JPS608356Y2 - Ball-and-socket type multi-directional operation switch - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] This invention relates to a ball-and-socket type multi-directional operating switch, and has a particularly important feature in that the switch can be operated by a non-rotating operating lever.

A conventional ball-and-socket type multi-directional operation switch generally has a structure in which an operation lever rotates around an axis.

Therefore, this conventional switch has a drawback in that a display plate indicating the operating direction of the operating lever cannot be fixed to the knob on the upper part of the lever.

In such a switch that can be operated in many directions, the display board is important not only to make the lever easier to operate, but also to prevent incorrect installation direction and wiring errors.

In addition, in the above-mentioned conventional switch in which the operation lever rotates around the axis, the fixed contact piece must be constructed as a band-shaped ring for the plurality of movable contact pieces provided on the spherical shaft, and each of the above-mentioned contact pieces is made of silver-copper alloy. The disadvantage was that it was economically expensive to construct.

Therefore, the present invention proposes a ball-and-socket type multi-directional operation switch that solves the above-mentioned drawbacks by making the operating lever non-rotatable, increases the current interrupting capacity, and is easy to produce.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be explained along with the drawings to further clarify the content of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a switch according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view of the switch.

In these figures, 1 is an operating lever, and 2 is a knob fixed to the tip of the lever 1.

Reference numeral 3 indicates a display plate fixed to the upper surface of the knob 2, on which predetermined information such as the operating direction of the operating lever 1 is displayed.

4 is a conductive bracket screwed to the switch with a ring nut 5.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of the main part of the switch, and the upper part 6 of the figure shows a conductive spherical bearing with an almost hemispherical inner surface, and this bearing has a conductive spherical shaft part 7. It has interior decoration.

The spherical shaft portion 7 has an approximately hemispherical outer shape, and the operating lever 1 protruding from the curved top portion of the shaft portion 7 is provided in a direction perpendicular to the flat portion 7a.

Also, on an imaginary line along the spherical surface connecting two symmetrical points on the periphery of the flat portion 7a and the top of the curved surface, there is a protrusion perpendicular to the operating lever 1. by7c is provided, and these protrusions 7b, 7c are inserted into grooves 6b, 6c formed on the inner surface of the spherical bearing 6.

Note that the grooves 6b*6c are formed on the inner surface of the bearing 6 facing the imaginary line.

Further, the spherical shaft part 7 is provided with an integrally formed inner cylinder 7d, and this inner cylinder 7d is formed with an engagement R1e cut out from the flat part 7a side, and a spring implanted in the operating lever 1 is formed on the inner cylinder 7d. The pin 8 is fitted into this engagement groove 7e.

Further, the flat part 7a of the spherical shaft part 7 has four electrical contact pieces 9ag, 9bv, 9c*9, as shown in FIG.
d is fixed.

On the other hand, an electrically insulating fixed base 11 in which a blind hole 10 is formed
is screwed to the spherical shaft 6 at its collar.

A coil spring 12 and a steel ball 13 are installed in the blind hole 10 of the base 11, and the steel ball 13, which receives a protruding force from the hole opening, is an operating lever that slightly protrudes from the center of the shaft flat portion 7a. The base of 1 is pressed.

A dish-shaped receiving groove 1a is formed at the base of the operating lever 1, and this is pressed by the steel ball 13.
The spherical shaft portion 7 is pushed to the right in FIG. 3 via the operating lever 1.

Further, the fixed base 11 has a fixed side electrical contact piece 14at1 corresponding to the electrical contact pieces 9a to 9d provided on the spherical shaft portion 7.
4bt14c, 14d are arranged as clearly shown in FIG.

These electrical contact pieces 14a to 14d are pressed in the upper right direction in FIG. protrudes from the fixed base 11.

In addition, 16a and 16c in Fig. 3 are coil springs 1.
5, and the electrical contacts 14b and 14d are also provided with similar terminals.

A cord 17 for connecting to other electrical equipment is fixed to each of these terminals.

Reference numeral 6a denotes a through hole provided in the spherical bearing 6, and the through hole 6a has a size that does not interfere with the tilting operation of the operating lever 1 extending through the through hole 6a.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the main parts of the switch, and the same parts as in FIGS. 1 to 3 are designated by the same reference numerals.

However, the screws 18 in the figure pass through the small holes 19 of the fixed base 11 and are screwed into the screw holes 20 of the spherical bearing 6 to connect the fixed base 11 and the spherical bearing 6.

In the switch configured as described above, in the normal state when the operation lever 1 is not operated, the center of the flat part of the spherical shaft part 7 is pressed by the steel ball 13, so the shaft part 7 is in the state shown in FIG. The operating lever 1 is held upright, and therefore the contact pieces on the movable side and the fixed side are open.

When the operating lever 1 is pressed upward as viewed from FIG. 1, the spherical shaft portion 7 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 3, so that at this time the electrical contacts 9a and 14a come into contact , the terminal 16a, the electrical contact piece 14aw9a, the spherical shaft portion 7, the spherical bearing 6, and the bracket 4 form a current path.

During this operation, the protrusion 7b, ? c slides in the strips i6b and 6c, and the base of the operating lever 1 rotates counterclockwise, which acts to pull the steel ball 13 out of the receiving groove 1a, so that the pole 13 is connected to the coil. It is pushed back slightly against the expansion force of the spring 12.

When the suppressing force on the operating lever 1 is released, the steel ball 13 acts to enter the receiver ila again, so the operating lever 1 is automatically restored to the upright state, and the spherical shaft 7 is restored to the state shown in FIG. 3, and each contact piece on the movable side and the fixed side is released.

When the operating lever 1 is pressed downward as viewed from FIG. 1, the movable side contact piece 9c and the fixed side contact piece 14c come into contact to form a current path, but the operation is the same as described above.

Next, when the operating lever 1 is operated to the left in FIG. 1, the spherical shaft portion 7 rotates clockwise in FIG. 3 using the protrusions 7b and 7c as rotation axes. 9b and the fixed side contact piece 14b contact, and the terminal 16b1 electrical contact piece 14
b, 9b, the spherical shaft portion 7, the spherical bearing 6, and the bracket 4 form a current path.

Even during this operation, the steel ball 13 acts to be pushed back slightly by the base of the operating lever 1.
When the pressing force of the operating lever 1 is released, the steel ball 13 enters the receiver i1a again, so that the operating lever 1 and the spherical shaft portion 7 are automatically restored to the states shown in FIGS. 1 and 3.

When the operating lever 1 is pressed in the upper right direction in FIG. 1, the movable side contact piece 9d and the fixed side contact piece 14d come into contact to form a current path, but the operation is the same as described above. .

In the above embodiment, four contact pieces were provided on the movable side and the fixed side, but the number of these contact pieces can be arbitrarily determined depending on the purpose of use of the switch, etc. Further, the spherical shaft portion 7 does not necessarily need to be thinned out as in the above embodiment.

Furthermore, two fixed side contact pieces are provided which are short-circuited by one movable side contact piece, or conversely, two movable side pieces are short-circuited by one fixed side contact piece. The switch operation may be performed between the fixed side contact pieces or between the two movable side contact pieces.
These positions may be reversed, and the grooves 6b and 6c may be provided on the spherical shaft portion 7 and the protrusions 7b and 7c may be provided on the spherical bearing 6. Furthermore, it is also possible to provide one groove and one protrusion. Effects similar to those described above can be obtained.

As described above, according to the multi-directional operation switch according to the present invention, since the operation lever does not rotate around the axis, a display plate indicating the operation direction etc. can be fixed to the knob at the tip of the lever. It is possible to prevent erroneous operation of the switch, and it is also possible to prevent incorrect installation direction of the switch and wiring mistakes.

Further, according to the present invention, since the spherical shaft part does not rotate in a direction parallel to the flat part thereof, it is possible to specify the arrangement of the fixed side electrical contact piece with respect to the movable side electrical contact piece, and therefore, Since the electrical contact pieces on the fixed side can be dispersed as appropriate without forming them into a ring shape, the amount of expensive silver-copper alloy used can be reduced.

Furthermore, the multi-directional operation switch according to the present invention is configured such that the spherical bearing and the spherical shaft are conductive so that a current path is formed between the movable electrical contact piece, the spherical shaft, and the spherical bearing. With this configuration, it is possible to connect the body to earth, and the switch can be operated by one-to-one contact of the electrical contacts, so the number of parts is small and the configuration is simple.

In addition, since the spherical bearing is constructed separately from the electrically insulating fixed base, the spherical bearing can be fixed to the fixed base after each component has been assembled, which simplifies production work. .

Furthermore, since the movable electrical contact piece and the fixed electrical contact piece are simply arranged to face each other, the contact contact surface and the contact pressure can be sufficiently increased, and the current interrupting capacity can be increased.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show one embodiment of the switch according to the present invention. Fig. 1 is a front view of the switch, Fig. 2 is a side view of the switch, and Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal section showing the main parts of the switch. 4 are exploded perspective views showing the main parts of the switch. 1... Operation lever 2... Knob, 3.
... Display board, 6 ... Spherical bearing, 6b, 6
c... Groove, 7... Spherical shaft portion, 7a.
...Flat portion, 7b, 7c...Curved protrusion, 9a to 9d
...Electrical contact piece, 11...Fixed base,
13...Steel balls, 14a-14d...
...Electrical contact piece.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A conductive spherical bearing has a substantially hemispherical conductive spherical shaft inside, and is located on an imaginary line of the curved surface of the shaft connecting a part of the circular edge of the flat part of this shaft and the curved top, or on this imaginary line. A groove is formed on one of the inner surfaces of the bearing facing the inner surface of the bearing, and a protrusion that projects into the groove is provided on the other of the bearing surfaces parallel to the flat surface of the shaft, and further perpendicular to the flat surface of the shaft. In order to ensure that the operating lever provided on the shaft extends out from the through hole of the spherical bearing, an electrical contact piece forming the movable side is fixed to the flat surface of the shaft, while an electrically insulating material is fixed to the spherical shaft. The fixed base includes a supporting member that presses the center of the flat part of the shaft part and rotatably supports the shaft part with the inner surface of the bearing, and a fixed member that faces the movable side contact piece and applies a protruding force by a spring. A ball-and-socket type multi-directional operation switch with an electrical contact piece on the side.