JP2011113817A - Dust-protective rocker switch - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To apply dust-proof measures against opening and closing switch mechanism of a locker switch, and also substantially miniaturize the total dimension of a housing. <P>SOLUTION: The device has: a partioning plate with the center opening to partition inside of the housing into a first chamber on the opening end side and a second chamber on the bottom side; a hollow protrusion of which the base is fixed to the lower face side of a switch button; and the dust-proof plate which is placed on the partioning plate so as to surround the surroundings of the hollow protrusion, and which is sled on the partitioning plate while closing a gap between the surrounding of the hollow protrusion and the center opening of the partitioning plate, accompanied with rocking of the hollow protrusion when the switch button is operated. The dust-proof plate is elastically biased against the partitioning plate by an elastic element installed between the lower face of the switch button and the dust-protective plate. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a rocker switch that can be used as an open / close switch for various electric appliances and illumination lamps, and more particularly to a dustproof rocker switch having a dustproof function.

  A typical configuration example of this type of conventional rocker switch will be described. The rocker switch has a bottomed housing with one end opened, and the inside of the housing is separated from the first chamber on the open end side by a partition plate. It is divided into a second chamber on the bottom side. A switch button is housed in the first chamber so as to be swingable, and a fixed contact and a movable contact provided on a swing plate that is separated from the fixed contact through a seesaw motion are housed in the second chamber. The open / close switch mechanism is accommodated. A projecting portion is provided on the lower surface side of the switch button, and the projecting portion accommodates a switching rod that is elastically biased outward by the force of a spring. The switching rod has a tip extending through the partition plate and extending into the second chamber, and is in sliding contact with the swing plate of the open / close switch mechanism. When the switch button swings due to the switch button switching operation, the switching rod is swung to the left and right, the tip of the switching rod slides on the swinging plate of the open / close switch mechanism, and the peristaltic plate performs a seesaw motion. And switching operation between the movable contacts. In order to allow the movement of the switching rod accompanying the swinging of the switch button, the partition plate is formed with an opening having a plan dimension that is considerably larger than the cross-sectional dimension of the diameter of the protrusion on the lower surface of the switch button.

  As a problem of the rocker switch as described above, dust or the like enters the first chamber of the housing through the gap around the switch button, and further enters the second chamber through the opening of the partition plate. As a result, there is a possibility that dust or the like may adhere to the contacts of the open / close switch mechanism, resulting in poor contact between the contacts.

In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-222769, a waterproof and dustproof packing that covers the protrusions on the back surface of the switch button and the partition plate entirely is formed of a flexible material in order to prevent entry of water and the like into the second chamber. It has been proposed to provide it in the form of a diaphragm.

  In order to use such a waterproof and dustproof packing for a long period of time without causing damage, it is necessary to give the waterproof and dustproof packing to some extent and size. Otherwise, cracks, breakage, etc. will occur early due to the material fatigue. As a result, the rocker switch disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a problem that it is difficult to reduce the size of the housing and the entire switch.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-164075 proposes using a dustproof cover that surrounds the upper surface and the peripheral surface of the second chamber in place of the partition plate described above. More specifically, the switch button has an arcuate protrusion protruding on the lower surface. The dust cover is provided inside the housing so as to cover the entire open / close switch mechanism, and defines the upper surface and the peripheral surface of the second chamber. An arc-shaped recess complementary to the arc-shaped convex part on the lower surface of the switch button is formed on the upper wall of the dust-proof cover, and the switch button is guided by the inner surface of the arc-shaped concave part of the dust-proof cover and slides while sliding. It is configured. The switch button's arc-shaped convex part is formed with a hole to accommodate the open / close switching rod, and the switching rod is elastically supported by a spring housed in the hole with the tip protruding outside the hole. Has been. An opening is formed in the arc-shaped concave portion of the dustproof cover, and the tip of the opening / closing switching rod extends into the second chamber through this opening, and slidably contacts the sliding plate of the opening / closing switch mechanism. A plurality of integrally formed resin springs are provided on the bottom of the dust cover and are in contact with the bottom of the housing. As a reaction that the resin spring is pressed against the bottom surface of the housing, the arc-shaped concave portion of the dust-proof cover is elastically pressed against the arc-shaped convex portion of the switch button, and dust or the like from the opening of the arc-shaped concave portion of the dust-proof cover Intrusion is prevented.

  The dust-proof cover disclosed in Patent Document 2 has a configuration in which a bottom spring is indispensable, and thus the height dimension is particularly large. As in the case of Patent Document 1, there is a problem that it is difficult to downsize the entire housing and thus the entire switch.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a rocker switch in which dust-proof measures are taken for the open / close switch mechanism as described above, and the overall size of the apparatus can be reduced.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide such a rocker switch that is configured such that its dust-proof measures can function properly over a long period of time.

The rocker switch according to the present invention includes a bottomed housing having one end opened,
A partition plate having a central opening that divides the interior of the housing into a first chamber on the open end side and a second chamber on the bottom side; and a switch button that is swingably accommodated in the first chamber And an open / close switch mechanism housed in the second chamber, a fixed contact provided at the inner end of the contact terminal, a movable contact piece capable of seesaw motion with the inner end of the common terminal as a fulcrum, An open / close switch mechanism having a movable contact provided on the movable contact piece so as to be detachable from the fixed contact, and a base portion fixed to the lower surface side of the switch button, and through the opening of the partition plate, the second chamber A hollow projecting portion extending inward, and a hollow projecting portion containing an open / close switching rod having a tip pressed against the movable contact piece of the open / close switch mechanism, and an opening through which the hollow projecting portion is inserted Having said hollow protrusion It is placed on the partition plate so as to surround the a dust-proof plate for closing a gap between the opening of the partition plate and the periphery of the hollow protrusion, made of.
According to the present invention, the dustproof plate is arranged so as to slide on the partition plate in accordance with the movement of the hollow protruding portion that moves angularly with the switch button swinging.

  In the rocker switch according to the present invention, an elastic body that elastically urges the dustproof plate against the partition plate is provided between the lower surface of the switch button and the dustproof plate.

  In the rocker switch according to the present invention, the opening of the partition plate has an edge wall protruding into the first chamber along the peripheral edge, and the dustproof plate is placed on the top surface of the edge wall.

  Furthermore, in the rocker switch according to the present invention, the dustproof plate is made of a material having excellent wear resistance and durability. As an example of such a material, phosphor bronze can be used.

  In the rocker switch according to the present invention, the partition plate substantially has a planar shape substantially equal to the transverse cross-sectional shape inside the housing, and its size is slightly larger than the transverse area inside the housing, and the peripheral portion is thin and flexible. Has been.

  Furthermore, in the rocker switch according to the present invention, the partition plate is formed of a synthetic resin material having appropriate flexibility. As an example of such a material, for example, a polyimide resin can be used.

  As described above, in the rocker switch according to the present invention, a dustproof plate is provided around the cylindrical protrusion on the lower surface of the switch button so as to close a gap between the opening of the partition plate. Since the plate is slidably disposed on the partition plate and is spring-biased with respect to the partition plate, intrusion of dust or the like into the second chamber through the central opening of the partition plate is effective. Is prevented. In addition, the dustproof plate itself occupies a planar and three-dimensional space as compared with the conventional example in which the protrusions on the back surface of the switch button and the partition plate are entirely covered, or the entire second chamber is completely covered. Is small. Accordingly, the rocker switch according to the present invention can not only reliably prevent dust from being applied to the opening / closing switch mechanism, but also enables a substantial reduction in the overall dimensions of the housing.

  Moreover, in the rocker switch according to the present invention, the dustproof effect on the open / close switch mechanism can be maintained for a long period of time by forming the dustproof plate from a material having excellent wear resistance and durability.

It is a top view of a rocker switch. It is a front view of the rocker switch of FIG. It is a left view of the rocker switch of FIG. It is a bottom view of the rocker switch of FIG. It is a fragmentary longitudinal cross-sectional view along the VV line of FIG.

  An embodiment of a rocker switch according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The rocker switch according to the present invention has a box-shaped housing 10 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape whose upper surface side is opened in the figure. The housing 10 is formed from a suitable synthetic resin material, for example, a polyamide resin, and has a bottom 10a and a bottom 10 Side wall portion 10b surrounding the four sides. In the present embodiment, the bottom portion 10a and the side wall portion 10b are integrally molded, but may be individually molded and combined as necessary.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, a central raised portion 10c is formed along the longitudinal axis of the bottom portion 10a outside the bottom surface. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, a flange 10 d is integrally formed around the opening of the housing 10. Further, a base end of a leaf spring 10e for housing attachment extending along the side wall portion 10b is integrally formed on the side of both ends in the longitudinal axis direction of the bottom portion 10a, and a free end of each leaf spring 10e is a side wall portion. It extends so as to be gradually separated from 10b, and a saw-tooth shaped portion 10f is formed on the outer surface of the free end.

  The object to which the rocker switch is attached is formed with a locking portion in which the saw-tooth shaped portion 10f is locked in a recess that accommodates the rocker switch. When the rocker switch is pushed into the recess, the leaf spring 10e is elastically deformed, and the saw-tooth shaped portion 10f is elastically locked to the locking portion of the recess.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, a contact terminal 11 and a common terminal 12 are provided through the bottom 10 a of the housing 10. Each terminal 11 and 12 includes a pair of caulking projections 11a and 12a, and each pair of caulking projections 11a and 12a is disposed on both sides of the central raised portion 10c so as to be separated from each other. Each of the terminals 11 and 12 can be made of a suitable metal material. In this embodiment, the contact terminal 11 is made of copper, and the common terminal 12 is made of brass.

  Referring to FIG. 5, the fixed contact 11 c is fixed on the end portion 11 b in the housing of the contact terminal 11 in an electrically connected state.

  Further, the end of the common terminal 12 that protrudes upward in the figure has an end face that is bifurcated, and FIG. 5 shows one of the left and right protruding edges 12b. The central portion of the fork is a flat portion, and a movable section 20a described later performs a seesaw motion with this flat portion as a fulcrum.

  A terminal member 13 is provided on the bottom 10 a of the housing 10 along with the contact terminal 11 and the common terminal 12. This member is provided together with the contact terminal 11 and the common terminal 12 at the time of manufacture of the housing in order to widen the selection range of the mounting position of the switch. Depending on the mounting position, this member can be used as the contact terminal. In this case, the terminal function portion is removed because it is not used in the above.

  As shown in FIG. 5, in the vicinity of the square inside the housing 10, there are four columns 10 g (only two of which are visible in FIG. 5) erected on the bottom 10 a with the same length. 10 extends to about the middle of the height dimension inside.

  The top of each column 10g functions as a support for the partition plate 14. That is, the partition plate 14 is placed on the top of the column 10g and accommodated in the internal space of the housing 10, and the internal space of the housing 10 is separated by the partition plate 14 from the first chamber 15 on the opening side and the first chamber 15 on the bottom side. It is divided into two chambers 16.

  The partition plate 14 is formed of a synthetic resin material having an appropriate flexibility, for example, a polyimide resin, and its planar shape substantially matches the cross-sectional shape of the internal space of the housing 10, and the size thereof is the interior of the housing 10. The space is slightly larger than the cross-sectional area of the space, and the peripheral edge is thinned to increase flexibility. By forming the partition plate 14 in this manner, when the partition plate 14 is accommodated inside the housing 10, the partition plate 14 is pressed against the inner wall surface of the housing 10 with the thin peripheral edge slightly turned, and a gap is formed between the two. Eliminated. That is, dust or the like from the first chamber 15 to the second chamber 16 does not enter between the inner wall surface of the housing 10 and the peripheral edge of the partition plate 14.

  An oblong opening 14b that is slightly longer in the plane longitudinal axis direction of the housing 10 is formed at the center of the partition plate 14, and has an edge wall 14c that protrudes into the first chamber 15 along the periphery of the oblong opening 14b.

  A switch button 17 is swingably accommodated in the first chamber 15 of the housing 10. As shown in FIG. 2, on both side walls 10b facing each other in the transverse axis direction of the housing 10, only one of the bearing holes 10h (in FIG. 2, one of the pair of bearing holes 10h is visible at a location close to the housing opening. In these bearing holes 10h, pivot shafts 17a (only one of the pair of pivot shafts 17a can be seen in FIG. 2) formed on the opposite wall of the switch button 17 are rotatably accommodated. The switch button 17 can be formed as a molded product of a suitable synthetic resin material, for example, a polyimide resin.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the switch button 17 has a concave portion 17b on the lower surface, and a hollow cylindrical projecting portion 17c having a base portion fixed at the center of the concave portion 17b is formed to project, and a bore in the hollow projecting portion 17c is formed. 17 d extends to the inside of the main body of the switch button 17. In the bore 17d, an open / close switching rod 19 is accommodated in the bore 17d so as to be movable back and forth with an elastic body, for example, a compression spring 18 inserted therein. The open / close switching rod 19 includes a body portion 19a having a diameter adapted to the inner diameter of the bore 17d, a substantially conical tip portion 19b, and a small-diameter columnar rear end portion 19c. The exposed end surface of the trunk portion 19a forms an annular shoulder 191 at the boundary between the trunk portion 19a and the small-diameter rear end portion 19c of the open / close switching rod 19. The compression coil spring 18 surrounds the small-diameter rear end portion 19c and is provided between the annular shoulder portion 191 and the bottom portion of the bore 17d. The open / close switching rod 19 can be formed of a suitable synthetic resin material having excellent wear resistance, such as melamine phenol resin.

  An open / close switch mechanism 20 is provided in the second chamber 16 of the housing 10. The open / close switch mechanism 20 is mounted on the fixed contact 11 c provided on the end 11 b in the housing of the contact terminal 11 and the end surface of the central flat portion of the bifurcated end projecting into the housing of the common terminal 12. The movable piece 20a that performs a seesaw motion with the flat portion as a fulcrum, and is provided at a position facing the fixed contact 11c at one end of the movable piece 20a. It consists of a movable contact 20b.

  A stopper 20c is provided at the other end of the movable piece 20a to prevent the other end from directly contacting the inner surface of the bottom 10a of the housing.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the open / close switching rod 19 has a substantially conical tip 19b in contact with the upper surface of the movable contact piece 20a and is elastically pressed against the movable contact piece 20a by the compression spring 18. The In FIG. 5, the substantially conical tip 19b of the open / close switching rod 19 is elastically pressed against the movable contact piece 20a at the left side in the figure of the fulcrum (the central flat portion of the bifurcated end of the common terminal 12). The movable contact 20b on the left side of the movable contact piece 20a in contact with the fixed contact 11b is electrically connected between the contact terminal 11 and the common terminal 12, and the circuit is closed.

  In FIG. 5, when the left side of the switch button 17 in the drawing is pressed against the force of the compression spring 18, the substantially conical tip 19b of the opening / closing switching rod 19 is in contact with the movable contact piece 20a. It moves over the fulcrum while sliding on the piece 20a. Then, the movable contact piece 20a rotates clockwise, and the substantially conical tip 19b of the open / close switching rod 19 is elastically pressed against the movable contact piece 20a at a position on the right side of the fulcrum.

  In this state, the movable contact 20b of the movable contact piece 20a is separated from the fixed contact 11b of the contact terminal 11, so that the contact terminal 11 and the common terminal 12 are electrically disconnected and the circuit is opened. .

  In short, in the present embodiment, the open / close switch mechanism 20 has the movable contact piece 20a, the movable contact 20b provided at one end thereof, and the common terminal 12 that provides a fulcrum for the seesaw motion to the movable contact piece 20a. The open / close switching rod 19 is operated by the switch button 17 as described above in the circuit open / close operation by the open / close switch mechanism 20. Is done.

  The present invention is characterized by a dust-proof plate 21 provided so as to surround the periphery of the hollow protrusion 17c on the lower surface of the switch button 17. The dustproof plate 21 is slidably mounted on the top surface of the edge wall 14c formed so as to protrude upward in the drawing along the periphery of the oval opening 14b of the partition plate 14. Moreover, the dustproof plate 21 is elastically biased against the top surface of the edge wall 14c by an elastic body, for example, a compression spring 22, provided between the recess 17b on the lower surface of the switch button 17 and the dustproof plate 21. Thus, the annular gap existing between the opening 14b and the periphery of the hollow protrusion 17c is closed by the dust-proof plate 21, and dust or the like from the first chamber 15 to the second chamber 16 through the gap. Intrusion is blocked.

  As a modification, it is possible to place the dustproof plate 21 directly on the partition plate 14 without providing the edge wall 14 c around the oval opening 14 b of the partition plate 14. However, since the edge wall 14c is provided around the oval opening 14b as described above, the dustproof plate 21 and the partition are compared with the case where the dustproof plate 21 is directly placed on the partition plate 14. The contact resistance with the plate 14 can be reduced, and the pressing force of the elastic plate against the partition plate 14 of the dust-proof plate 21 can be increased to obtain a reliable seal of the opening 14b.

  The dustproof plate 21 has an opening through which the hollow protrusion 17c is inserted. The inner diameter of this opening prevents the intrusion of dust and the like into the second chamber 16, and the tilt of the hollow protrusion 17c in the opening is prevented. Some space is provided to allow. However, this space margin does not allow entry of dust or the like because the installation position of the dustproof plate 21 is substantially located in the recess 17b on the lower surface of the switch button 17. The thickness of the dustproof plate 21 is sufficiently thin so that the hollow projection 17c can move smoothly together with the dustproof plate 21 when the switch button 17 is operated.

  Preferably, the dustproof plate 21 is made of a metal material having excellent wear resistance, such as phosphor bronze.

  As described above, the opening surrounded by the edge wall 14c of the partition plate 14 can be effectively blocked by the thin dustproof plate 21, so that the entire housing 10 is not bulky, and the opening / closing switch mechanism 20 is not bulky. It is possible to reduce the size of the housing while effectively taking measures against dust.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made.

  For example, various configurations of the configuration of the open / close switch mechanism 20 are conceivable, and the present invention is not limited to the specific examples described above.

  As a modification of the embodiment described above, the dustproof plate 21 may be formed of phosphor bronze, and at the same time, the outer periphery of the cylindrical protrusion 17c may be covered with a phosphor bronze collar.

10: Housing 10a: Bottom 10a
10b: side wall 11: contact terminal 11c: fixed contact 12: common terminal 14: partition plate 14b: oval opening 14c: edge wall 15: first chamber 16: second chamber 17: switch button 17b: recess on the lower surface of the switch button 17c: hollow protrusion 18: compression spring 19: circuit open / close switching rod 20: open / close switch mechanism 20a: movable contact piece 20b: movable contact 20c: stopper 21: dustproof plate 22: compression spring

Claims (7)

A bottomed housing with one end open;
A partition plate having a central opening that divides the interior of the housing into a first chamber on the open end side and a second chamber on the bottom side;
A switch button housed in a swingable manner in the first chamber;
An open / close switch mechanism housed in the second chamber, a fixed contact provided at an inner end of the contact terminal, a movable contact piece capable of seesaw movement with the inner end of the common terminal as a fulcrum, and the fixed An open / close switch mechanism having a movable contact provided on the movable contact piece so as to be detachable from the contact;
The base is fixed to the lower surface side of the switch button, and is a hollow projecting portion extending into the second chamber through the opening of the partition plate, and the tip is pressed against the movable contact piece of the opening / closing switch mechanism. A hollow protrusion containing the open / close switching rod,
It has an opening through which the hollow protrusion is inserted, is placed on the partition plate so as to surround the hollow protrusion, and closes a gap between the periphery of the hollow protrusion and the opening of the partition plate A rocker switch characterized by comprising a dustproof plate.   2. The rocker switch according to claim 1, wherein an elastic body that elastically biases the dust-proof plate against the partition plate is provided between a lower surface of the switch button and the dust-proof plate.   The opening of the partition plate has an edge wall protruding into the first chamber along a peripheral edge, and the dustproof plate is placed on a top surface of the edge wall. The rocker switch according to 1 or 2.   The rocker switch according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the dustproof plate is formed of a material having excellent wear resistance and durability.   The rocker switch according to claim 4, wherein the dustproof plate is made of phosphor bronze.   The partition plate has a planar shape substantially matching the transverse cross-sectional shape inside the housing, and its size is slightly larger than the cross-sectional area inside the housing, and the periphery is thin and highly flexible. The rocker switch according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The rocker switch according to claim 6, wherein the partition plate is formed of a synthetic resin material having appropriate flexibility.

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