JPS6328812Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention relates to an improved illuminated pushbutton switch, and in particular, the present invention relates to an improved illuminated push button switch, and in particular, to ensure a reliable connection between a light emitter having a pin terminal built into the switch housing and a socket into which the pin terminal is inserted. , to prevent the pin terminal of the light emitter from lifting or coming out of the socket due to switch operation or vibration or shock from the equipment, resulting in poor lighting, and also to prevent the push button from being in its normal position and the pressed position. The present invention relates to an illuminated push button switch which maintains a constant distance between the illumination surface of the illuminated switch and the light emitting surface of the light emitter, thereby enabling stable illumination without optical attenuation.

Conventionally, lighted switches have been known that use a lamp with a screw fitting as the light emitter for illumination, or a lamp that is lit by passing current through the surrounding metal plate and the protrusion on the bottom. There is. The former type of switch has the disadvantage that the screw part loosens due to vibration, resulting in poor contact and the lamp does not light up. Although a C-shaped lamp socket made of an elastic plate is used, it has the disadvantage that the lamp is easily detached from the socket when subjected to vibration or impact.

In addition, in these conventional illuminated switches,
The lighting unit including the light emitter is fixed inside the switch housing so that it does not move, and therefore the distance between the light emitting surface of the switch and the light emitting surface of the light emitter varies between the normal position and the pressed position of the push button. The disadvantage was that light attenuation occurred and stable illumination could not be expected.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide an illuminated push button switch that overcomes the above-mentioned drawbacks, and uses a light-emitting body having a pin terminal, and a socket for the pin terminal into which the pin terminal is inserted. The connection is ensured, and the pin terminal of the light emitting body is properly prevented from rising or falling out of the socket due to switch operation or equipment vibration or impact, resulting in poor lighting. By making the illumination unit, which consists of a light emitter and a socket, movable rather than fixed inside the switch housing, the distance between the light emitting surface of the switch and the light emitting surface of the light emitter is always kept constant regardless of the position of the push button, which reduces light attenuation. To provide an illuminated push button switch which makes it possible to obtain a stable illumination state.

The present invention provides an illuminated push button switch that includes an illumination unit and a switch means in a housing, and in which the switch means is interlocked by operating an operating shaft slidably attached to the housing;
A lighting unit is composed of a light emitting body equipped with a pin terminal and a pin terminal socket into which the pin terminal is inserted, and a conductive extension spring is installed between the lighting unit and the lamp terminal to connect them both with electricity. and a locking portion for locking the light emitting body is provided on the operating shaft, so that the illumination unit is elastically held between the locking portion of the operating shaft and the conductive extension spring. 2. An illuminated push button switch, characterized in that the illumination unit is configured to move within the housing along a guide in conjunction with the operation of the operating shaft.

In the embodiment, the operating shaft includes a push button, a converter into which the push button is fitted, and a support frame which is attached to the converter and has a through hole as a locking part for locking the light emitting body. However, this is done in consideration of convenience in manufacturing and assembly, and does not include the possibility of using an integrally molded operating shaft.

As the locking part for the light emitting body provided on the operation shaft, there are two methods: a through hole as shown in the embodiment, a locking piece protruding from the operation shaft to lock the light emitting body, etc. The light emitting body may be configured to be locked in a predetermined position and prevented from coming off.

The guide for the illumination unit consisting of the light emitting body and the socket to move within the housing in conjunction with the operation of the operating shaft can be formed as a rising piece on the substrate of the switch means, in addition to being provided in the housing as in the embodiment. You may do so. In any case, a guide is formed by a groove, protrusion, etc. so that the illumination unit can move smoothly within the housing.

In the present invention, it goes without saying that other known mechanisms may be employed as the switch means and the mechanism for interlocking the operating shaft with the switch means, in addition to those shown in the embodiments.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained along with a preferred embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a partially cut away schematic cross-sectional view showing the main parts of an illuminated push button switch constructed according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged central sectional view thereof, and FIG.
The figure is an exploded perspective view of the main components. In these figures, reference numeral 1 indicates a housing of the switch, and the housing 1 has an open end face 1a and a flat part 1 provided approximately in the center.
b partitions the space into a space in which the operating shaft 3 slides up and down and a space in which the switch means 2 is housed. Inside the housing 1 from the direction of the open end surface 1a of the housing 1, there are a push button 6, a converter 4, and a support frame 5.
An operating shaft 3 composed of the above is inserted and is slidably arranged. On the other hand, the base end 1c of the housing 1
A switch base 2A having a switch means 2, which will be described later, is mounted on the switch base 2A. The housing 1 and the switch base 2A have a plurality of recesses 1d, 1d... formed in the base end 1c of the housing 1, and a plurality of engaging recesses 1d, 1d... formed in the side faces 2a, 2a of the switch base 2A. It is fitted by engaging the protrusions 2b, 2b, . . . .

Now, to first explain the switch means 2 used in this embodiment, on the switch base 2A are the NC fixing piece 20 that constitutes the switch means 2, and the NO.
A fixed piece 21 and a supporting piece 22 having a pair of rising portions 22a, 22a are respectively provided.
The NC fixing piece 20 and the NO fixing piece 21 serve as an NC contact terminal 23 and an NO contact terminal 24, respectively, which penetrate the bottom wall of the switch base 2A, and the support piece 22 serves as a It also serves as a common terminal 25 passing through the bottom wall.
Notches 26a, 26b (shown in the first figure) are formed on both sides of each rising portion 22a, 22a of this support piece 22, and a side end 27b of a movable contact piece 27 having a movable contact 27a is formed in the notch 26a. Side ends 29a of actuating pieces 29, which are operated by vertical movement of an operating plate 28, which will be described later, are respectively engaged with the notches 26b. One end of the tension spring 30 is locked to the movable contact piece 27, and the other end is locked to the actuation piece 29, thereby imparting reversibility to the movable contact piece 27 and the actuation piece 29. In this embodiment, an operation panel designated by the reference numeral 28 functions to transmit the operation of the push button 6 to the switch means 2.
That is, the operation plate 28 is mounted so as to be slidable in the vertical direction along the inner wall surface 1e of the housing 1, and is attached to a downward step portion 28a formed at the inner upper end thereof. Engaging the engaging claw 4b of the converter 4, the inner wall surface 1 of the housing 1
By coming into contact with the downward step part 1f formed at e, it is prevented from coming off upward. A heart cam 31 is formed on one surface of the operation plate 28 facing the inner wall surface 1e of the housing 1, and the heart cam 31 has a bent portion 3 at one end.
The free end 32 of the pin 32 is locked in the side hole 2c formed in the side surface 2a of the switch base 2A.
b are slidably engaged. In this way,
As described above, the movable contact piece 27 and the actuating piece 29 are configured to be reversible using the notches 26a and 26b provided in the support piece 22 as fulcrums, and are reversible up and down according to the snap action principle. The NC contact 20a and the NO contact 21a are opened and closed. In this case, when the lower end surfaces 28c, 28c of the horizontal parts 28b, 28b extending on the operation plate 28 collide with the actuating piece 29 and a downward pressing force begins to be applied, the movable contact 27a becomes the NC contact 20a. When they are in contact and a sufficient pressing force is applied to the actuating piece 29, the movable contact piece 27 turns around the fulcrum to the NO contact 21a side, and the switch is activated.
The NC contact 20a is switched to the NO contact 21a.
In any case, the operation of abutting against the end surface of the actuating piece 29 is based on the moment generated by the positional relationship between the fulcrums of the movable contact piece 27 and the actuating piece 29 and the spring 30 mounted between them. Board 28
An upward force is always acting on the horizontal portions 28b, 28b.

Further, a lamp terminal 9 for a light emitting body is provided at the center of the switch base 2A, and is provided through the bottom wall of the switch base 2A.

Now, the operating shaft 3 has a converter 4 for opening and closing the switch means 2, and is molded separately from the converter 4, and is attached to the converter 4 and locks the light emitting body 7 by inserting it from below. It consists of a support frame 5 having a through hole 3a therein, and a push button 6 fitted into the support frame 5. Among these, converter 4 has
As described above, two left and right engaging claw pieces 4b, 4b having elasticity hanging from the lower end surface 4a are formed, and one of the engaging claw pieces 4b is connected to the downward step portion of the operation plate 28 as described above. 28a, and the other engaging claw piece 4b is elastically engaged with the downward stepped portion 33a of the sliding plate 33, as shown in the second figure. Therefore, the operation plate 28 is connected to the inner wall surface 1 of the housing 1.
It is guided not only by the switch base 2A but also by the side surfaces 2e, 2e of the pair of upright pieces 2d, 2d that stand up from the switch base 2A, and slides smoothly up and down. Then, the free end 32b of the hook pin 32, whose one end bent portion 32a is attached to the side hole 2c of the switch base 2A, slides within the heart cam 31 provided on the operation plate 28, and It is designed to lock the vertical movement. on the other hand,
An extension spring 33b is mounted between the sliding plate 33 and the switch base 2A, and the sliding plate 33 is adapted to slide along a guide provided in the housing 1.

The push button 6, which constitutes a part of the operation shaft 3, has a groove 4c provided in the converter 4, and a groove 4c provided in the converter 4. 4c... is attached to the converter 4 by being elastically fitted. And push button 6
This push button 6 passes through a lens 11 disposed inside the
The light is effectively emitted upward from the light emitting body 7, for example from the upper surface.

The light-emitting body designated by reference numeral 7 has a light-emitting portion 7a protruding from the upper end surface 5a of the support frame 5, and an annular portion 7c having a stepped portion 7b made of an insulator, which is formed in the support frame 5 through the annular portion 7c. By fitting into the hole 3a, it is locked to the support frame 5, and the light emitting body 7
Two pin terminals 7d, 7d are housed in the housing 1 so as to protrude from the lower end surface of the support frame 5. The light emitting body 7 may be a light emitting diode, a miniature light bulb having a filament, a neon bulb, or the like, as long as it has a pin terminal.

Below the light emitter 7, as shown in FIG. 2, it is inserted and guided into a cylindrical portion 1g that is a movement guide for the illumination unit formed in the housing 1, and is urged upward by a conductive extension spring 10, which will be described later. A socket 8 is provided (see FIG. 4). In the longitudinal direction of this socket 8, there is a pair of through holes 8 into which the two pin terminals 7d, 7d of the light emitting body 7 are inserted and held.
a, 8a are provided, and furthermore, downward step portions 8b, 8b which are pressed against the upper end portion of the spring 10 are formed in each of the through holes 8a, 8a. This socket 8 is made of an insulator, and the stepped portions 8b, 8b in the through holes 8a, 8a, respectively.
A socket fitting 8c is inserted in the vicinity, which comes into contact with the pin terminals 7d, 7d and the spring 10 of the light emitter 7 when the terminals 7d, 7d of the light emitter 7 are inserted from above. As shown in FIG. 2, the lamp terminals 9, 9 for the light emitter, one end of which is located within the housing 1 and the other end of which protrudes outward from the switch base 2A, and this socket 8.
and the stepped portion 8 of which the upper end is the socket 8.
The spring 10 is mounted in such a manner that the lower end portions are in contact with the ends 9a, 9a of the lamp terminals 9, 9, and the light emitting body 7 and the lamp terminal 9 are brought into pressure contact with each other. electrically connected.

In this embodiment, when the push button 6 is pressed, the converter 4, the support frame 5, the light emitter 7 and the socket 8 below the push button 6 can be moved downward simultaneously. In addition, in order to apply a pressing force to the push button 6 to complete the switch switching operation and to prevent the push button 6 from further lowering, for example, the inner wall surface 1 of the housing 1 must be pressed.
A step (not shown) may be formed at e, and a protrusion that contacts the step may be formed on the outer wall of the push button 6, converter 4, etc. that constitute the operation shaft 3, for example, 3b.

Reference numeral 12 denotes holes 12a, 12a... that fit into protrusions 1i, 1i... provided on the outer periphery of the housing 1.
It is an elastic board with The elastic plate 12 and the housing flange 1j are members used to attach the switch to a panel (not shown).

FIG. 5 shows a modification in which two light emitters are provided.

The present invention is constructed as described above and operates as described above. In the present invention, a light emitting body having a plurality of pin terminals and its socket are urged upward by a conductive extension spring, and By locking the light emitting body with the operating shaft that operates the switch means, the lighting unit in the switch housing is elastically clamped from above and below, and the lighting unit is moved into the switch housing in conjunction with the operation of the operating shaft. By making the interior movable, it is possible to accurately prevent the pin terminal of the light emitter from lifting or coming out of the socket due to switch operation or vibration or shock from the device, resulting in poor lighting. It is possible to always maintain a constant distance between the light emitting surface of the switch and the light emitting surface of the light emitter regardless of the position of the light emitting device, and there is a remarkable effect that stable light without optical attenuation can be obtained.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a partially cutaway sectional view showing the main parts of the illuminated push button switch according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is an enlarged central sectional view thereof, Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the main parts of its components, and Fig. 4 The figure is a schematic view of the socket inserted into the cylindrical portion, viewed from the direction of the switch base, and FIG. 5 shows another embodiment in which two light emitters are used.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] An illuminated push button switch comprising an illumination unit and a switch means in a housing, and in which the switch means are interlocked by operating an operating shaft slidably attached to the housing. ; A lighting unit is composed of a light emitting body equipped with a pin terminal and a pin terminal socket into which this pin terminal is inserted, and a conductive extension spring is installed between the lighting unit and the lamp terminal to connect the two. A locking portion for electrically connecting and locking the light emitting body is provided on the operating shaft, so that the illumination unit is elastically sandwiched between the locking portion of the operating shaft and the conductive extension spring. Additionally, an illuminated push button switch characterized in that the illumination unit is configured to move within the housing along a guide in conjunction with the operation of the operation shaft.