US3663776A - Vibrator absorbing means for an electrical switch - Google Patents

Vibrator absorbing means for an electrical switch Download PDF

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Publication number
US3663776A
US3663776A US143473A US3663776DA US3663776A US 3663776 A US3663776 A US 3663776A US 143473 A US143473 A US 143473A US 3663776D A US3663776D A US 3663776DA US 3663776 A US3663776 A US 3663776A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
movable contact
contact member
members
electrical switch
actuating
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US143473A
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English (en)
Inventor
Shuji Muraki
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Nippon Gakki Co Ltd
Original Assignee
Nippon Gakki Co Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Nippon Gakki Co Ltd filed Critical Nippon Gakki Co Ltd
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US3663776A publication Critical patent/US3663776A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H1/00—Contacts
    • H01H1/12—Contacts characterised by the manner in which co-operating contacts engage
    • H01H1/14—Contacts characterised by the manner in which co-operating contacts engage by abutting
    • H01H1/24—Contacts characterised by the manner in which co-operating contacts engage by abutting with resilient mounting
    • H01H1/26—Contacts characterised by the manner in which co-operating contacts engage by abutting with resilient mounting with spring blade support
    • H01H1/28—Assembly of three or more contact-supporting spring blades
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G10—MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; ACOUSTICS
    • G10H—ELECTROPHONIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; INSTRUMENTS IN WHICH THE TONES ARE GENERATED BY ELECTROMECHANICAL MEANS OR ELECTRONIC GENERATORS, OR IN WHICH THE TONES ARE SYNTHESISED FROM A DATA STORE
    • G10H1/00—Details of electrophonic musical instruments
    • G10H1/32—Constructional details
    • G10H1/34—Switch arrangements, e.g. keyboards or mechanical switches specially adapted for electrophonic musical instruments
    • G10H1/344—Structural association with individual keys
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G10—MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; ACOUSTICS
    • G10H—ELECTROPHONIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; INSTRUMENTS IN WHICH THE TONES ARE GENERATED BY ELECTROMECHANICAL MEANS OR ELECTRONIC GENERATORS, OR IN WHICH THE TONES ARE SYNTHESISED FROM A DATA STORE
    • G10H2220/00—Input/output interfacing specifically adapted for electrophonic musical tools or instruments
    • G10H2220/155—User input interfaces for electrophonic musical instruments
    • G10H2220/265—Key design details; Special characteristics of individual keys of a keyboard; Key-like musical input devices, e.g. finger sensors, pedals, potentiometers, selectors
    • G10H2220/275—Switching mechanism or sensor details of individual keys, e.g. details of key contacts, hall effect or piezoelectric sensors used for key position or movement sensing purposes; Mounting thereof
    • G10H2220/285—Switching mechanism or sensor details of individual keys, e.g. details of key contacts, hall effect or piezoelectric sensors used for key position or movement sensing purposes; Mounting thereof with three contacts, switches or sensor triggering levels along the key kinematic path
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H1/00—Contacts
    • H01H1/50—Means for increasing contact pressure, preventing vibration of contacts, holding contacts together after engagement, or biasing contacts to the open position

Definitions

  • An electrical switch having vibration absorbing means to eliminate mechanical and electrical click noises raised therein during a switching action which comprises an actuating member consisting of an inner member of elastic material supporting one 'or more movable contact members by direct contact therewith, and an outer member of rigid material securely supporting the inner member
  • the elastic inner member serves to absorb and restrain the vibrations of the movable contact members, occurring during the switching action.
  • a number of key switches are used to selectively produce musical notes.
  • Each of such key switches has heretofore been comprised of one or more movable contact members of metallic material, and one or more stationary contact members of metallic material corresponding to the movable contact member or members, and an actuator coupled to the movable contact member or members so as to permit the movable contact member or members to be brought into contact with the stationary contact member or members.
  • the conventional actuator has been made of rigid material such as hard plastics, mainly from the ground that it is required to elevate the controllability.
  • the movable contact member is usually made of resilient metallic material and, when brought into contact with the stationary contact member, it is liable to vibrate, its vibration causing more noises and lasting fairly long.
  • the noises generated at the contact portions of both members are mostly transmitted through the vibrant resilient movable contact member to the actuator and movable-contact-fitting plate without being damped so soon, thus amplifying the noises.
  • Such noises also cause the generation of electrical click sounds detectable in electrical signals.
  • various types of electrical switch but they are generally bulky or complicated in construction, resulting in increased production cost.
  • An object of the invention is to provide an electrical switch with less mechanical and electrical noises so as to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks.
  • Another object of the invention is to provide an electrical switch effectively absorbing and restraining the vibration of a movable contact member or members.
  • the electrical switch comprises one or more movable contact members of electrically conductive material, one or more stationary contact members of electrically conductive material co-operating with the movable contact members, an actuating means bringing the movable contact members into and out of contactwith the stationary contact members, the actuating means including an elastic member supporting the movable contact members, and a rigid member securely holding the elastic member.
  • FIG. 1 is aperspective view of an embodiment of the invention.
  • FIG. 2 is a magnified view of an actuating member employed in the embodiment of FIG. 1.
  • FIG. 1 there is shown a foot-operated key switch for electronic musical instruments. 7
  • Reference numeral 1 1 denotes a channel-shaped base frame of metal sheet which has a web portion 11a securely supporting an elongated insulating base plate 12 on the inside.
  • a plurality of (for example, three as illustrated) movable contact leaf spring members 13 of conductive resilient material such as phosphor bronze which extend parallel to each other in the lengthwise direction of the insulating plate 12 at an equal space from each other and have the rear or base ends fixed on the platelZ through terminal members 14 respectively.
  • On the plate 12 are disposed stationary contact members 15 of electrically conductive material corresponding to the movable contact members 13 in as many pairs as the number of the latter, with the front or free end of each movable contact member 13 interposed between each pair of the stationary contact members.
  • the movable and stationary contact members 13 and 11$ constitute a multicontact system.
  • An actuating member 16 supports the movable contact members 13 at the intermediate portions for their actuation.
  • the actuating member 16 as shown in FIG. 2, has an outer member 17 integrally formed of rigid material such as phenol resin laminated plate and, ABS. (acrylonitrile-butadienestyrene) resin plate.
  • the outer member 17 as a whole has a longitudinally elongatedform, with its middle portion 17a forming a similarly elongated and rectangularly looped form so as to encircle an inner member 18 of elastic material such as rubber and foamed plastics.
  • the inner member 18 which may be directly molded into said rectangularly looped portion 17a has a plurality of (for example, three as indicated) rhombic apertures 18a aligned in the longitudinal direction of the actuating member 16 so as to allow the respective movable contact leaf spring members 13 to pass therethrough with both edges of the movable contact member 13 pinched by the inner walls of the rhombic aperture 18a due to the elasticity of the inner member 18.
  • the actuating member 16 has a lower sliding end portion slidably fitted through an aperture 11b formed in the lower flange portion of the frame 11 and a top stepped end portion 17b closely fitted into an aperture 19a formed at the free end of a plate spring 19, the other end of which is fixed on the upper flange portion 11d of the frame 11, causing its shoulder 16b to abut on the underside of the plate spring 19.
  • the movable contact members are supported by the elastic inner member of the actuating means and that, when a shock is caused by the contact of the movable and stationary contact members, the shock and resultant vibration are absorbed and restrained by the elastic inner member, greatly minimizing the occurrence of mechanical and electrical noises.
  • the electrical switch of the present invention further offers the advantage of reducing manufacturing cost.
  • the switch is provided with a plurality of movable and stationary contact members, but the invention may be likewise applied to a key switch employing only one pair of movable and stationary contact members.
  • the present invention may of course be applied to a manually operated key switch of an electronic musical instrument and further can be practised in other wider fields than the described embodiment by those skilled in the art.
  • An electrical switch including at least one movable contact member of electrically conductive material; at least one stationary contact member of electrically conductive material co-operating with said movable contact member, and an actuating member bringing said movable contact member into and out of contact with said stationary contact member to perform a switching action; wherein said actuating member comprises an inner member of elastic material supporting said movable contact member and an outer member of rigid material securely supporting said inner member.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
  • Multimedia (AREA)
  • Electrophonic Musical Instruments (AREA)
  • Push-Button Switches (AREA)
US143473A 1970-05-19 1971-05-14 Vibrator absorbing means for an electrical switch Expired - Lifetime US3663776A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP1970048426U JPS506828Y1 (xx) 1970-05-19 1970-05-19

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3663776A true US3663776A (en) 1972-05-16

Family

ID=12802994

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US143473A Expired - Lifetime US3663776A (en) 1970-05-19 1971-05-14 Vibrator absorbing means for an electrical switch

Country Status (4)

Country Link
US (1) US3663776A (xx)
JP (1) JPS506828Y1 (xx)
DE (1) DE2124046B2 (xx)
NL (1) NL153697B (xx)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3735076A (en) * 1970-12-26 1973-05-22 Nippon Musical Instruments Mfg Electronic musical instrument key-operated switch assembly having vibration-absorber attached to movable contact member
JPS50103683A (xx) * 1974-01-22 1975-08-15

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2385994A (en) * 1943-11-26 1945-10-02 Clare & Co C P Relay
US3172972A (en) * 1963-05-02 1965-03-09 Arrow Hart & Hegeman Electric Snap-action electrical switch with contact dampening means
US3534196A (en) * 1969-03-03 1970-10-13 Nippon Musical Instruments Mfg Electrical switch assembly
US3600543A (en) * 1968-11-21 1971-08-17 Nippon Musical Instruments Mfg Keying switch assembly

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2385994A (en) * 1943-11-26 1945-10-02 Clare & Co C P Relay
US3172972A (en) * 1963-05-02 1965-03-09 Arrow Hart & Hegeman Electric Snap-action electrical switch with contact dampening means
US3600543A (en) * 1968-11-21 1971-08-17 Nippon Musical Instruments Mfg Keying switch assembly
US3534196A (en) * 1969-03-03 1970-10-13 Nippon Musical Instruments Mfg Electrical switch assembly

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3735076A (en) * 1970-12-26 1973-05-22 Nippon Musical Instruments Mfg Electronic musical instrument key-operated switch assembly having vibration-absorber attached to movable contact member
JPS50103683A (xx) * 1974-01-22 1975-08-15

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE2124046A1 (de) 1971-12-02
NL7106708A (xx) 1971-11-23
JPS506828Y1 (xx) 1975-02-27
NL153697B (nl) 1977-06-15
DE2124046B2 (de) 1974-01-17

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