NZ743435A - Driving member for push-button switch and push-button switch - Google Patents

Abstract

embodiment of the present invention relates to a driving member (100) for a push-button switch, comprising: a body (101) configured to be adaptable to drive said push-button switch to act; and an elastic reset portion extending from said body (101), said elastic reset portion having elasticity. The driving member (100) according to the present invention integrates a spring member with the driving member. The spring member is for resetting the driving member The number of parts of the push-button switch is thereby reduced and the assembly becomes simpler. The driving member (100) occupies a small height space, which facilitates making the push-button switch thinner. he driving member (100) according to the present invention integrates a spring member with the driving member. The spring member is for resetting the driving member The number of parts of the push-button switch is thereby reduced and the assembly becomes simpler. The driving member (100) occupies a small height space, which facilitates making the push-button switch thinner.

Description

DRIVING MEMBER FOR PUSH-BUTTON SWITCH AND PUSH-BUTTON SWITCH TECHNICAL FIELD Various embodiments of the present invention relate to the field of button switches, and in particular to a driving member in a push-button switch.

BACKGROUND The push-button switch is a typical type of switch that turns on and off one circuit alternately by repeatedly pressing a button, or alternately turns on two circuits.

A current push-button switch causes a conductive bridge driven by a rocker to deflect between two positions to turn on or off a circuit, by pressing a button to drive a driving member and the rocker to deflect about an axis perpendicular to a moving direction of the button. This type of push-button switch requires a sufficient amount of interference between the driving member and one side of the rocker when the button is pressed, so that the driving member is allowed to reliably drive the one side of the rocker to deflect toward one direction, while requiring a sufficient amount of interference between the other side of the rocker and the driving member when the button is released, so that the driving member can drive the rocker from the other side to deflect toward another direction when the button is pressed the next time.

For this reason, the driving member is usually designed as a rotationally movable or slidable member, and a separate spring member is additionally provided. The driving member is displaced by a reaction force of the rocker to the driving member when the driving member drives the rocker to move, to avoid the occurrence of interference between the driving member and the rocker. At the same time, when the driving member no longer drives the rocker, the driving member is reset to an initial position by a separately provided spring member to prepare for the next driving action. The provision of the separate spring member for resetting of the driving member leads to occupancy of a limited space inside the switch, so that the switch’s volume, in particular the height dimension, is larger. In addition, the provision of the separate spring member results in an increase in the number of parts of the switch, which not only increases the manufacturing cost, but also complicates the assembly.

SUMMARY In view of the above reasons, embodiments of the present invention provide a driving member for a push-button switch and the push-button switch, for solving at least a part of the problems existing in the existing push-button switch described above.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a driving member for a push-button switch, comprising: a body configured to be adaptable to drive said push-button switch to act; and an elastic reset portion extending from said body, said elastic reset portion having elasticity.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, said body has a first side and a second side opposite to each other, and a first end and a second end opposite to each other, said first end is located at one end of said first side and said second side, and said second end is located at the other end of said first side and said second side; and there is a driving surface on the first end and the second end of said body, said driving surface for driving an actuating mechanism of said push-button switch to switch between on and off states of said push-button switch. Said driving member is configured so that when said elastic reset portion is fixed, said body is able to linearly move in the connection direction of said first end and said second end from an initial position relative to said elastic reset portion under the action of a force applied onto said driving surface; and when the force applied onto said driving surface is released, said elastic reset portion applies an elastic resetting force to said body to make said body reset to said initial position.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, said elastic reset portion comprises elastic legs extending from the first side and/or the second side of said body, respectively, and said driving member is configured so that when said elastic legs are fixed, said body is able to linearly move in the connection direction of said first end and said second end from an initial position relative to said elastic legs under the action of a force applied onto said driving surface; and when the force applied onto said driving surface is released, said elastic legs apply an elastic resetting force to said body to make said body reset to said initial position.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, middle portions of said first side and/or said second side are recessed toward the center of said body to form recessed areas, or protrude toward a direction away from the center of said body to form protrusion areas, and said elastic legs extend toward the outside of said body from said recessed areas or extend toward the center of said body from said protrusion areas.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, said elastic legs have a bend in a direction perpendicular to a first major surface and a second major surface, and/or said recessed areas or said protrusion areas of said first side and said second side have a bend in a direction perpendicular to said first major surface and said second major surface.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, enlarged end heads are formed at the free ends of said elastic legs, the side surfaces of said end heads having arc-shaped surfaces.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, said first side, said second side, said first end and said second end of said body are interconnected to form a closed loop, and a hollow space is formed inside the loop.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, said first side, said second side, said first end and said second end of said body are interconnected to form a closed loop, and a hollow space is formed inside the loop; and middle portions of said first side and/or said second side are recessed toward the center of said body to form recessed areas, or protrude toward a direction away from the center of said body to form protrusion areas, said recessed areas or said protrusion areas having elasticity so as to be at least one part of said elastic reset portion.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, said driving member has a first major surface and a second major surface opposite to each other that are perpendicular to said first side and said second side, said driving surface being formed on said first major surface and tilting or bending with respect to said first major surface, for converting a force received by it into a component force in the connection direction of said first end and said second end.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is a guide block on said second major surface to guide a linear movement of said driving member.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, said driving member is formed of a material having elasticity.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a push-button switch, comprising the driving member according to each of the above embodiments.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the push-button switch further comprises: a button; an actuating mechanism; and a conductive bridge that is coupled to said actuating mechanism, and is able to be driven by said actuating mechanism to deflect in two directions opposite to each other, to contact with or detach from a stationary contact. Said driving member is mounted in said button for driving said actuating mechanism to act.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a portion of said elastic reset portion of said driving member is constrained by said button, so that the movement of said free end in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction of said elastic reset portion is limited. said driving member is configured so that: in response to said button being pressed, a driving surface at one end of said driving member presses one side of said actuating mechanism to make said actuating mechanism swing, so that said actuating mechanism drives said conductive bridge to deflect in a first direction to contact with or detach from a stationary contact, and at the same time, a side of said actuating mechanism pressed by said driving member drives the body of said driving member to move linearly from the initial position against the elastic resetting force of said elastic reset portion, so that an end of said driving member pressing said actuating mechanism is away from a swing center of said actuating mechanism; and in response to said button being released, the elastic resetting force of said elastic reset portion drives the body of said driving member to move linearly and reset to said initial position.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, both ends of the swing center of said actuating mechanism have force receiving surfaces, respectively, and said force receiving surfaces match with driving surfaces on corresponding ends of said driving member, respectively; and after a driving surface at one end of said driving member presses a side of said actuating mechanism so that the body of said driving member is driven by said actuating mechanism to linearly move, a driving surface at the other end of said driving member is moved to a position displaced from the force receiving surfaces on the corresponding ends of said actuating mechanism.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is a fixing groove inside said button, and a portion of said elastic reset portion of said driving member is accommodated in said fixing groove, so that the movement of said free end in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction of said elastic reset portion is limited.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there are two sets of positioning tabs inside said button, said fixing groove being formed in the middle of each set of positioning tabs, and said two sets of positioning tabs also support the first side and the second side of the body of said driving member, respectively.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is a guide groove inside said button and there is a guide block on the body of said driving member, said guide block being located in said guide groove to guide the body of said driving member to linearly move along said guide groove.

The driving member according to the embodiment of the present invention integrates a reset spring device for the driving member on the driving member itself, and a specific structure of the driving member causes a single member of the driving member to simultaneously serve as two functions for driving the push-button switch to act and for resetting the driving member. As a result, the total number of parts of the push-button switch becomes smaller, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost and reducing the assembly time. In addition, since the spring member for resetting of the driving member is integrated into the driving member to form the driving member with a flat design, the height space inside the switch occupied by the driving member and the spring member for resetting of the driving member is reduced. In this way, the push-button switch using the driving member according to the invention can be designed to have a smaller height so that the push-button switch can be easily mounted to more positions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS These and other objects, features, and advantages will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: is a perspective view of a driving member for a push-button switch according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is an exploded view of a portion of a push-button switch according to an embodiment of the present invention; is an assembled view of the driving member and the button in is a perspective view of a driving member for a push-button switch according to another embodiment of the present invention; is an assembled view of the driving member and the button in Figure 6 is an exploded view of another portion of the push-button switch according to the embodiment of the present invention; shows the push-button switch according to the embodiment of the present invention in a first state; shows the push-button switch according to the embodiment of the present invention in a second state; shows the push-button switch according to the embodiment of the present invention in a third state; shows the push-button switch according to the embodiment of the present invention in a fourth state; shows the push-button switch according to the embodiment of the present invention in a fifth state; shows the push-button switch according to the embodiment of the present invention in a sixth state.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Various embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail only by way of examples. shows a perspective view of a driving member 100 for a push-button switch according to an embodiment of the present invention. The driving member 100 comprises a body 101. The body 101 has side surfaces surrounding the sides of the body 101, and a first major surface 130 and a second major surface 130' opposite to each other, which are generally perpendicular to the side surfaces. The side surfaces of the body 101 comprise a first side 110 and a second side 110’ opposite to each other. The body 101 also has a first end 120 and a second end 120’ opposite one another. The first end 120 is located at one end of the first side 110 and the second side 110’, and the second end 120’ is located at the other end of the first side 110 and the second side 110’.

A driving surface 103 is formed on the first major surface 130 of the first end 120 and the second end 120’ of the body 101, for matching with an actuating mechanism in the push-button switch to drive the actuating mechanism to act and switch between on and off states of the push-button switch. The driving surface 103 is also used to convert the reaction force received by it from the actuating mechanism into a component force along the connection direction of the first end 120 and the second end 120’ to drive the body 101 to move. In order to facilitate driving the actuating mechanism of the push-button switch to swing at an angle enough to complete the operation of switching between the on and off states of the push-button switch and to facilitate converting the force from the actuating mechanism into the component force along the connection direction of the first end 120 and the second end 120’, the driving surface 103 may be tilted or bent relative to the first major surface 130. In the embodiment of the driving surface 103 is formed on a bump protruding from the first major surface 130 and forms a wedge surface.

The driving member 100 also has a first elastic leg 102 and a second elastic leg 102’ extending from the first side 110 and the second side 110’ in a direction away from the center of the body 101, respectively (it should be noted that one elastic leg may be formed only on one side of the body 101 and an elastic leg is not formed on the other side, or more than one elastic leg may be formed on each side of the body 101). The first elastic leg 102 and the second elastic leg 102’ can be elastically deformed by a force perpendicular to their extending direction. In this way, in the case where the free ends of the first elastic leg 102 and the second elastic leg 102’ are fixed, by applying a force to the driving surface 103 on one end of the body 101, the body 101 of the driving member 100 moves linearly in a direction (i.e. the connection direction of the first end 120 and the second end 120) generally perpendicular to the extending direction of the first elastic leg 102 and the second elastic leg 102’, with respect to the free ends of the first elastic leg 102 and the second elastic leg 102’ from the initial position against the elastic resetting force of the first elastic leg 102 and the second elastic leg 102’. Once the force applied to the driving surface 103 is released, the first elastic leg 102 and the second elastic leg 102’ can apply an elastic resetting force to the body 101 to make the body 101 reset to its initial position. Therefore, the first elastic leg 102 and the second elastic leg 102’ can serve as an elastic reset portion for resetting the body 101 of the driving member 100.

In one embodiment, as shown in the middle portion of the first side 110 and the middle portion of the second side 110’ of the body 101 may be recessed toward the center of the body 101 to form recessed areas 104 and 104’, and the first elastic leg 102 and the second elastic leg 102’ may extend in a direction away from the center of the body 101 from the recessed areas 104 and 104’ of the first side and the second side, respectively. By extending the first elastic leg 102 and the second elastic leg 102’ from the recessed areas on the respective sides, the first elastic leg 102 and the second elastic leg 102’ can extend at a longer distance toward the center side of the body 101. In this way, a relatively long overall extension length can still be achieved at the free ends of the first elastic leg 102 and the second elastic leg 102’ without exceeding an extensive distance at the respective sides of the body 101. The relatively long elastic leg can allow greater elastic deformation of the elastic leg, allowing the body 101 of the driving member 100 to linearly move a greater distance in a direction perpendicular to the elastic leg. This is advantageous to mount the driving member 100 in the inner space of the relatively narrow push-button switch at a smaller peripheral dimension, and is advantageous to achieve a sufficient magnitude of movement for the body 101 of the driving member 100 to smoothly drive the actuating mechanism to act.

In one embodiment, the first elastic leg 102 and the second elastic leg 102’ may have a bend in a direction perpendicular to the first major surface 130 and the second major surface 130' to further extend lengths of the first elastic leg 102 and the second elastic leg 102’ at the same major surface dimension of the drive member 100. The further extended lengths of the elastic legs can further increase the elastic deformation capability of the elastic legs to further increase the magnitude of the linear movement of the body 101 with respect to the elastic legs. In the example shown in the first elastic leg 102 and the second elastic leg 102’ are bent from one side of the body 101 toward a side of the first major surface 130, and then reversely bent.

However, it should be understood that the first elastic leg 102 and the second elastic leg 102’ may be bent a single time or multiple times in various possible directions and orders.

In order to enable the first elastic leg 102 and the second elastic leg 102’ to have sufficient elastic deformability, the first elastic leg 102 and the second elastic leg 102’ may be made of a material having good elastic deformability such as plastic. Advantageously, the driving member 100 as a whole (comprising the first elastic legs 102 and the second elastic legs 102’ as well as the body 101) may be integrally formed of a material (e.g. plastic) having good elastic deformability. In the case of the integrally formed driving member 100, the body 101 can also provide certain elastic deformability to further increase the magnitude of movement of the body 101 relative to the first elastic leg 102 and the second elastic leg 102’.

In one embodiment, the body 101 may be hollow, that is, the first side 110, the second side 110’, the first end 120 and the second end 120’ of the body are interconnected to form a closed loop, and a hollow and material-free space is formed inside the loop. The hollow body 101 (especially in the case where the body 101 is also made of a material having good elasticity) has certain elastic deformability in each bending region of the body 101. For example, the first end 120 and the second end 120’ of the body 101 may be elastically deformed at the portions where the first side 110 and the second side 110’ are respectively connected, so that the first end 120 and the second end 120’ of the body 101 can be further moved with respect to the first side 110 and the second side 110’ of the body 101, to further increase the magnitude of lateral displacement of the driving surfaces 103 on the first end 120 and the second end 120’ with respect to the free ends of the first elastic leg 102 and the second elastic leg 102’. Since the driving member 100 drives the actuating mechanism of the push-button switch to act in different directions by moving the driving surface 103 to two different operating positions, it is only necessary to achieve a sufficient movement range of the driving surface 103 on the driving member 100, which can ensure that the driving member 100 satisfies the requirements for driving the actuating mechanism to smoothly act.

In the case where the middle portion of the first side 110 and the middle portion of the second side 110’ form the recessed areas 104 and 104’, a side arm 105 of the recessed area connecting the bottom of the recessed area and the non-recessed portion of the side may also be elastic. Thus, it can further provide elastic deformation, and further increase the magnitude of lateral displacement of the driving surface 103 at the two ends of the body 101 relative to the free ends of the first elastic leg 102 and the second elastic leg 102’. Therefore, in these embodiments, the recessed area 104 also serves as a part of the elastic reset portion that makes the body 101 of the driving member 100 to reset.

The recessed areas 104, 104’ of the first side 110 and the second side 110’ may also have a suitable bend in a direction perpendicular to the first major surface 130 and the second major surface 130', that is, the side arm 105 is formed with a bend thereon to increase the extension length of the side arm 105, whereby the magnitude of elastic deformation of the side arm 105 can be increased. This further increases the magnitude of lateral displacement of the driving surfaces 103 at both ends of the body 101 with respect to the free ends of the first elastic legs 102 and the second elastic legs 102’. In the example shown in the side arm 105 is bent in the same manner as the elastic leg, and is also bent from the bottom of the recessed area 104 to a side of the first major surface 130 and then reversely bent. Thus, the free ends of the elastic legs of the driving member 100 in are substantially in the same horizontal plane as the body 101, while the recessed areas 104 are located in different horizontal planes, i.e. in a horizontal plane that is closer to the second major surface 130'.

In the case where the body 101 is hollow and has recessed areas 104 and 104’, a suitable space may be remained between the bottoms of the recessed areas of the first side 110 and the second side 110’ for allowing a return spring for making the button reset to pass through the space between the bottoms of the two recessed areas in the driving member 100 and directly abut the button to apply a resetting force to the button when the driving member 100 is mounted into the push-button switch.

In some embodiments, in the case where the body 101 is formed in a loop shape, the elastic legs 102, 102’ may also extend from the side edge of the body 101 toward the center of the body 101. The two elastic legs 102, 102’ extending from the two opposite sides 110, 110’ toward the center of the body, respectively, can also be connected to one another at the ends. In the case where the elastic legs 102, 102’ extend toward the center of the body 101, the middle portions of the sides 110, 110’ of the body 101 may also protrude in a direction away from the center of the body 101 to form protrusion areas, and the elastic legs 102, 102’ may extend from the protrusion areas toward the center of the body 101 so that the elastic legs 102, 102’ may extend at a longer length in the space surrounded by the body 101. The protrusion areas may also have elasticity to further increase the magnitude of lateral displacement of the elastic legs 102, 102’.

In addition, the elastic legs 102, 102’ may also extend in any other suitable direction, e.g. in a direction perpendicular to the major surfaces 130, 130' of the body 101. Moreover, the elastic legs 102, 102’ can extend along any one path including straight lines, curves, broken lines, any combination of them, and the like.

In some embodiments, the elastic legs 102, 102’ may not be provided, but only the recessed areas 104, 104’ or the protrusion areas having elasticity formed by the middle portions of the sides 110, 110’ of the body 101 serve as the elastic reset portion for making the body 101 of the driving member 100 reset by themselves.

In some embodiments, enlarged end heads 106, 106’ are formed at the free ends of the first elastic leg 102 and the second elastic leg 102’. The end heads 106, 106’ have a larger dimension than the other parts of the first elastic leg 102 and the second elastic leg 102’ in the moving direction of the body 101 (that is, the connection direction of the first end 120 and the second end 120’). The side surfaces of the end heads 106, 106’ further have arc-shaped surfaces.

In this way, when the enlarged end heads 106, 106’ of the first elastic leg 102 and the second elastic leg 102’ are accommodated in the relatively narrow fixing grooves, the translational movement of the end heads 106, 106’ can be prevented, but the arc-shaped side surfaces of the end heads 106, 106’ may allow a certain degree of rotation of the end heads 106, 106’. Also, the enlarged end heads 106, 106’ provide a certain rotational space between the other parts of the relatively thin elastic legs and the side walls of the grooves of the fixed end heads 106, 106’ so as to allow the elastic legs to be slightly rotated during the movement of the body 101. This further increases the magnitude of the movement of the body 101 and avoids the occurrence of damage to the portion of the elastic leg near the free end due to excessive bending deformation resulted from the interference of the fixing groove.

In some embodiments, a guide block (not shown) protruding from the second major surface 130' of the body 101 may also be provided on the second major surface 130', for facilitating matching with the guide grooves in a part (e.g. a button) of installing the driving member 100 to guide the linear movement of the driving member 100.

The driving member 100 in the above-described embodiments combines a functional structure (the body 101 and the driving surface 103 thereon) of the actuating mechanism for driving the push-button switch and a reset mechanism (the first elastic leg 102 and the resetting mechanism) for making the functional structure reset in one separate part. Thus, when the driving member 100 is mounted in the push-button switch, the driving member 100 can drive the actuating mechanism to act and operate the push-button switch like a conventional actuating member, and can also function as a reset mechanism to make the driving member 100 reset after each operation, without additionally providing a separate reset mechanism for making the driving member reset in the push-button switch.

As shown in the driving member 100 according to the above-described embodiments of the present invention is adapted to be mounted in a button 200 of a push-button switch. The button 200 may be composed of a button body 210 and a button enclosure 211, and the button body 210 is adapted to form a space and a structure for accommodating other parts (e.g. the driving member 100) of the push-button switch, whereas the button enclosure 211 is adapted to be mounted to the top surface of the button body 210 for providing a smooth operating surface for the user. The button body 210 and the button enclosure 211 may also be integrally formed as one part as the button 200. Thereafter, only the term "button" is used to refer to the button body 210 and the button enclosure 211 as a whole.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, to mount the driving member 100 within the button 200, there are two sets of positioning tabs 201 on a side of the button 200 in the button 200 that faces the actuating mechanism of the push-button switch. Each set of positioning tabs 201 has a fixing groove 202 in the middle. The free ends of the first elastic leg 102 and the second elastic leg 102’ of the driving member 100 are respectively accommodated in the fixing grooves 202 of the two sets of positioning tabs 201, so that the movement of the free ends in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the first elastic leg 102 and the second elastic leg 102’ is limited. The ends of the two sets of positioning tabs 201 are also bent toward each other to respectively support the first side 110 and the second side 110’ of the body 101 of the driving member 100, thereby supporting the driving member 100 within the button 200 to move vertically along with the button 200 when the button 200 is pressed and reset. In the button 200, there may also be grooves 203 for accommodating the recessed areas 104, 104’ of the body 101 of the driving member 100 that is not in the same horizontal plane as the other parts of the body. At this time, a reset spring positioning member 204 on the button 200 passes between the two recessed areas 104, 104’ to rest against a button reset spring below the button 200.

Of course, as shown in the first elastic leg 102 and the second elastic leg 102’ in the driving member 100 may not be bent, but only the side arms 105 of the recessed areas 104 and 104’ may be bent, so that the first elastic leg 102 and the second elastic leg 102’ are generally in the same horizontal plane as the recessed areas 104, 104’, while the other parts of the body 101 are in a different horizontal plane. To mount the driving member 100 of this structure into the button 200, as shown in the fixing grooves 202 for accommodating and fixing the free ends of the first elastic legs 102 and the second elastic legs 102’ may be formed in the same horizontal plane as the grooves 203 for accommodating the recessed areas 104, 104’ and they communicate with each other, to receive the elastic legs and recessed areas 104, 104’ in the same horizontal plane, respectively. The other parts of the body 101 of the driving member 100 at a different horizontal plane protrude from the top surfaces of the fixing grooves 202 and the grooves 203.

A guide groove (not shown) may also be provided in the button 200 for matching with the guide block on the body 101 of the driving member 100 to guide the body 101 of the driving member 100 to move linearly along the guide groove.

As shown in the push-button switch further has an actuating mechanism and a conductive bridge coupled to the actuating mechanism. The actuating mechanism may include a transition member 300 and a rocker (not shown). Both ends of the swing center of the transition member 300 have force receiving surfaces 301, 301’ for matching with the driving surfaces 103 on the respective ends of the driving member 100, respectively. The conductive bridge is able to be driven by the actuating mechanism to deflect in two directions opposite to each other, to contact with or detach from a stationary contact in the push-button switch. When the driving member 100 has been mounted in the button 200, the driving member 100 exposed from the bottom of the button 200 will face the actuating mechanism below the button 200, such as the transition member 300 in the actuating mechanism. The button 200 is slidably accommodated in the button enclosure 400. A button reset spring 500 is provided between the button 200 and the transition member 300, for driving the button 200 to reset to an initial position when the button 200 is released. When the button 12 is pressed, the driving member 100 will contact with and drive the transition member 300 in the actuating mechanism, which in turn, drives the rocker in the actuating mechanism to swing. The rocker further drives the deflection of the conductive bridge, thereby switching between the on and off states of the push-button switch.

It should be understood that in some embodiments, the actuating mechanism may not be provided with the transition member 300, and the driving surface 103 of the driving member 100 may be used to directly contact with the force receiving surface on the rocker to drive the rocker to deflect the conductive bridge, so that switching between the on and off states of the push-button switch is achieved.

The operation of the push-button switch according to an embodiment of the present invention is exemplarily described below with reference to FIGS. 7 to 12.

As shown in when the push-button switch is in the first state, the button 200 is in the initial position where it is not pressed by the user. The driving member 100 does not contact with the transition member 300 of the actuating mechanism. Both the transition member 300 and the rocker 600 are tilted toward the right side, whereas the conductive bridge 700 is tilted toward the left side to be in the state of turning on or off the push-button switch. At this time, the body 101 of the driving member 100 is at a central position without moving relative to the first elastic legs 102 and the second elastic legs 102’, and therefore, the first elastic legs 102 and the second elastic legs 102’ do not also supply an elastic resetting force to the body 101.

As shown in when the button 200 is pressed by the user, the driving member 100 moves down with the button 200, and the driving surface 103 at its left end comes into contact with the force receiving surface 301 at the left end of the transition member 300 below.

As shown in when the button 200 is further pressed, the driving surface 103 at the left end of the driving member 100 presses against the force receiving surface 301 at the left end of the transition member 300, so that the transition member 300 swings counterclockwise and further drives the rocker 600 to swing counterclockwise, thereby driving the deflecting direction of the rocker 600 and the conductive bridge 700 to change. During the action, the force receiving surface 301 at the left end of the transition member 300 gradually moves away from the swing center of the transition member 300 in the connection direction (the transverse direction in i.e. perpendicular to the extending direction of the first elastic leg 102 and the second elastic leg 102’) of the first end and the second end of the body 101 of the driving element 100, and thus the transition member 300 drives the body 101 of the driving member 100 to linearly move leftward from the initial position and away from the swing center of the transition member 300 against the elastic resetting force of the first elastic leg 102 and the second elastic leg 102’, so that the driving surface 103 at the other end of the body 101 of the driving member 100 is moved to a position displaced from the force receiving surface 301’ on the corresponding end of the transition member 300.Thus, the other end of the driving member 100 does not interfere with the transition member 300 during the counterclockwise swing of the transition member 300, thereby allowing the transition member 300 to smoothly swing to an operation position where switching between the on and off states of the push-button switch is completed.

As shown in , when the button 200 is released by the user, the button 200 drives the driving member 100 to reset under the action of the button reset spring 500 (not shown in ) and move away from the transition member 300. At this time, the force receiving surface 301 at the left end of the transition member 300 detaches from the driving surface 103 at the left end of the driving member 100, so that the transition member 300 no longer applies a force to the driving surface 103 at the left end of the driving member 100. Therefore, the elastic resetting force of the elastically deformed first and second elastic legs 102 and 102’ of the driving member 100 acting on the body 101 of the driving member 100, drives the body 101 to linearly move in a direction opposite to the previously moving direction and reset to an initial position, so that the first elastic leg 102 and the second elastic leg 102’ also reset to their naturally extended state and no longer apply an elastic resetting force to the body 101. In this initial position, the driving surface 103 at the other end (the right end in ) of the driving member 100 is just aligned with the force receiving surface 301’ at the right end of the transition member 300 to be ready for the next action.

As shown in , when the button 200 is pressed by the user again, the driving member 100 moves down with the button 200 again, and the driving surface 103 at its right end comes into contact with the force receiving surface 301’ at the right end of the transition member 300 below.

As shown in , when the button 200 is further pressed, the driving surface 103 at the right end of the driving member 100 presses against the force receiving surface 301’ at the right end of the transition member 300, so that the transition member 30 swings clockwise and further drives the rocker 600 to swing clockwise, thereby driving the deflecting direction of the rocker 600 and the conductive bridge 700 to change. During the action, the force receiving surface 301’ at the right end of the transition member 300 gradually moves away from the swing center of the transition member 300 in the connection direction (the transverse direction in , i.e. perpendicular to the extending direction of the first elastic leg 102 and the second elastic leg 102’) of the first end and the second end of the body 101 of the driving element 100, and thus the transition member 300 drives the body 101 of the driving member 100 to linearly move rightward from the initial position and away from the swing center of the transition member 300 against the elastic resetting force of the first elastic leg 102 and the second elastic leg 102’, so that the driving surface 103 at the other end of the body 101 of the driving member 100 is moved to a position displaced from the force receiving surface 301 on the corresponding end of the transition member 300. Thus, the other end of the driving member 100 does not interfere with the transition member 300 during the clockwise swing of the transition member 300, thereby allowing the transition member 300 to smoothly swing to an operation position where switching between the on and off states of the push-button switch is completed.

When the button 200 is released by the user again, the button 200 drives the driving member 100 to reset under the action of the button reset spring 500 and move away from the transition member 300. At this time, the force receiving surface 301’ at the right end of the transition member 300 detaches from the driving surface 103 at the right end of the driving member 100, so that the transition member 300 no longer applies a force to the driving surface 103 at the right end of the driving member 100. Therefore, the elastic resetting force of the elastically deformed first and second elastic legs 102 and 102’ of the driving member 100 acting on the body 101 of the driving member 100, drives the body 101 to linearly move in a direction opposite to the previously moving direction and reset to the initial position, so that the first elastic leg 102 and the second elastic leg 102’ also reset to their naturally extended state and no longer apply an elastic resetting force to the body 101. In this initial position, the driving surface 103 at the other end of the driving member 100 is just aligned with the force receiving surface 301 at the left end of the transition member 300 to prepare for the next action. At this time, the push-button switch resets to the first state shown in It should be understood that, for convenience of description, the description herein is based on the placement orientation of the push-button switch shown in the accompanying drawings. The directions of “up, down, left, and right” in this article are all described based on this positioning. Obviously, the push-button switch can be arranged in various orientations as needed. However, the directional descriptions of “up, down, left, and right” between the features described in this document will change correspondingly with the change in the orientation of the button switch, but the relative positional relationship among the features will not change.

The description of the present invention has been given for the purposes of illustration and description, but it is not intended to be exhaustive or be limited to the forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be conceived by those skilled in the art. For example, the structure and shape of the elastic reset portion on the driving member 100 may be arbitrarily set as long as it can be formed together with the body 101 and can provide an elastic resetting force to the body 101, so that the body 101 can reset to its initial position under the elastic resetting force of the elastic reset portion after the driving member 100 moves to drive the push-button switch to act every time.

Throughout the specification and the claims that follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the words “comprise” and “include” and variations such as “comprising” and “including” will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers, but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers.

The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgement of any form of suggestion that such prior art forms part of the common general knowledge.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention is not restricted in its use to the particular application described. Neither is the present invention restricted in its preferred embodiment with regard to the particular elements and/or features described or depicted herein. It will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to the embodiment or embodiments disclosed, but is capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications and substitutions without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth and defined by the following claims.

Claims (18)

1. A driving member for a push-button switch, comprising: a body configured to be adaptable to drive said push-button switch to act; and an elastic reset portion extending from said body, said elastic reset portion having elasticity.

2. The driving member according to claim 1, wherein said body has a first side and a second side opposite to each other, and a first end and a second end opposite to each other, said first end is located at one end of said first side and said second side, and said second end is located at the other end of said first side and said second side; and driving surfaces being provided on the first end and the second end of said body, said driving surfaces for driving an actuating mechanism of said push-button switch to switch between on and off states of said push-button switch; and wherein said driving member is configured so that when said elastic reset portion is fixed, said body is able to linearly move in the connection direction of said first end and said second end from an initial position relative to said elastic reset portion under the action of a force applied onto said driving surface; and when the force applied onto said driving surface is released, said elastic reset portion applies an elastic resetting force to said body to make said body reset to said initial position.

3. The driving member according to claim 2, wherein said elastic reset portion comprises elastic legs extending from the first side and/or the second side of said body, respectively, and said driving member is configured so that when said elastic legs are fixed, said body is able to linearly move in the connection direction of said first end and said second end from an initial position relative to said elastic legs under the action of a force applied onto said driving surface; and when the force applied onto said driving surface is released, said elastic legs apply an elastic resetting force to said body to make said body reset to said initial position.

4. The driving member according to any one of claims 2 or 3, wherein middle portions of said first side and/or said second side are recessed toward the center of said body to form recessed areas, or protrude toward a direction away from the center of said body (101) to form protrusion areas, and said elastic legs extend toward the outside of said body from said recessed areas or extend toward the center of said body from said protrusion areas.

5. The driving member according to any one of claims 3 or 4, wherein said elastic legs have a bend in a direction perpendicular to a first major surface and a second major surface, and/or said recessed areas or said protrusion areas have a bend in a direction perpendicular to said first major surface and said second major surface.

6. The driving member according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein enlarged end heads are formed at the free ends of said elastic legs, the side surfaces of said end heads having arc-shaped surfaces.

7. The driving member according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein said first side, said second side, said first end and said second end of said body are interconnected to form a closed loop, and a hollow space is formed inside the loop.

8. The driving member according to any one of claims 2 or 3, wherein said first side, said second side, said first end and said second end of said body are interconnected to form a closed loop, and a hollow space is formed inside the loop; and middle portions of said first side and/or said second side are recessed toward the center of said body to form recessed areas, or protrude toward a direction away from the center of said body to form protrusion areas, said recessed areas or said protrusion areas having elasticity so as to be at least one part of said elastic reset portion.

9. The driving member according to any one of claims 2 to 8, wherein said driving member has a first major surface and a second major surface opposite to each other that are perpendicular to said first side and said second side, said driving surface being formed on said first major surface and tilting or bending with respect to said first major surface, for converting a force received by it into a component force in the connection direction of said first end and said second end.

10. The driving member according to claim 9, wherein there is a guide block on said second major surface to guide a linear movement of said driving member.

11. The driving member according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein said driving member is formed of a material having elasticity.

12. A push-button switch, comprising: the driving member according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. The push-button switch of claim 12, further comprising: a button; an actuating mechanism; and a conductive bridge that is coupled to said actuating mechanism, and is able to be driven by said actuating mechanism to deflect in two directions opposite to each other, to contact with or detach from a stationary contact; wherein said driving member is mounted in said button for driving said actuating mechanism to act.

14. The push-button switch of claim 13, wherein a portion of said elastic reset portion of said driving member is constrained by said button, so that the movement of said free end in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction of said elastic reset portion is limited; and said driving member is configured so that: in response to said button being pressed, a driving surface at one end of said driving member presses one side of said actuating mechanism to make said actuating mechanism swing, so that said actuating mechanism drives said conductive bridge to deflect in a first direction to contact with or detach from a stationary contact, and at the same time, a side of said actuating mechanism pressed by said driving member drives the body of said driving member to move linearly from the initial position against the elastic resetting force of said elastic reset portion, so that an end of said driving member pressing said actuating mechanism is away from a swing center of said actuating mechanism; and in response to said button being released, the elastic resetting force of said elastic reset portion drives the body of said driving member to move linearly and reset to said initial position.

15. The push-button switch according to claim 14, wherein both ends of the swing center of said actuating mechanism have force receiving surfaces, respectively, and said force receiving surfaces match with driving surfaces on corresponding ends of said driving member, respectively; and after a driving surface at one end of said driving member presses a side of said actuating mechanism so that the body of said driving member is driven by said actuating mechanism to linearly move, a driving surface at the other end of said driving member is moved to a position displaced from the force receiving surfaces on the corresponding ends of said actuating mechanism.

16. The push-button switch of claim 14 or 15, wherein a fixing groove is provided inside said button, and a portion of said elastic reset portion of said driving member is accommodated in said fixing groove, so that the movement of said free end in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction of said elastic reset portion is limited.

17. The push-button switch according to claim 16, wherein there are two sets of positioning tabs inside said button, said fixing groove being formed in the middle of each set of positioning tabs, and said two sets of positioning tabs also support the first side and the second side of the body of said driving member, respectively.

18. The push-button switch according to any one of claims 13 to 17, wherein there is a guide groove inside said button and there is a guide block on the body (101) of said driving member, said guide block being located in said guide groove to guide the body of said driving member to linearly move along said guide groove.