US3754243A

US3754243A - Control device with self-contained visual indication means

Info

Publication number: US3754243A
Application number: US00138487A
Authority: US
Inventors: F Kaneko; S Suzuki
Original assignee: Alps Electric Co Ltd
Current assignee: Alps Alpine Co Ltd
Priority date: 1970-07-23
Filing date: 1971-04-29
Publication date: 1973-08-21
Anticipated expiration: 1990-08-21
Also published as: JPS514049Y1

Abstract

A control member made of a light transmittable material selectively effects electrical connection between a power supply and a controlled device. The control member is provided with a self-contained visual indication means, preferably an electric light bulb, embedded therein. Appropriate electrical leads extend from the light bulb and are electrically connected to suitable contacts on the outer surface of the control member. The electrical switch or other device actuated by the control member is provided with suitable contacts operatively connected to a suitable power supply and adapted when the control member is in the ''''on'''' position to engage the contacts on the surface of said control member, thereby to provide power to the light bulb and thus to provide a visual indication of the status of the control member.

Description

United States Patent [1 1 Kaneko et al.

[451 Aug. 21, 1973 1 CONTROL DEVICE WITH SELF-CONTAINED VISUAL INDICATION MEANS {75] lnventors: Fumitaka Kane-k0; Shinzo Suzuki,

both of Tokyo, Japan [30] Foreign Application Priority Data July 23, i970 Japan 45/73809 [52} US. Cl 340/378 R, 340/381, 240/2, ZOO/167 A [51} Int. Cl. G081) 5/00, H02b 1/02 [58] Field of Search 340/373 R, 381;

200/155 R, 164 R, 164 A, 166 R, 166 E, 166 B, 166 A, 159 R, 159 A, 167 R, 167 A; 240/1,

2,466,072 4/1949 Batcheller 200/155 R 2,205,380 6/1940 Batcheller..... 240/816 UX 2,144,138 l/1939 Batcheller 240/8.16 UX 3,522,402 8/1970 Di Pilla 4. 2001167 A 3,392,250 7/1968 Zieglar et al 2001159 A Primary Examiner-John W. Caldwell Assistant ExaminerWilliam M. Wannisky Attorney.lames and Franklin 5 7] ABSTRACT A control member made of a light transmittable material selectively effects electrical connection between a power supply and a controlled device The control member is provided with a self-contained visual indication means, preferably an electric light bulb, embedded therein. Appropriate electrical leads extend from the light bulb and are electrically connected to suitable contacts on the outer surface of the control member. The electrical switch or other device actuated by the control member is provided with suitable contacts operatively connected to a suitable power supply and adapted when the control member is in the on" position to engage the contacts on the surface of said control member, thereby to provide power to the light bulb and thus to provide a visual indication of the status of the control member.

6 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PAIENIEBAUSZI 191s 3.754.243

F/G/ F/GZ ATTORNEY CONTROL DEVICE WITH SELF-CONTAINED VISUAL INDICATION MEANS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to control members, and more particularly the means for providing a visual indication of the status of a switch, potentiometer, or the like.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION In the use of control devices such as electric switches, potentiometers, or the like, it is often necessary or desirable to provide a visual indication of the status of the device independently of the status of the mechanism which it controls. This is particularly desirable in any situation where the controlled device is not readily visible or otherwise perceivable by the operator of the control device. A typical example of this situation is the flight deck of an airplane which may be provided with literally hundreds of electrical control switches and other electrical control devices adapted to actuate mechanisms, such as valves, solenoids, heating and.

cooling systems, etc., the status of most of which is not readily apparent to the pilot immediately upon throwing the switch or manipulating the control device.

In other situations the operator may be roving or positioned a substantial distance from the control panel. In such case the status of the control device indicated by the relative position of a control member such as a switch button or knob is not readily visible to the operator. A typical example of this situation occurs when a operator has the responsibility for monitoring a large number of control devices, such as in the control room of a large power supply station. Various other situations requiring additional visual indication of the status of control mechanisms will readily come to mind.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART In the past this need has been filled by the provision of separate visual indicating devices mounted proximate the control member. Such devices may be mechanical, such as a colored flag adapted to rotate into display position within a window in the control panel, or electrical, such as an electric light bulb suitably positioned adjacent the control member. In either case, it is necessary to provide an additional electrical connection or mechanical linkage. These additional connections andior linkages, like the actual control and controlled devices themselves, are subject to failure. It will be apparent that failure of such indicating devices may sometimes be as serious as failure of the actual controlled system. Moreover, the use of separate indicating devices for the control devices materially increases the space requirements of a control panel. This is a particularly crucial matter where, as in the flight deck of an airplane, control panel space is necessarily limited.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a control member such as a button or knob for use in connection with a control device such as an electric switch, potentiometer, or the like, which is provided with a self-contained visual indicating means adapted to provide a visual indication of the position of said button or knob.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a control member of the type described which is provided with a visual indicating means requiring no additional electrical or mechanical connections to the control device.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a control member of the type described provided with a visual indicating means which requires no additional space on a control panel.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a self-contained indicating means on a control member which is inexpensive to manufacture and extremely reliable in operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION To these ends, the present invention comprises a control or manipulating member such as a button, knob, or the like, which is constructed of a translucent or light transmittable materail and is provided with a visual illumination means embedded therein. Preferably the visual illumination means comprises a simple electric light bulb suitably electrically connected to electrical contacts on the outer surface of the control member. The control member may be adapted to actuate an electrical switch or potentiometer or the like which is provided with corresponding suitably positioned electrical contacts adapted to engage the contacts on the outer surface of the control member when the control member is in the on" position, thereby to supply suitable power to light the electric light bulb. The light thus emitted being readily visible through the translucent material of which the control member is constructed.

In one embodiment the control member is a simple pushbutton provided with electrical contacts on opposite side surfaces thereof, the switching device being provided with correpondingly spaced electrical contacts operatively connected to a suitable power supply.

In a second embodiment the control member is a rotatable-control knob provided with spaced peripheral curved electrical contacts on its bottom surface facing the electrical switching device which in turn is provided with suitably spaced contacts adapted to slide along said bottom surface.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS To the accomplishment of the above and to such other objects as may hereinafter appear, the present invention relates to a control member with a selfcontained visual indicating means as defined in the appended claims and as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention in the form of a control button;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view taken generally along the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the control button of FIG. 1 appropriately mounted in a pushbutton type switch;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a button similar in construction to that of FIG. 1 appropriately mounted in a slide type switch;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a rotatable control knob constructed in. accordance with the present invention operatively mounted in a rotary type switch;

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view of the control knob and switch of FIG. 5 taken generally along line 6-6 of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of the rotary control knob of FIG. 5 taken along the line 7-7 of FIG. 6.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a control member having a self-contained visual indication means. While the invention is herein specifically described with respect to a powered source of illumination, it will be apparent that various other indicating means are possible. Thus the invention contemplates any means whereby the control member itself may be adapted to provide at least two markedly different appearances to the observer even at a distance, thereby to provide a visual representation of the status of the control member.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIG. 1, there is illustrated one embodiment of the present invention in which the control member is in the form of a button generally designated having a body formed of the aforementioned translucent insulating material and having a generally square-shaped cross-section. As best shown in FIG. 2, embedded within button 10 generally centrally thereof is an electric light bulb generally designated 12 having the usual gas filled sealed enclosure 14 and a coiled filament 16 disposed therein and electrically connected in known manner between electrical terminals 18 disposed externally of the enclosure 14. A pair of electrical wire leads 20 are electrically connected to terminals 18 and extend outwardly in opposite directions toward opposite outer side surfaces 22 of the button where they are respectively electrically connected to a pair of electrical contacts 24 mounted on said opposite surfaces 22 of button body 11. Light bulb 12 may be any commercially available incandescent bulb of suitable dimensions appropriately electrically connected to leads 20 in any suitable manner, such as by soldering. Alternatively bulb 12 may be specially constructed for use with the present invention with lead wires 20 being directly connected to opposite ends of filament 16. Preferably the button body 11 is not transparent but rather has a suitable color so that the outline of bulb 12 is not visible.

The embedment of bulb l2 and leads 20 within the button body 11 may be accomplished by any well known method. For example the body 11 may be formed of moldable material which is molded around bulb 20 by means of a suitably designed mold casing. In this case, contacts 24, which are typically metallic, might be electrically connected to leads 20, as by soldering, before molding, the mold material forming around a small internally facing stem portion 26 of each contact 24, thereby to secure the contacts on the outer surfaces 22 of molded button body 11. Alternatively, the wire leads might extend outwardly of the mold casing, said leads being'subsequently trimmed and the contacts 24 being mounted on surfaces 22 of the molded body and soldered to the trimmed ends of leads 20 in any suitable manner.

As best shown in FIG. 3, in practice the button 18 is fixedly mounted on one end of an elongated carrier member 28 in any convenient manner. Carrier member 28 extends through an aperture 30 in one wall of a housing 32 and is slidably received therein. The other end of carrier member 28 is typically provided with'one or more electrical contacts adapted to engage with electrically operative elements (not shown) mounted within the enclosure formed by housing 32. In the case of a switch these elements will be one or more electrical contacts which may be selectively engaged with and disengaged from the contacts carried by carrier member 28 in response to the sliding movement of carrier 28 and button 10 in a direction into and out of housing 32, respectively. Suitable mechanical detent means (not shown) may be provided to maintain the carrier 28 in one of its two or more operative positions in well known manner. Electrical terminals 34 are appropriately electrically connected to selected switch contacts within housing 32 and extend therefrom for suitable electrical connection to the appropriate circuitry of the controlled device.

A pair of electrical terminals 36 are mounted in suitably spaced relationship on housing 32 and are adapted to complete the operative circuit to actuate light bulb 12. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 3 terminals 36 extend upwardly at one end 37 in generally parallel relationship and are adapted to engage the oppositely facing button contacts 24 when button 10 is pressed inwardly to its on position. These terminal ends are preferably resilient, bowed slightly inwardly and turned slightly outwardly at their upwardly extending edges 38 to insure good electrical contact. The other ends of terminals 36 extend outwardly of housing 32 in opposite directions for connection to a suitable power source adapted to supply the rated current of bulb 12.

In accordance with the foregoing construction, in the operation of a typical switch device, as button 10 is pushed inwardly toward housing 32 to its on position the contacts carried by carrier 28 make the required electrical engagement with the switch contacts mounted internally on housing 32 thereby to close the appropriate external circuit or circuits associated with terminals 34. At the same time button contacts 24 slide into firm electrical engagement with the upwardly extending resilient ends 37 of terminals 36 thereby to connect the filament 16 across the power supply. As a result current flows through filament 16 producing a glow which is readily visible through the translucent button body 11. Movement of the button to the off position shown in FIG. 3, as by pulling, will result in the appropriate disengagement of the carrier contacts from internally housed switch contacts and simultaneous disengagement of button contacts 24 from the upstanding ends 37 of terminals 36, thereby to disconnect filament 16 from the power supply, turning off light bulb 12.

FIG. 4 shows a button 10 substantially identical in construction to the button of FIG. 1 disposed in operative position in a slide-type switch or other control device. As there shown, the button is mounted on one surface 39 of a suitable housing 40 for sliding movement therealong. An appropriate carrier member (not shown) provided with sliding contacts is secured to the bottom surface'of button body 11 and extends into the enclosure formed by housing 40 through a suitable elongated aperture in surface 39 thereof. A pair of electrical terminals 42 are mounted in appropriately spaced relationship on one edge of surface 39 of housing 40 by means of a U shaped bracket 44. Terminals 42 extend laterally inwardly at one end 46 thereof in generally grasping relationship toward button body 11, said terminal ends 46 being adapted to resiliently engage button contacts 24 as button 10 is moved in the direction of arrow 48. The other ends of terminals 42 extend outwardly for connection across a suitable power supply. Electrical switch terminals 50 are electrically connected to the appropriate switch contacts (not shown) fixedly mounted within housing 40 and extend outwardly of housing 40 for external connection to the controlled circuit. Switching or other electrical control is provided by sliding button body 11 along surface 39 of housing 40 toward and away from terminals 42 whereby the contacts carried by the carrier member move into and out of engagement with appropriate fixed contacts or, for example in the case of a potentiometer, slide along an electrical body (i.e., resistor) to vary the electrical characteristics of the external controlled circuit. Simultaneously as button contacts are moved into engagement with terminals 42 current begins to flow through filament 16 to illuminate the button body ill.

A third embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 5-7. As there shown the translucent control member comprises a rotatable control knob 52 in the form of a circular cylinder. Control knob 52, like button of FIG. 1, is provided with a light bulb l2, filament l6 and lead wires 20, the lead wires in this case terminating at a pair of spaced arcuate conductive contact strips 54 disposed on the bottom surface 56 of knob 52 adjacent the circular perimeter thereof. As best shown in FIG. 6, knob 52 is fixedly mounted axially on a control shaft 58 in any suitable manner for rotation therewith. Control shaft 58 extends through an aperture 60 in a housing 62 and is operatively connected to the control device for rotary control thereof. While the control device might be an on-off switch as discussed with respect to the previous embodiments, the present rotary control knob embodiment is particularly suitable for use with a control device having a continuously variable electrical characteristic. Typical examples are variable resistors and tuning circuits in which for instance a sliding contact moves along a resistive element or a magnetic core moves within an inductive coil thereby to vary the operative resistance and inductance, respectively, within the controlled cir cuit.

A pair of resilient contacts 64 are mounted on suitably spaced mounting members 66 on housing surface 68 and resiliently slidably engage the bottom surface 56 of knob 52 along a circular path defined by arcuate knob contacts 54. A pair of electrical terminals 70 are electrically connected to contacts 64 respectively and extend outwardly in opposite direction for appropriate external connection. In the case of an on-off switch terminals 70 would be connected across a suitable power source adapted to supply the rated current to filament 16, contacts 64 sliding along surface 56 of insulating knob 52 into and out of engagement with knob contacts 54 as the knob is rotated to its on and off positions, respectively.

In the case where the control device to which shaft 58 is operatively connected is of the type providing a gradual variation of an electrical characteristic as here tofore described, it may be desirable to provide a correspondingly variable illumination of knob 52. This may be done in a variety of ways. For example contacts 64 may be maintained in electrical engagement with knob contacts 54 in all operative positions of control knob 52 and terminals 70 might be operatively connected to the controlled circuit in a manner adapted to provide a variation of current to filament 16 corresponding to the variation of the electrical characteristic of the controlled circuit. A much simpler arrangement which does not require any additional wiring by the user is that in which the arcuate strips 54 are made of resistive material and are connected at one end to lead wires 20. In accordance with this arrangement variation of the rotary position knob 52 will cause a variation in the position of contacts 64 along said resistive elements to vary the resistance of the filament circuit across the power source to which terminals are connected, thereby to vary the current supplied to the filament as a function of the rotary position of the control knob. It will be apparent that the aforementioned arrangements are also possible in connection with the push-and-slidebutton embodiments of FIGS. 3 and 4 merely by making

contacts

37 and 46, respectively, of sufficient length to maintain engagement with the button contacts 24 in all or a plurality of operative positions of the button body 11.

In accordance with the foregoing, there is disclosed an improved control member for use with a variety of control devices having a self-contained visual indicating means adapted to provide accurate visual indication of the status of the control member even when viewed from a substantial distance. The present device is less complex both as regards manufacture and assembly than prior art devices and considerably reduces mass production costs. Moreover, the present invention significantly reduces the control panel space heretofore required for prior art arrangements, an important consideration in many applications. Finally the present device is extremely versatile in that it may be used with a variety of control devices ranging from simple on-off switches to complex control circuitry without the necessity of additional electrical wiring to or modification of the circuits with which it is used.

While only a limited number of embodiments are specifically described herein it will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that many variations may be made therein, all within the scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims.

We claim:

1. In combination, a control device having electrical contact means operatively connected to an electrical power source, a control member adapted to be moved to at least two different operative positions relative to said control device, and having means separate from said contact means to make selective electrical engagement with said control device in said at least two positions, said control member further comprising a manually engageable member, electrically powered visual indicating means on said manually engageable member 7 adapted to provide said control member with at least two visually different appearances, and electrically operative means on said manually engageable member separate from said selective engagement means and operatively connected to said visual indicating means and adapted to electrically operatively engage said contact means on said control device in at least one of the operative positions of said control member and to operatively disengage from said contact means in at least another of said operative positions of said control member thereby to actuate and deactuate respectively said visual indicating means, wherein said visual indicating means is an electrically powered illuminating means, said manually engageable member is constructed at least in part from a translucent material, said illuminating means is embedded with said manually engageable member, and lead wires embedded within said manually engageable member and operatively electrically connected to said illuminating means, and wherein said electrically operative means comprises electrically operative elements mounted externally on said control member and operatively electrically connected to said lead wires, said electrically operative elements being adapted to engage with and operatively electrically disengage from said contact means in response to the movement of said control member thereby to actuate said illuminating means.

2. in combination, a control device having electrical contact means operatively connected to an electrical power source, a control member adapted to be moved to at least two different operative positions relative to said control device, and having means separate from said contact means to make selective electrical engagement with said control device in said at least two positions, said control member further comprising a manually engageable member, electrically powered visual indicating means on said manually engageable member adapted to provide said control member with at least two visually different appearances, and electrically operative means on said manually engageable member separate from said selective engagement means and operatively connected to said visual indicating means and adapted to electrically operatively engage said contact means on said control device in at least one of the operative positions of said control member and to operatively disengage from said contact means in at least another of said operative positions of said control member thereby to actuate and deactuate respectively said visual indicating means, wherein said manual engageable member is in the form of a rotatable control knob, wherein said electrically operative elements comprise arcuate elements mounted in spaced relationship on one surface of said control knob and adapted to engage spaced contacts on said control device, wherein said visual indicating means is an electrically powered illuminating means, and further comprising lead wires embedded within said control knob and operatively electrically connected to said illuminating means, wherein said electrically operative means comprises electrically operative elements mounted externally on said control knob and operatively electrically connected to said lead wires, said electrically operative elements being adapted to engage with and operatively electrically disengage from said contact means in response to the movement of said control knob thereby to actuate and deactuate said illuminating means.

3. In combination, an electrical control device comprising a housing, electrically operative means mounted in said housing and adapted to be operatively electrically connected in a control circuit, a control member mounted on said housing externally thereof for movement with respect thereto between at least two operative positions, carrier means mounted on said control member and extending into said housing, electrical control means on said carrier operatively connected to said electrically operative means mounted in said housing and adapted to change the operative electrical effect of said electrically operative means in said circuit upon movement of said control member, electrical contact means mounted externally on said housing, electrically powered visual indicating means on said control member adapted to provide said control member with at least two visually different appearances, and means on said control member operatively connected to said visual indicating means and adapted to electrically engage said contact means in at least one of the operative positions of said control members.

4. The combination of claim 3, in which said control device is an electrical switch, said electrically operative means are switch contacts, said electrical control means comprising movable contact means adapted to electrically engage with and disengage from at least some of said switch contacts in response to the movement of said control member, thereby to establish said at least two operative positions of said control member.

5. The combination of claim 3, wherein said control device is adapted to control the impedance of a variable impedance device, said electrically operative means comprising an impedance element, and said electrical control means on said carrier operatively electrically movably engaging said impedance and adapted to vary the impedance thereof as it moves relative thereto.

6. The control member of claim 4, wherein said visual indicating means is an electrically powered illuminating means.

Claims

1. In combination, a control device having electrical contact means operatively connected to an electrical power source, a control member adapted to be moved to at least two different operative positions relative to said control device, and having means separate from said contact means to make selective electrical engagement with said control device in said at least two positions, said control member further comprising a manually engageable member, electrically powered visual indicating means on said manually engageable member adapted to provide said control member with at least two visually different appearances, and electrically operative means on said manually engageable member separate from said selective engagement means and operatively connected to said visual indicating means and adapted to electrically operatively engage said contact means on said control device in at least one of the operative positions of said control member and to operatively disengage from said contact means in at least another of said operative positions of said control member thereby to actuate and deactuate respectively said visual indicating means, wherein said visual indicating means is an electrically powered illuminating means, said manually engageable member is constructed at least in part from a translucent material, said illuminating means is embedded with said manually engageable member, and lead wires embedded within said manually engageable member and operatively electrically connected to said illuminating means, and wherein said electrically operative means comprises electrically operative elements mounted externally on said control member and operatively electrically connected to said lead wires, said electrically operative elements being adapted to engage with and operatively electrically disengage from said contact means in response to the movement of said control member thereby to actuate said illuminating means.