Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60Q—ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60Q1/00—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor
  • B60Q1/02—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor the devices being primarily intended to illuminate the way ahead or to illuminate other areas of way or environments
  • B60Q1/04—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor the devices being primarily intended to illuminate the way ahead or to illuminate other areas of way or environments the devices being headlights
  • B60Q1/14—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor the devices being primarily intended to illuminate the way ahead or to illuminate other areas of way or environments the devices being headlights having dimming means
  • B60Q1/1446—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor the devices being primarily intended to illuminate the way ahead or to illuminate other areas of way or environments the devices being headlights having dimming means controlled by mechanically actuated switches
  • B60Q1/1453—Hand actuated switches
  • B60Q1/1461—Multifunction switches for dimming headlights and controlling additional devices, e.g. for controlling direction indicating lights
  • B60Q1/1469—Multifunction switches for dimming headlights and controlling additional devices, e.g. for controlling direction indicating lights controlled by or attached to a single lever, e.g. steering column stalk switches

Definitions

• the invention relates to a switch, in particular steering column switch for motor vehicles, according to the features of the preamble of claim 1.
• a switch of this type is known from DE-GM 7326836.
• the contact bridge is guided directly by the pivotable switching element, the contact bridge being radially displaceable to a limited extent and being pressed by a compression spring against the contact surfaces of fixed contacts which lie on a circular path around the turning axis of the switching element.
• the compression spring ensures the necessary contact pressure between the contact bridge and the fixed contacts.
• this compression spring enables tolerance compensation if the contact bridges are not arranged exactly on a circular path around the turning axis of the switching element. However, such tolerance compensation is only possible to a limited extent, because with larger deviations there is a risk of the contact bridge tilting in the switching element.
• Such a construction with a contact bridge guided directly by the dimensionally stable switching element can therefore only be used if the movement path of the contact bridge corresponds to the spatial arrangement of the fixed contacts acted upon by this contact bridge. So if the switching element is pivoted in a turning axis, the associated fixed contacts should also lie on a circular path. If the switching element can be moved in a straight line, the fixed contacts must also be arranged along a straight line. This previously necessary correspondence between the direction of movement of the switching element and the alignment of the fixed contacts leads to an increased design and manufacturing effort in some switch designs.
• the present invention is therefore based on the object of further developing a switch of this type using the simplest means so that the position of the fixed contacts can be determined largely independently of the predetermined direction of movement of the switching element in the switch housing without the contact between the contact bridge and these fixed contacts being impaired.
• a switch is to be created in which the contacts are arranged along a straight line, while the switching element is still pivotally mounted about a turning axis.
• the present invention is based on the knowledge that it is not necessary that the contact bridge is guided directly on the dimensionally stable switching element.
• a compensation can be achieved in a simple manner between the direction of movement of the switching element and the orientation of the individual fixed contacts.
• the switch designer can thus arrange the fixed contacts in a switch housing independently of the direction of movement of the switching element according to other criteria, for example according to the space available.
• the switching arm itself is resiliently biased towards the contact surfaces of the fixed contacts, for which purpose an additional compression spring is used in a first embodiment.
• This compression spring between the switching element and the switching arm replaces the previous compression spring between the switching element and the contact bridge, so that the design effort is not increased compared to the known construction.
• the contact bridge itself can then be guided by the switching arm without spring support. With such a design, tilting between the contact bridge and the guide on the switching arm is therefore not to be feared.
• the switching arm could be guided radially in the manner of a slide in the switching element, but for constructional reasons an embodiment is preferred in which the actuator is pivoted on the switching element about an axis parallel to the turning axis of the switching element.
• the switching element and the switching arm can then be made in one piece from plastic and connected to one another via a type of film hinge.
• This film hinge ensures the required mobility of the switching arm, but can also be designed so that a spring action is generated via this film hinge, which biases the free end of the switching arm in the direction of the contact surfaces of the fixed contacts.
• one could possibly point to one Contact bridge is designed as a leaf spring, which has angled projections transverse to its switching direction, which are supported on stationary guide stops parallel to the contact surfaces.
• the contact pressure is generated by appropriate design and support of the contact bridge designed as a leaf spring itself, the spring action inherent in the film hinge joint only having the task of ensuring the engagement between the switching arm and this leaf spring.
• Fixed contacts are punched out of a sheet metal plate, bent at right angles and aligned in one plane parallel to the axis of rotation of the switching element, the sheet metal plate being fixed in a switch base plate arranged perpendicularly to the axis of rotation of the switching element, preferably by injection molding.
• a switch base plate arranged perpendicularly to the axis of rotation of the switching element, preferably by injection molding.
• Fig. 4 is a view of a locking lever
• the switch includes an upper housing part 10 with two side walls 11 and 12 aligned parallel to one another and an end wall 13 from which a shift lever 14, which is only indicated, protrudes.
• a locking lever 15 is positively connected, which is pivotally mounted on a pivot 16.
• This latching lever 15 has in one piece a cantilever arm 17 with a latching cam 18 which is resiliently supported by the compression spring 19 and cooperates with a latching curve 20 in a known manner.
• the shift lever 14 can thus be pivoted together with the latching lever into several switching positions. You could also form the shift lever 14 and the locking lever 15 in one piece, but the embodiment described here is preferred because then a certain type of switch can be easily equipped with different shift levers, which is desired by some automobile manufacturers.
• the switching element 30 shown in detail in FIGS. 2 and 3 has a bearing bore 31 into which a bearing pin 32 engages. At a distance from the bearing bore 31, a driver pin 33 projects from the switching element 30 and engages in an elongated hole 21 in the locking lever 15.
• the switching element 30 can thus also be pivoted about a turning axis A into a plurality of switching positions independently of the switching lever or the latching lever 15 in the switch housing.
• the contact bridge 35 works with fixed contacts 40, 41, 42, 43 and 44 which are fixed in the side wall 12 in such a way that their contact surfaces lie along a straight line G or in a ⁇ plane E which is parallel to the turning axis A of the switching element 30 is aligned.
• the other contact bridge 36 works with fixed contacts 45, 46, 47 and 48, which are fixed in the same way in the other side wall 11.
• FIG. 5 is intended to indicate that all these fixed contacts are punched out of a common sheet metal plate, which are fixed by extrusion coating in a base plate 50 of a lower housing part 51, onto which the upper housing part 10 with the switch of interest here is placed.
• Conductor tracks 52 are punched out of this sheet metal plate, which are bent at right angles, protrude into the upper housing part 10, and cooperate there as fixed contacts with the contact bridges 35 and 36, respectively. From Fig. 1 in particular it is clear that the contact surfaces of these fixed contacts are arranged along a straight line or in the plane E, while the switching element taking the contact bridges is pivotable. The movement path of the contact bridge predetermined by the switching element therefore does not match the orientation of the fixed contacts.
• the switching element 30 has two switch arms 60 and 61 which, together with the switching element 30, are made in one piece from plastic.
• Each switching arm 60, 61 is connected via a type of film hinge joint 62 to the switching element main body, this film hinge joint 62 being designed such that the free end of each switching arm 60, 61 is pivotably articulated about an axis parallel to the turning axis A of the switching element 30.
• the free end of the switching arm 60, 61 can therefore be deflected essentially radially with respect to the switching element 30.
• Fig. 1 two different ways of guiding and fixing the contact bridges 35 and 36 on these switching arms 60 and 61 are shown.
• the switching arm 60 is supported on the switching element 30 by a compression spring 65, which acts almost perpendicular to the contact surface plane E of the fixed contacts and resiliently prestresses the switching arm 60 in the direction of the contact surfaces of the fixed contacts.
• a web 66 is formed in one piece parallel to the turning axis A of the switching element 30, which protrudes into an open-edge recess 67 of the contact bridge 35 designed as a rigid contact plate and thus serves as a driver and support for this contact bridge 35.
• This rigid contact bridge 35 is thus pivotally suspended on the switching arm, the contact pressure being applied by the additional compression spring 65 and - to a small extent - naturally also by the spring action inherent in the film hinge joint 62.
• the other contact bridge 36 is designed as a leaf spring which has projections 68 which are angled transversely to its switching direction and which are supported on stationary guide stops 69 parallel to the contact surface plane E.
• the contact pressure is special
• the contact bridge 36 between the projections 68 has an opening 70 with a collar 71 projecting at least in sections from the edge, into which a pin 72 with a tapered cross section protruding from the switching arm 61 engages.
• a stationary support rib 73 is arranged parallel to and at a distance from the contact surface plane E, which prevents at least part of the adjustment movement of the switching arm 61 from being decoupled between the pin 70 and the leaf spring-like contact bridge 36.
• the basic idea of the present invention is also applicable to a different orientation of the fixed contacts.
• the fixed contacts could also be arranged on a circular path, the center of which is offset with respect to the turning axis A of the switching element.
• Length of the fixed contact 40 is more than twice as long as the length of the other fixed contacts 41 to 44 and that the length of the contact bridge 35 is selected so that a fixed contact 41 between the fixed contacts 40 and 42 acted upon by the contact bridge remains de-energized, while in the other switching positions between the applied fixed contacts 40 and 43 or 41 and 44 two fixed contacts, namely 41 and 42 or 42 and 43, remain de-energized.
• the fixed contact 40 is connected to the terminal 31 known in automotive engineering, the fixed contact 42 to the terminal 31b. In the zero position of the switch, the terminal 31 and the terminal 31b are thus connected to one another in an electrically conductive manner.
• the fixed contact 40 connected to the terminal 31 is connected to the fixed contact 43 connected to the terminal 31a. It is the position of the shift lever in the marker light.
• the contact bridge 35 connects the fixed contacts 41 and 44, which are connected to the terminals X and 56, respectively.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Switches With Compound Operations (AREA)
• Rotary Switch, Piano Key Switch, And Lever Switch (AREA)
• Lighting Device Outwards From Vehicle And Optical Signal (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=6306584

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (7)

Cited By (1)

Families Citing this family (10)

Citations (3)

Family Cites Families (3)

• 1986
  • 1986-08-02 DE DE19863626242 patent/DE3626242A1/de active Granted
• 1987
  • 1987-07-29 JP JP62504881A patent/JPH01500941A/ja active Pending
  • 1987-07-29 BR BR8707404A patent/BR8707404A/pt not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1987-07-29 WO PCT/EP1987/000408 patent/WO1988001097A1/de unknown
  • 1987-07-29 US US07/208,358 patent/US4882457A/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1987-07-29 EP EP87110958A patent/EP0255688B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1987-07-29 ES ES198787110958T patent/ES2026872T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime

Patent Citations (3)

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