2, a push button switch S is mounted on a switch holder D attached to a rod-like steering handle H of a motorcycle. The push button switch S is specifically used for a horn switch, a starter switch, or the like in the illustrated example.

  The push button switch S includes a housing 1, a pair of upper and lower fixed contact members 2 and 2 fixed to the housing 1, and a pair of upper and lower movable contact members 3 and 3 that cooperate with the fixed contact members 2 and 2. , A push button 4 for operating the movable contact members 3 and 3 and a return spring 5 for urging the push button 4 in the backward direction, and the housing 1 is fixed to the switch holder D by screws 14.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 6, the housing 1 is integrally formed with a peripheral wall 6 having a square cross section composed of four walls, an upper wall 6 a, a lower wall 6 b, and left and right side walls 6 c, 6 c, and a rear end of the peripheral wall 6. It consists of a connected rear wall 7 and its front face is open. The housing 1 is integrally formed with a partition wall 8 that stands up from the inner surface of the rear wall 7 and connects the left and right side walls 6c, 6c. The partition wall 8 forms an upper chamber 10 and a lower chamber 11 in the housing 1. At least the bottom surface of the upper chamber 10, that is, the central portion 12a of the upper surface 12 of the partition wall 8, is one step higher than both sides thereof, so that the intruded water does not collect in the central portion 12a. . The lower wall 6b is provided with a drain hole 13 for discharging water that has entered the lower chamber 11.

  The front end portion of the partition wall 8 is provided with a spring holding hole 15 that opens to the front surface thereof, and a pair of protrusions 16 and 16 that protrude up and down across the spring holding hole 15.

  Each of the fixed contact members 2 and 2 includes plate-like contact portions 2a and 2a and terminal portions 2b and 2b which are bent and connected to the outer ends of the contact portions 2a and 2a in a crank shape. The contact members 2 and 2 are attached to the rear wall 7 of the housing 1 so that the contact portions 2a and 2a overlap the upper and lower surfaces of the partition wall 8, respectively. At that time, the contact portion 2 a of the upper fixed contact member 2 in particular is superposed on the stepped central portion 12 a of the upper surface 12 of the partition wall 8. Therefore, the water that has entered the contact portion 2a on the central portion 12a does not accumulate.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the fixed contact members 2 and 2 are attached to the housing 1 by pressing the contact portion 2 a into the attachment hole 20 provided in the rear wall 7 of the housing 1 and engaging the inner surface of the attachment hole 20. This is done by engaging the locking claw 22 on both side edges of the contact portion 2a with the locking recess 21.

  2 to 8, the push button 4 has a square cross section corresponding to the peripheral wall 6 of the housing 1, and the four rear ends protrude from the four corners in the sliding direction of the push button 4. Guide legs 4a, 4a ... are formed, positioning protrusions 4b are projected on the upper surface of the rear end portion, and stopper claws 4c, 4c are formed on the left and right side surfaces of the rear end portion with the claw portions facing outward. (See particularly FIGS. 7 and 8).

  Thus, the guide legs 4a, 4a... Are slidably fitted to the four corners in the housing 1. Further, the positioning projection 4b is engaged with a positioning groove 27 formed on the inner surface of the upper wall 6a of the housing 1 so as to prevent the push button 4 from being assembled incorrectly. Further, the stopper claws 4c and 4c are inserted into dead end holes 18 and 18 formed in the left and right side walls 6c and 6c of the housing 1, and open to the outer surfaces of the left and right side walls 6c and 6c from the dead end holes 18 and 18, respectively. The claw portions are slidably engaged with the stroke restricting holes 19, 19, and the stopper claws 4 c, 4 c abut on the front inner ends of the stroke restricting holes 19, 19, thereby restricting the retracted position of the push button 4. (See FIG. 7).

  As clearly shown in FIGS. 2 and 10, the movable contact members 3 and 3 are integrally formed of a leaf spring material. That is, the movable contact members 3 and 3 are formed so as to extend rearward from the upper and lower edges of the connecting plate 23, and arc-shaped contact portions 3a and 3a are provided at the rear ends of the connecting plates 23 and the intermediate portions, respectively. Angle-shaped bent portions 3b and 3b having apexes in directions away from each other are formed, and the movable contact members 3 and 3 are given elasticity to urge them in the proximity direction. On the other hand, a pair of attachment pieces 23 a and 23 a bent forward are formed on the left and right edges of the connecting plate 23, and these attachment piece attachment pieces 23 a and 23 a are attached to a pair of left and right attachments formed on the back surface of the push button 4. While being press-fitted into the holes 24, 24, the engaging claws 25, 25 on both side edges of each mounting piece 23a are engaged with the locking recesses 26, 26 on the inner surface of each mounting hole 24, whereby both movable contact members 3, 3 is attached to the push button 4.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6 again, both the movable contact members 3 and 3 are arranged such that when the push button 4 is inserted into the housing 1, the upper chamber 10 and the lower chamber 11 are configured so as to sandwich the partition wall 8 from above and below. Respectively.

  Thus, at the retracted position of the push button 4, the upper and lower protrusions 16 and 16 of the partition wall 8 are engaged with the front end portions of the angle-shaped bent portions 3b and 3b, so that both the movable contact members 3 and 3 are fixed to the fixed contact members 2 and 2, respectively. 2, when the push button switch S is turned off (see FIG. 3) and the push button 4 is advanced, the protrusions 16 and 16 move relatively to the apex side of the angled bent portions 3b and 3b. Both movable contact members 3 and 3 are pressed against the fixed contact members 2 and 2 by their own elasticity, and the push button switch S is turned on (see FIGS. 4 and 5). At that time, the forward limit of the push button 4 is regulated by the connecting plate 23 coming into contact with the front end of the partition wall 8 (see FIG. 8).

  The return spring 5 is composed of a compression coil spring. One end of the return spring 5 is inserted into the holding hole 15 of the partition wall 8, and the other end is pressed against the connecting plate 23 of the movable contact members 3 and 3 so as to urge the push button 4 in the backward direction.

  In FIG. 1 again, the terminal portion 2 b of the upper fixed contact member 2 is connected to the (+) pole of the battery 28, and the terminal portion 2 b of the lower fixed contact member 2 is connected to the battery 28 ( -) Connected to the pole.

  Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

  In the OFF state of the push button switch S, the push button 4 is held in the retracted position by the biasing force of the return spring 5. At this time, the movable contact members 3 and 3 engage the front end portions of the angled bent portions 3b and 3b with the upper and lower protrusions 16 and 16 of the partition wall 8, so that the contact portions 3a and 3a are separated from the fixed contact members 2 and 2, respectively. They are separated in the air. Therefore, the electric load 29 does not operate.

  By the way, since the pair of fixed contact members 2 and 2 are respectively disposed in the upper chamber 10 and the lower chamber 11 of the housing 1 partitioned by the partition wall 8, even if a large amount of water enters the housing 1, It is difficult for the upper chamber 10 to be submerged, so that a short circuit between the two fixed contact members 2 and 2 due to the submergence can be reliably prevented. Further, since the movable contact members 3 and 3 are separated from the fixed contact members 2 and 2 facing the movable contact members 2 and 2 in the air, a sufficient air insulation distance is secured between the fixed contact members 2 and 2 and the movable contact members 3 and 3. Thus, the durability of the button switch S can be improved.

  In addition, since the upper fixed contact member 2 that is not easily submerged is connected to the (+) pole of the battery 28, the lower fixed contact member 2 connected to the (−) pole of the battery 28 is connected to the lower part of the switch holder D. Even if submerged, it is possible to prevent galvanic corrosion of the fixed contact member 2 and the switch holder D, thereby improving the erosion resistance.

  When the push button 4 is returned from the state of FIG. 3 to the state of FIG. 4 and pressed forward against the urging force of the spring 5, the upper and lower protrusions 16 and 16 of the partition wall 8 are located on the apex side of the angled bent portions 3b and 3b. The two movable contact members 3 and 3 are moved relative to each other and are brought into pressure contact with the fixed contact members 2 and 2 by their own elasticity to conduct between the fixed contact members 2 and 2, and the push button switch S is turned on. . Then, until the push button 4 further moves forward and reaches the forward limit in the state of FIG. 5, the contact portions 3a and 3a of both the movable contact members 3 and 3 rub against the surfaces of the both fixed contact members 2 and 2. A good contact state can be ensured between the fixed contact members 2 and 2 and the movable contact members 3 and 3 due to the wiping effect, and thus the electric load 29 can be reliably operated. A symbol L in FIG. 5 indicates a wiping stroke of the movable contact members 3 and 3.

  Even when the push button 4 is retracted from the forward limit by the urging force of the return spring 5, the movable contact members 3 and 3 are in contact until they are separated from the fixed contact members 2 and 2 by the protrusions 16 and 16 of the partition wall 8. Since the portions 3a and 3a rub the surfaces of the fixed contact members 2 and 2, a wiping effect can be obtained even with this.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 11 to 13 will be described.

  The housing 1 is formed with a second partition wall 8 that divides the upper chamber 10 into a left chamber 10a and a right chamber 10b, and the bottom surfaces of the left chamber 10a and the right chamber 10b are formed on the upper side of the second partition wall 8 side. 30a and the left and right side walls 6c, 6c, the lower step 30b, and the upper portions 30a, 30a of the pair of left and right fixed contact members 2, 2 attached to the rear wall 7 are connected to the contact portions 2a, 2a. Is disposed. The pair of left and right movable contact members 3 and 3 are inserted into the left chamber 10a and the right chamber 10b, and the pair of left and right projections 16 and 16 for controlling the opening and closing of the movable contact members 3 and 3 are the left chamber 10a and the right chamber 10b. In the upper surface of the front end portion of the partition wall 8.

  Since other configurations are the same as those of the previous embodiment, portions corresponding to those of the previous embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals in FIGS. 11 to 13 and description thereof is omitted.

  According to the second embodiment, the pair of fixed contact members 2 and 2 are arranged in the left chamber 10a and the right chamber 10b in which the upper chamber 10 of the housing 1 is partitioned by the small partition wall 31, respectively. In addition, it is difficult for the right chamber 10b to be submerged, and the fixed contact members 2 and 2 are isolated by the small partition wall 31 so that it is possible to improve water resistance and electric corrosion resistance.

  Finally, a third embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 will be described.

  In the third embodiment, the left and right fixed contact members 2 and 2 are arranged above the left and right movable contact members 3 and 3, and the movable contact members 3 and 3 are fixed to the fixed contact member 2 in accordance with the advancement and retreat of the push button 4. , 2, except that the on / off control member 32 is attached to the upper wall 6 a of the housing 1. The second embodiment shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 is the same as the second embodiment. Parts corresponding to the examples are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various design changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

1 is a cross-sectional view around a steering handle of a motorcycle equipped with a push button switch according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The exploded perspective view of the button switch. The expanded vertical side view which shows the button switch in an OFF state. FIG. 4 is a view corresponding to FIG. 3 showing an on start point of the button switch. FIG. 4 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 3 showing the final point of the button switch. FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 7-7 in FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line 9-9 in FIG. 3. FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line 10-10 in FIG. 7; The vertical side view of the button switch which concerns on 2nd Example of this invention. 12-12 sectional view taken on the line of FIG. FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along line 13-13 of FIG. The vertical side view which shows the button switch which concerns on 3rd Example of this invention in an OFF state. FIG. 15 is a view corresponding to FIG. 14 and showing an on state of the button switch.

Explanation of symbols

S ... push button switch L ... wiping stroke 1 ... housing 2 ... fixed contact member 3 ... movable contact member 4 ... push button 8 ... partition 10, 11 ... Two rooms (upper and lower rooms)
10a, 10b ... Two rooms (Left room, Right room)
16 ... ON / OFF control means (protrusion)
31 ... partition wall (small partition wall)
32 ... ON / OFF control means (ON / OFF control member)

Claims (3)

A housing (1), a pair of fixed contact members (2, 2) disposed in the housing (1), a push button (4) fitted to the housing (1) so as to be able to advance and retract, Connected to the push button (4), the pair of fixed contact members (2, 2) are brought into and out of contact with the pair of fixed contact members (2, 2) as the push button (4) advances and retreats. -In a push button switch having a movable contact member (3, 3) to be turned off,
A partition (8, 31) is formed in the housing (1) to divide the interior into two chambers (10, 11; 10a, 10b), and the two chambers (10, 11; 10a, 10b) are paired with the pair of chambers. The fixed contact members (2, 2) are respectively arranged, and the movable contact members (3, 3) are moved to the movable contact members (3, 3) according to the advancement / retraction of the push button (4). 2. A push button switch, characterized in that on / off control means (16, 32) is connected to and separated from 2), and the separation is performed in the air. The push button switch according to claim 1,
The two chambers are an upper chamber (10) and a lower chamber (11) lined up and down, and the upper chamber (10) includes the one on the high potential side of the pair of fixed contact members (2, 2). A push button switch characterized by the arrangement of The push button switch according to claim 1 or 2,
The on / off control means (so that the movable contact member (3, 3) wipes the surface of the fixed contact member (2, 2) at a fixed stroke (L) before the forward limit of the push button (4). A pushbutton switch characterized by comprising 16 and 32).