JPH0363167B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention])...Prior art and its problems Recently, an extremely large number of various microswitches and the switch of the present invention are used in parts of computers, electronic audio equipment, and other various electrical equipment that require switch operation. Similar leaf switches are in use, and the number of leaf switches in use is expected to increase dramatically in the future.

Currently, various types of microswitches have a structure in which various contact mechanisms are enclosed in a case made of plastic or the like, and are highly dust-proof.However, the switch mechanism is enclosed in an extremely small case and is operated from outside the case. Due to this necessity, the structure was complicated, and as a result, it had the disadvantage of being brittle and lacking in durability, and it was also expensive.

In this respect, leaf switches have a simple switch mechanism consisting of spring pieces with contacts and are exposed, so they are more durable and functional than micro switches, and are much cheaper. However, on the other hand, since the contact area is exposed, dust tends to adhere to this area, and since voltage is applied by the contact opening/closing action, this causes dust collection, and even more so, the contact area is exposed. This promotes the adhesion of dust, resulting in problems such as poor contact and resistance due to poor conductivity, which is becoming a drawback especially in the contact action of weak currents in modern computers.

)...Object of the present invention The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and includes the main parts of the contact mechanism of the leaf switch, namely:
Most of the contact spring piece, including the contact part, which is installed almost parallel to the insulating base, is covered with a sealed cover, even though the contact can be opened and closed from the outside. A leaf switch with a sealed cover has been developed which is characterized by having a dust-proofing effect on the contact part and also allowing the switch operation (opening/closing operation of the contact) to be performed without any trouble as in the conventional case.

)...Configuration (1)...That is, the present invention provides a leaf switch in which a plurality of contact spring pieces are embedded substantially in parallel in an insulating base,
A sealed cover that covers the contact spring piece (excluding the terminal part) is attached to the sleeve. It is formed into a rectangular box shape consisting of a box-shaped cover body and a lid plate that seals the side opening, and the contact spring piece is inserted into the space of the cover body from the side opening, and the tip of the movable contact spring piece is inserted into the space. This is a leaf switch with a sealed cover, which is constructed by fitting a sealed cover onto the leaf switch by appropriately connecting the leaf switch to the surrounding area and then closing the cover plate to seal the side opening.

)...Embodiment (1)...Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to the drawings (Figs. 1 to 6).Insulating base 1 made of plastic
A leaf switch A has contact spring pieces 2a and 2b buried approximately parallel to each other (for example, by insert molding of plastic), and a terminal protruding from one side of the insulating base 1 (a terminal protruding from the other side). It is constructed by fitting a rectangular box-shaped sealed cover B made of an insulating material (for example, a plastic molded product) to cover the contact spring pieces 2a and 2b including the contacts 5a and 5b (excluding the outer part). be.

The illustrated leaf switch A is a so-called normally closed type, that is, the contacts 5a and 5b are normally closed.
is closed (in contact), and the movable contact spring piece 2a
This is a type of switch in which the contacts 5a and 5b are separated by pressing P.

The sealed cover B includes a box-shaped cover body 3 with side and rear openings having a space C that substantially corresponds to the covered portion of the contact spring pieces 2a and 2b, and a lid plate 3' that seals the side opening 6. A separator protrusion 8 is provided protruding near the rear opening 7 of the cover main body 3, and an engaging pawl of the movable contact spring piece 2a is provided near the upper end of the space C. A recessed groove 11 or a fitting recess 12 is provided in which the tip of the cover 9 or the insulating presser 10 embedded in the tip is fitted. An engaging protrusion 1 that is integrally molded in a hinged manner on a side edge and has an engaging piece 13 provided on the other end on the cover body 3 side.
4 (Figs. 1, 2, and 3), or by engaging the engaging feet 15 of the separate cover plate 3' with the engaging protrusions 14 provided appropriately on the cover body 3 side. The entire surface of the space C of the main body 3 is covered in a sealed state, and the contact spring pieces 2a and 2b are inserted into the space C of the sealed cover B from the side opening 6, and the tip of the movable contact spring piece 2a is inserted. The engaging claw 9 or the pusher 10 of the
and the separator protrusion 8 is positioned between the bases 4 of both contact spring pieces 2a and 2b and fitted,
The engaging piece 13 or the engaging leg 15 of the cover plate 3' is engaged with the engaging protrusion 14 and bonded, and the sealed cover B is attached to the contact spring pieces 2a and 2b of the leaf switch A. This constitutes a leaf switch with a sealed cover according to the present invention.

(2)...The leaf switch A of the seventh and eighth illustrated embodiments is a combination of a normally open type and a normally closed type, and has three contact spring pieces 2a, 2b,
2c, switch A in Figure 7.
By pressing P on the contact spring piece 2a on the movable side, the spring piece 2a is bent, and the arcuate spring 16 pushed by this action is reversed and the contact spring piece 2b is bent in the direction of the contact spring piece 2a. The contact point 5b is
It separates (opens) from the contact 5c of the fixed side contact spring piece 2c that had been in contact (closed) until then and contacts (closes) the contact 5a of the contact spring piece 2a, and the switch A in FIG. By pressing the contact spring piece 2a, the spring piece is bent and its contact 5a contacts the contact 5b of the contact spring piece 2b, and at the same time, the contact spring piece 2 is pushed by the presser 10.
The contact points 5b and 5c are separated by bending of the leaf switch A, and the leaf switch A is equipped with a sealed cover B having almost the same structure as the leaf switch A shown in the first diagram. The rest is almost the same as the first illustrated embodiment, and has the same functions and effects.

)...Function, effect (1)...With the above configuration, the contact spring pieces 2a, 2b are covered by the cover body 3 of the sealed cover B and the cover plate 3' that covers the side opening thereof, and also,
Since the rear opening 7 of the space C is closed by the separator protrusion 8, it is covered in a hermetically sealed state, and there is an effect of effectively preventing dust from entering into the space C.

(2)...Thus, when the sealed cover B is pressed from the outside in the above configuration state, the movable contact spring piece 2a connected to the sealed cover B at the tip works together with the cover B. When the contacts 5a and 5b that were in contact with each other are separated and opened, and the pressure P is released, the sealed cover B and the contact spring piece 2 are bent.
a returns to its original state, contacts 2a and 2b close, and the switch can be opened and closed very accurately without any problems.

(3) As described above, the sealed leaf switch with cover of the present invention seals the leaf switch, especially the contact spring piece (excluding the terminal part), which was previously completely exposed. This effectively prevents the harmful effects of dust contamination, especially on the contact points, and allows the switch to function completely in the same way as conventional switches, offering excellent durability and cost savings compared to conventional switches. By adding the sealing and dust-proof performance of a micro switch to the leaf switch, which has the advantage of being inexpensive, there are many benefits that make it possible to construct an extremely excellent leaf switch.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings are examples of the present invention and are approximately 3-5cm
Figure 1 is a front view of the switch of the present invention, which is constructed by fitting a sealed cover onto a normally closed leaf switch, with the cover plate of the sealed cover open; Figure 2 is a partially cutaway bottom view with the lid closed, Figure 3 is a front view of the sealed cover with the lid open, Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD, and Figure 5.
The figure is a cross-sectional view of an example using a separate cover plate, and Figure 6 is a partial front view of a normally closed leaf switch with an engaging pawl formed at the tip of the contact spring piece and a sealed cover attached. , FIG. 7, and FIG. 8 are front views of a leaf switch of a type that combines an open type and a closed type with a sealed cover attached. Symbol, A...Leaf switch, B...Sealed cover, C...Space, P...Pushing force, 1...Insulating base, 2
a, 2b...Contact spring piece, 3...Cover body, 3'...
Lid plate, 4... Base, 5a, 5b... Contacts, 6... Side opening, 7... Rear opening, 8... Separator protrusion,
9... Engaging claw, 10... Presser, 11... Groove with recess, 1
2...Engagement recess, 13...Engagement claw, 14...Engagement protrusion,
15... Engagement foot, 16... Arcuate spring.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A leaf switch in which a plurality of contact spring pieces are embedded substantially parallel to each other in an insulating base, and a sealed cover that covers the contact spring pieces (excluding the terminal portion) is fitted over the leaf switch. The sealed cover has a rectangular box shape consisting of a box-shaped cover body with side and rear openings and a lid body that seals the side openings and has a space inside that corresponds approximately to the area to be covered by the contact spring piece. The contact spring piece is inserted into the space of the cover body from the side opening, and the tip of the movable contact spring piece is connected near the tip of the space, and then the leaf is sealed by covering the cover plate and sealing the side opening. A leaf switch with a sealed cover is constructed by fitting a sealed cover onto the switch. 2. In the leaf switch with a sealed cover as set forth in claim 1, a separator protrusion is provided protruding near the rear opening of the sealed cover, and a movable contact spring piece is engaged near the upper end of the space. A groove with a recess or a fitting recess is formed to fit the tip with a mating claw or a presser embedded in the tip, and the cover plate is integrally molded in a hinged manner on one side edge of the cover body. The side opening of the sealed cover is formed so as to cover the side opening of the cover body by engaging the engaging piece provided at the other end with the engaging protrusion provided on the cover body side. The contact spring pieces were inserted into the space from the contact spring pieces, the engaging pawls or pressers were fitted into the recessed grooves or the fitting recesses, and the separator protrusions were positioned between the bases of both contact spring pieces to fit into the mantle. Later, a leaf switch with a sealed cover was constructed by engaging the engaging piece of the cover plate with the engaging protrusion and sealing the side opening. 3. In the leaf switch with a sealed cover as set forth in claim 1, a separator protrusion is provided protruding near the rear opening of the sealed cover, and a movable contact spring piece is provided near the upper end of the space. A groove with a recess or a fitting recess is formed to fit the tip with an engagement claw or the presser embedded in the tip, and the cover plate has the engagement foot of the separate cover plate on the side of the cover body. A contact spring piece is formed to engage with an engaging protrusion provided in the cover body to cover a side opening of the cover body, and a contact spring piece is inserted into the space from the side opening of the sealed cover to form an engaging claw or a contact spring piece. Fit the presser into the groove with the recess or the fitting recess, position the separator protrusion between the bases of both contact spring pieces, and then engage the engagement foot of the cover plate with the engagement protrusion. A leaf switch with a sealed cover that has a side opening with a sealed lid.