US3493706A

US3493706A - Slide switch actuator

Info

Publication number: US3493706A
Application number: US740434A
Authority: US
Inventors: Walter L Cherry; Raymond G Castle; Fred N Anderson
Original assignee: Cherry Electrical Products Corp
Current assignee: Cherry Corp
Priority date: 1968-06-19
Filing date: 1968-06-19
Publication date: 1970-02-03
Anticipated expiration: 1987-02-03

Description

F 1970 w. L. 5.15m 51' AL 3,493,706

I SLIDE SWITCH ACTUATOR Filed June 19, 1968 .K WWW mfiw a wing n ma A n K Mg E YR W A R United States Patent 3,493,706 SLIDE SWITCH ACTUATOR Walter L. Cherry, Raymond G. Castle, and Fred N.

U.S. Cl. 200-166 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A slidable switching carrier having internal reinforcing structural members supporting a spring conducting member which maintains constant contact pressure upon printed circuit strips during its movement thereover by the carrier, and which structural member eliminates unwanted deflection and resulting opposing forces between the carrier and spring member during its circuit making movement; the printed circuit strips being separated by relief islands of a predetermined size and spaced from each other a distance equal to the area of the contacting portion of the spring conducting member, preventing it from bearing upon the baseboard and becoming contaminated with material therefrom.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A housing for a switch spring conducting member slidable over a supporting rail having indexing and tension means thereon for maintaining constant contact pressure of the spring conducting member onto a printed circuit board. The housing providing an internal connecting rib which projects into a center receptacle formed in the spring member for sliding the same over the circuit board in a predetermined plane and position, to eliminate unwanted forces and deflection of the spring member during its actuation.

This slidable switching carrier is an improvement over the assignees U.S. Letters Patent No. 3,205,319 dated Sept. 7, 1965, and classified in Class 200, Subclass 16.

The improvement consists in the novel combination arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings showing a form of construction in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of certain parts of the invention in their assembled relation,

FIG. 2 is a side elevational detailed view showing the invention in an assembled relation,

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the spring conducting member as employed in the invention,

FIG. 4 is an end elevational view of the spring conducting member,

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the slidable switch carrier shown in an angular position to expose a portion of the internal construction thereof,

FIG. 6 is a side elevational detailed view of the slidable switch carrier,

FIG. 7 is an end elevational view of a modified switch carrier, and

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a fully assembled switch module.

The invention to be hereinafter described is incorporated in a switch module 10, which includes a baseboard 11 and cover 12, as seen in FIG. 8.

Referring to FIG. 1 there is shown a baseboard 11 having printed on one face thereof a plurality of current conducting strips 13. Each of these strips extend in a spaced parallel relation, and have formed therebetween nonconducting relief islands 14. At one side of one of the endmost strips 13 there is printed a nonconductive base position unit 15. The purpose and function of the current conducting strips 13, relief islands 14 and base position units 15 will be hereinafter more fully described.

Each slide switch includes a current conducting rail 16, which is formed to comprise an upper bar member 17, which has a lower edge corrugated to provide indexing members 18, and a lower bar 19 extending transversely of and in an elevated position with respect to the conducting strips 13, relief islands 14, and base position units 15. The rail 16 is provided at opposite ends with a terminal leg 20 and a connecting post 21, which are adapted to be projected through slots 22 formed in the baseboard 11 to either side of the printed circuit program carried thereby. Both the terminal 20 and post 21 are provided with laterally extending locking shoulders 23, which are twisted out of communication with the slots 22 after the respective terminal and post are projected therethrough so as to connect the rail 16 in its predetermined position with respect to the baseboard 11.

A slidable switch carrier 24 is mounted on the rail 16. As seen in FIGS. 1 and 2 the rail 16 is provided with an elongated slot 16' which receives a stud pin 24' pressfitted in an opening 25' formed in a hollow housing 25 provided by the switch carrier 24. The hollow housing 25 has an open bottom and its end walls slotted as at 26 so that when the carrier 24 is mounted on the rail 16 it will straddle the same as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2. Within the hollow housing 25 and carried by the inner confronting faces of the

sidewalls

27 and 28 thereof are spaced apart connecting ribs 29. As seen in FIG. 2, the upper bar 17 and lower bar 19 will be projected through the end slots 26 formed in the housing 25, and extend between the connecting ribs 29.

A spring contacting member 30 is contained within each of the slide carriers 24. This spring contacting member 30 is generally V-shaped so as to provide

arms

31 and 32, the free end of which are curved in a downwardly and outwardly direction so as to form curved bearing ends 33.

The vertex of the V-shaped spring member 30 is formed into a substantially squared receptacle 34, providing an enlarged bottom contacting portion 35. As seen in FIG. 3 a part of the

arms

31 and 32 as well as the squared receptacle 34 is bifurcated by a slot 36.

The spring contacting member 30 is positioned upon the current conducting rail 16 by having the bar 19 extended through the slot 36 formed in the

arms

31 and 32 and receptacle 34 as seen in FIG. 1. When the rail 16 is connected to the baseboard 11 the contacting portion 35 will be in contact with either the current conducting strips 13, or the relief islands 14, or the base position units 15, while the bearing ends 33 of the

arms

31 and 32 will engage in the indexing members 18 provided by the lower edge of the upper bar member 17. Because the spacing between the baseboard 11 and the indexing means 18 is less than the normal length of the

arms

31 and 32, they will be biased in opposite directions with their respective bearing ends 33 yieldably engaging the indexing means-18 as seen in FIG. 2. Thus the spring contacting member 30 is yieldably connected between the baseboard 11 and the indexing means 18 is provided by the current conducting rail 16 as is clearly shown in FIG. 2. The carrier 24 is then placed over the rail 16 with the internal connecting ribs 29 provided thereby, insertable into the square receptacle 34 formed at the vertex of the

arms

31 and 32 of the spring contacting member 30 in such a manner that when the carrier 24 is slidably moved over the rail 16, the moving force thereof will be transmitted through the internal contacting ribs 29 onto the spring conducting member 30 at a point in close proximity 3 to its contact with the printed circuit strips 13 on the baseboard 11, thus eliminating unwanted deflection of the

arms

31 and 32 as well as distorting forces of the arms and their bearing ends 33 onto the indexing means 18.

The length of the bottom contacting portion 35 of the spring member 30, which by the way is dimpled so as to present a smooth contact surface, is such that as it is moved over the baseboard 11 it will span the space between the printed circuit strip 13 and the relief islands 14, so that the dimpled surface never forcibly contacts the baseboard 11, thus eleminating contamination of either the printed circuit strips 13 or the contact surface of the spring conducting member 30 during its switching actuation.

While we have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying our invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. An actuator for a slide switch having a baseboard of insulated material, including on one face thereof a plurality of spaced parallelly extending current conductor strips, a current conducting rail member mounted on the baseboard above and extending transversely to the conductor strips, wherein the improvement comprises:

(a) a partially split hollow switch carrier mounted on the rail and movable thereover above and transversely to the conductor strips on the baseboard,

(b) a switching member within said carrier and movable therewith and having a contact portion beneath the rail engageable with the conductor strips,

(c) means on said switching member yieldably bearing upon a part of the rail for tensioning said contact portion of said switching member away from the rail and against the conductor strips on the baseboard ((1) means provided by said carrier in contact with said contact portion of said switching member for coupling said switching member thereto for movement over the baseboard independently of the constant contact pressure of said contact portion against the conductor strips,

(e) and non-conductive means on said baseboard extending between and parallel to the conductor strips and of a size less than the spacing between said strips but greater than the spacing between said means and its juxtaposed strips for supporting said contact portion of said switching members off said baseboard as it is moved by said carrier thereover.

2. An actuator for a slide switch as defined by claim 1 wherein said switching member is substantially V-shaped, and includes a vertex point that is substantially squared to provide an enlarged contact portion bearing upon said current conductor strips and said non-conductive means as provided by said baseboard.

3. An actuator for a slide switch as defined by claim 1 wherein said means provided by said carrier comprises internal connecting ribs carried by the confronting inner wall surfaces of the side walls of the carrier which are of a size to be projected into said contact portion of said switching member so as to exert movable forces thereto as said carrier is slidably moved on the current conducting rail member.

4. An actuator for a slide switch as defined by claim 2 wherein said means provided by said carrier comprises internal connecting ribs carried by the confronting inner wall surfaces of the split side walls of the carrier which are of a size to be projected into said squared vertex point of said contact portion of said switching member so as to exert movable forces thereto as said carrier is slidably moved on the current conducting rail member.

5. An actuator for a slide switch as defined by claim 1 wherein said non-conductive means comprise printed relief islands of the same material as comprises the current conductor strips of said switch member as it moves from one current conductor strip to another to prevent said contact portion from bearing upon the baseboard and becoming contaminated with the material therefrom under the tension of said means which yieldably bear upon a portion of the rail when said switching member is slidably moved thereover.

6. An actuator for a slide switch as set forth in claim 5 and further defining said means provided by said carrier in contact with said switching member as comprising internal connecting ribs carried by confronting inner wall surfaces of the side walls of the carrier, which are of a size to be projected into said contact portion of said switching member so as to exert movable forces thereto as said carrier is slidably moved on the current conducting rail member.

7. An actuator for a slide switch as set forth in claim 5 and further defining said switching member as being substantially V-shaped and including a vertex joint that is substantially squared to provide an enlarged contact portion bearing upon said current conductor strips and said non-conductive means as provided by said baseboard.

8. An actuator for a slide switch as set forth in claim 7, and further defining said means provided by said carrier as comprising internal connecting ribs carried by confronting inner wall surfaces of the side walls of the carrier which are of a size to be projected into said squared enlarged contact portion of said switching member so as to exert movable forces thereto as said carrier is slidably moved on the current conducting rail member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,146,320 8/1964 Wang et a1 20016 X 3,205,319 9/1965 Anderson et al 200-l6 3,308,250 3/1967 Field et al 200-46 HERMAN O. JONES, Primary Examiner US. l. 12, 20 6