ON/OFF SWITCH

• US 20100171026A1
• Filed: 01/07/2009
• Published: 07/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Anywire Corp. (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Anywire Corp. (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: SAITOU, Yoshitane, NISHIKIDO, Kenji
• Application Number:
  US12/349,716
• Publication Number:
  US 20100171026A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/221
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/968 using opto-electronic devices
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/97 using a magnetic movable element
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2017/9706 Inductive element

Abstract

An ON/OFF switch of a non-contact type provided with a lever switch excellent in operability, which can be inclined in any direction in a whole circumferential direction is provided. One end of a cylindrical member having flexibility and being stretchable so as to be freely restored to a normal state is fixed to a base member, and a rod member having flexibility is inserted into the cylindrical member and is supported by a guide maintaining a state of an axial line of the rod member to the cylindrical member regardless of the state of the cylindrical member. Further, one end of the rod member is fixed to an end portion of the cylindrical member which is not fixed to the base member while the other end thereof is protruded from the cylindrical member, and a surrounding portion surrounding the end portion of the rod member which is protruded from the cylindrical member in a non-contact manner is provided in the base member. A converting unit converting movement of the end portion of the rod member protruded from the cylindrical member relative to the surrounding portion to electrical signal binary to output two values of the binary is provided in the surrounding portion.

Claims

1. An ON/OFF switch wherein one end of a cylindrical member having flexibility and being stretchable so as to be freely restored to a normal state is fixed to a base member, a rod member having flexibility is inserted into the cylindrical member and is supported by a guide maintaining a state of an axial line of the rod member to the cylindrical member regardless of the state of the cylindrical member, one end of the rod member is fixed to an end portion of the cylindrical member which is not fixed to the base member while the other end thereof is protruded from the cylindrical member, a surrounding portion surrounding the end portion of the rod member which is protruded from the cylindrical member in a non-contact manner is provided, and a converting unit converting movement of the end portion of the rod member protruded from the cylindrical member relative to the surrounding portion to electrical signal binary to output two values of the binary is provided in the surrounding portion.

2. The ON/OFF switch according to claim 1, wherein the converting unit is provided with a light emitting element and a light receiving element to perform conversion to the electrical signal binary utilizing presence and absence of light arriving from the light emitting element to the light receiving element.

3. The ON/OFF switch according to claim 2, wherein the light emitting element and the light receiving element are arranged in a positional relationship where a light path arriving from the light emitting element to the light receiving element intersects a moving route of the end portion of the rod member protruded from the cylindrical member.

4. The ON/OFF switch according to claim 2, wherein the light emitting element and the light receiving element are arranged in a positional relationship where light from the light emitting element is reflected by an end face of the end portion of the rod member protruded from the cylindrical member at a predetermined position to reach the light receiving element.

5. The ON/OFF switch according to claim 1, wherein the end portion of the rod member protruded from the cylindrical member includes a permeability member attached to the rod member, and the converting unit is provided with a coil surrounding the permeability member in an ordinary state and an oscillation circuit connected to the coil to perform conversion to the electrical signal binary utilizing strong and weak of induced electromotive force.

6. The ON/OFF switch according to claim 1, wherein the end portion of the rod member protruded from the cylindrical member includes a magnetic body attached to the rod member, and the converting unit is provided with a magnetic force sensor to perform conversion to the electrical signal binary utilizing strong and weak of magnetic force detected by the magnetic force sensor.

7. An ON/OFF switch, wherein one end of a cylindrical member having flexibility and being stretchable so as to be freely restored to a normal state is fixed to a base member, a rod member having flexibility is inserted into the cylindrical member, one end of the rod member is fixed to an end portion of the cylindrical member which is not fixed to the base member, while the other end thereof is protruded from the cylindrical member, a light emitting element and a light receiving element are disposed on the base member in a positional relationship where light from the light emitting element is reflected by an end face of the end portion of the rod member protruded from the cylindrical member at a predetermined position to reach the light receiving element, and inclination of the end portion of the rod member protruded from the cylindrical member is converted to electrical signal binary utilizing presence and absence of light arriving from the light emitting element to the light receiving element to output two values of the binary.