FIXED CONTRACT PATTERN AND SWITCH DEVICE INCLUDING THE SAME

• US 20080283381A1
• Filed: 04/14/2008
• Published: 11/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ataka, Ryuji
• Granted Patent: US 7,528,338 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 200/520
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2203/054 for redundancy, e.g. several contact pairs in parallel
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2221/012 Joy stick type
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2221/016 Lever; Rocker
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2239/03 Avoiding erroneous switching
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 23/003 with more than one electrically distinguishable condition in one or both positions
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 25/041 having a generally flat operating member depressible at different locations to operate different controls

Abstract

Gaps that divide a conductive portion include an I-shaped gap that passes through the center of a fixed contact, and L-shaped gaps that are located on both sides of the I-shaped gap. Longitudinal gap of the L-shaped gaps extend beyond a virtual straight line A-A that passes through the center of the fixed contact and extend in the direction orthogonal to the I-shaped gap, and are connected to lateral gaps. The L-shaped gaps are arranged point-symmetrically about the center of the fixed contact.

Claims

1. A fixed contact pattern in which a conductive portion constituting a fixed contact is divided by a plurality of gaps,

wherein the gaps include:

an I-shaped gap that passes through the center of the fixed contact, and that has open ends, which are open towards both sides of the fixed contact, at both ends thereof, and

L-shaped gaps formed by connecting longitudinal gaps that are located on both sides of the I-shaped gap and extend substantially parallel to the I-shaped gap, and lateral gaps that extend in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal gaps,

wherein the longitudinal gaps extend beyond a virtual straight line A-A that passes through the center of the fixed contact and extend in the direction orthogonal to the I-shaped gap, and are connected to the lateral gaps, and

wherein the L-shaped gaps are arranged point-symmetrically about the center of the fixed contact.

2. The fixed contact pattern according to claim 1,

wherein a distance θ

1 from an open end of the I-shaped gap to an open end of the lateral gap of each of the L-shaped gaps, and a distance θ

2 from the open end of the lateral gap to an open end of the longitudinal gap of each of the L-shaped gaps are approximately equal to each other.

4. The fixed contact pattern according to claim 1,

wherein the conductive portion constituting the fixed contact has four fixed contacts, and the fixed contacts are formed so as to be electrically connected alternately.

3. A switch device comprising a fixed contact and a movable contact provided so as to be brought into contact with or separated from the movable contact, the movable contact contacting the fixed contact while being tilted almost in the same direction,

wherein the pattern of the fixed contact having a conductive portion constituting the fixed contact divided by a plurality of gaps,

wherein the gaps include:

an I-shaped gap that passes through the center of the fixed contact and that has open ends, which are open towards both sides of the fixed contact, at both ends thereof, and

L-shaped gaps formed by connecting longitudinal gaps that are located on both sides of the I-shaped gap and extend substantially parallel to the I-shaped gap, and lateral gaps that extend in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal gaps,

wherein the longitudinal gaps extend beyond a virtual straight line A-A that passes through the center of the fixed contact and extend in the direction orthogonal to the I-shaped gap, and are connected to the lateral gaps, and

wherein the L-shaped gaps are arranged point-symmetrically about the center of the fixed contact.

5. The switch device according to claim 3,

wherein the conductive portion constituting the fixed contact has four fixed contacts, the fixed contacts are formed so as to be electrically connected alternately, and the adjacent fixed contacts are shorted by the movable contact.

6. The switch device according to claim 3,

wherein the fixed contact pattern is arranged so that the open end of the I-shaped gap and the open end of the longitudinal gap of each of the L-shaped gaps, which are arranged parallel to each other, in the fixed contact pattern, may turn to the tilting direction of the movable contact.

7. The switch device according to claim 6, further comprising an operating body that is tilted, a casing that holds the operating body, and a switch driving body that is inserted into a supporting and guiding portion provided in the casing with a gap, and is guided and moved downward by the supporting and guiding portion by the tilting of the operating body, an elastic sheet that is pressed against switch driving body and in which the fixed contact is formed,

wherein the switch driving body moves downward with the tilting of the operating section body, and the movable contact contacts the elastic sheet in an inclined state, thereby tilting the movable contact.

8. The switch device according to claim 6, further comprising an operating body, a pair of fixed contacts, a pair of movable contacts that contact the fixed contacts, respectively, and an elastic sheet in which the movable contacts are formed, and a switch driving body that is arranged between the operating body and the elastic sheet body,

wherein the switch driving body is inclined and the movable contacts formed in the elastic sheet are tilted, by pushing the portion of the switch driving body corresponding to a position biased from an intermediate position of the pair of movable contacts by an operating member, or changing the buckling strength of the elastic sheet.

9. The switch device according to claim 3,

wherein the movable contact is formed with a substantially flat surface.