US1643230A

US1643230A - Combination foot switch

Info

Publication number: US1643230A
Application number: US737897A
Authority: US
Inventors: Williams Marshall Mcd
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1924-09-15
Filing date: 1924-09-15
Publication date: 1927-09-20
Anticipated expiration: 1944-09-20

Description

Sept. 20,

' M. M D. WILLIAMS COMBINATION FOOT SWITCH Filed Sept. 15. 1924 Patented Sept. 20, 192".

TES

* UNITED s-r when PATENT OFFE COMBINATION FOOT SWITCH.

Application filed September 15, 1924. SeriaI No. 7237,8957.

The resent invention relates to circuitcontrollin switches and particularly to such switc es used for controlling the lights of an automobile.

6. An object of the present invention is to provide a switch or circuit-controlling device particularly adapted for placing the bri ht lights and dim lights in circuit, accor 'ngto the situation in which the driver finds himself. r

Anotherobject of the invention is to provide a switch for this purpose by which the driver can place in circuit either the dim or bright lights without glancing away 16 from the roadway and without removing his hands from the steering wheel;

A further object is to provide a device for this purpose which will enable a driver to control the lights of an automobile by t moving his foot.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a foot switch for the purpose stated, which is adapted to act also as a foot rest in connection with the accelerator. Still further objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferredembodiment of the in- 3o vention, and in which:

Figure 1 is a view partly diagrammatic and partly in vertical cross-section, and showing. a circuit controlling switch in accordance with the present lnVl1tl0l1;"

. ll Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the switch housing shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3.'-3 of Fig. 1.

Referring in detail to these drawings, the

4 reference-numeral 11 indicates a' switch housin having a flat top-portion 12. vertical en walls13 and 14 and

end flanges

15 and 16. Fhe end flanges 15 and 16' may be provided with holes adapted to receive bolts screws, or other securing means by which the housing 11 may be secured to the floorboard of an automobile. The housing 11 is preferably mounted in proximity to the foot accelerator 17, and the too-portion 12 me. conveniently serve as a steady foot rest w ile operating said accelerator.

An operating rod 18 passes loosely through an opening in the vertical wall 19 of a stationary supporting plate 20. which may be fixedly secured to the under side of the top 12 by screws 21, and the rod 18 also passes through another opening 22 in the end wall 14 of the switch housing. Both openings are preferably square and the rod 18 is preferably square in cross section, as shown in Fig. 3, to prevent rotation of the rod in the openings while still allowing it to reciprocate therein.

The rod 18 has a portion extendin out side of the switch housing 11, whlch is bent upwardly. as shown at 23, and terminates in an enlar ed foot-engaging portion 24 which extends upwardly beyond the top of the housing. The other end of the rod 18 is preferably screwthreaded for the reception of a. nut 25 by means of'which a short downwardly extending arm 26 is'retained on said rod. A coil spring 27 loosely encircles the-rod 18 between the arm 26 and the vertical wall 19 of the guide plate 20 and tends to maintain said rod in the position shown in Fig.1. A notch 28 having one vertical wall and one sloping or beveled wall is provided in the upper surface of the rod 18, and a fiat spring 29 secured to the inside of the switch housing 11 on the end wall 14, has its free end in contact with the underside of the rod 18. and acts to force said rod upwardly.

The rod 18 is thus maintained normally in' the position shown in Fig. 1 by the :co1l

spring 27. When the driver moves the rod toward the right, byrnoving the enlarged end 24 in that direction by his foot, the

-coil spring tends to return the rod to its original position until the notch 28 arrives in the opening 22, at which time the fiat spring 29 will cause the rod to move upwardly slightly. The notched portion of the rod incngagcment with the adjacent portion of the end wall 14 prevents return of the rod to its former position until the driver depresses the end 24 of the rod, which action releases the engagement of the notched portion of the rod with the end wall 18 and allows the coil sprin 27 to return the rod to its former position. It will thus be seen that the rod 18, together sis with the arm 26 carried thereby, are normally held in inner position by the coil spring, and'that they may be moved to outer position by the operators toot, where theywill be held by the notch 28 until re leased by downward pressure on the end 24 of the rod, after which they will be returned by the spring 27 to their former position. i

The arm 26 completes the dim light circuit in the forward or outer position of the rod 18, and-the bright light circuit in the inner osit-ion of the rod 18, as follows:

A short screw threaded bolt 30 passes through the lowerportion of the arm 26, and is preferably insulated from said arm by a non conducting sleeve (not shown) and ers being held fast in the arm 26 by a nut 32threaded on the end of the bolt. The belt thus moves forward and backward with the arm 26, and its ends form contacting members adapted to complete the bright and dim light circuits, respectively.

At one end of its travel the bolt 30 con-' tacts with a spring 33,- which is mounted on a bolt 34 secured in the wall 13 of the, switch housing, but insulated therefrom, Atthe other end of its travel the bolt 30 contacts with a similar spring 35 mounted on a bolt 36 secured in the depending vertical portion 19 of the plate 20, but insulated therefrom.

The letter S indicates any usual or convenient form of switch, which may be mounted on the instrument board of the automobile, and which, in the position indicated in Fig. 1, completes the circuit controlling the bright lights.

A conducting wire 36 leads from the switch S to a battery B and is grounded at G. A second wire 37 leads from the switch S to. the bolt 30, and is connected thereto so that the adjacent wire portion is not stretched taut but isadapted to move with the bolt 30 as the rod 18 reciprocates.

- the resistance R to thewire 38.

When the bolt.3O is disconnected from the spring 35, and contacts with the spring 33, the bright light circuit is completed, the switch S being assumed to be closed. In

driving, when the operator desires to dim by insulating washers 31, the bolt and washlight circuit by the separation of the bolt 30 from the spring 35 and completing the bright light circuit by its contact with the spring 33.

By this construction a light control switch is provided which can be operated by the driver without taking his eyes off the road, and without telling his hands off the wheel and fumbling for a switch, by a simple movement of his foot sideways along the accelerator foot rest to dim his lights, and by a sh ht downward pressure to light his bright i hts, the spring 27 causing the bright lig t circuit to be completed without further attention from the driver.

What I claim is:

1. A circuit controlling switch structure comprising. a housing, a pair of stationary spring contacts therein, aneL-shape'd rod 'operatively mounted in the housing and having its short arm disposed exteriorly of the housing to permit manipulation thereof, a

contact member carried by the rod and adapted to selectively engage said spring contacts, spring means on the rod normally maintaining said member in engagement with one of the s ring contacts and latch means for releasab y maintaining said member in engagement with the other of the spring contacts.

2. A circuit controllingswitch structure comprising a housing including a flat top, vertical end walls and side walls; a supporting wall depending centrally from said top; an L-shaped operating rod having its long arm nonrotatably and slidably traversing the'supporting wall and an end wall and its short arm extending above said top in position for actuation by the foot of an operator; spring contacts mounted in alinement on the supporting wall and the other end wallrespectively; a contact member fast to and depending from the inner end of the rod and adapted to selectively engage said spring contacts; spring means normally maintaining said contact member in engagement with one of the spring contacts and latch means releasable by movement of the rod for maintainin the contact member in engagement with t e other of the spring contacts.

3, A circuit controlling switch structure comprising; a housing including a flat top, eda ted for use as afoot rest, vertical end wal s and side walls and end flanges adapted to be secured to the floor board of an automobile; a supporting wall depending centrally from said top; an L-shaped operating rod having its long arm nonrotatably and slidably tIEWEISlIIg the supporting wall and an end wall and its short arm extending above said top in position for actuation by the foot of an operator; spring contacts mounted in alinement on the supporting wall and the other end wall respectively; a

contact member fast to and depending from spring contacts and latch means releasable the inner end of the rod and adapted to seby movement of the rod for maintaining the lectively engage said spring contacts; contact member in engagement with the I s ring means mounted on the rod between other of the spring contacts.

5 the supporting wall and the contact mem- In'testimony whereof I afiix'my signature.

ber normally maintaining said contacting member in engagement with one of the MARSHALL MOD. WILLIAMS. I