PUSH BUTTON SWITCH OPERATING MEANS WITH IMPROVED JOYSTICK AND CAM STRUCTURE

• US 3,666,900 A
• Filed: 02/08/1971
• Issued: 05/30/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Carl B. Sohns, John A. Washburn, Richard C. Rothweiler
• Original Assignee: Carl B. Sohns, John A. Washburn, Richard C. Rothweiler
• Inventors: Rothweiler, Richard C., Sohns, Carl B., Washburn, John A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Scott, J. R.
• Application Number:
  US05/113,645
• Time in Patent Office: 477 Days
• Field of Search: 200/6A
• US Class Current: 200/6.00A
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 2009/04707 with ball joint
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 2009/04744 Switches
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 2009/04774 with additional switches or sensors on the handle
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 2009/04777 with additional push or pull action on the handle
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 9/04785 the controlling member being the operating part of a switch arrangement

Abstract

An operating arm pivotably movable selectively in opposite directions along two mutually-perpendicular paths of movement about an intermediate pivot point drives a sliding cam for operating linear reciprocative operators of a plurality of selfrestoring switches by means of translating pins.

Claims

1. A switch operating mechanism and switch combination comprising a supporting body, an elongated operating member pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on said body and having an upper end portion extending outwardly from said body, means on said body for constraining said operating member for pivotal movement along two mutually-perpendicular paths, a guide plate on said body positioned at a lower end portion of said operating member for restricting said pivotal movement of said operating member in one or both of said paths, a base member positioned below the guide plate, a slidable cam member slidably carried by the base member between the base member and the guide plate and engaged by said other end portion of said operating member for sliding thereby, means for guiding the cam member for sliding movement along two mutually-perpendicular paths corresponding to the paths of movement of the operating member, a pair of pinreceiving openings extending vertically through said base member, translating pins loosely received in said pin-receiving openings and each engaged at their upper end face by said cam, and a pair of switches positioned below the base member and having selfrestoring, reciprocable push buttons respectively engaged by the lower end faces of the translating pins.

2. A combination as in claim 1 wherein the means for guiding the cam member comprises a pair of parallel-spaced slots in an upper wall of the cam member and a plurality of spaced guide pins depending from the guide plate, said guide pins being received in said slots for guiding the cam member in one of its paths of movement and engaging opposite side faces of the cam member for guiding the cam member in its other path of movement.

3. A combination as in claim 1 wherein the means for guiding the cam member comprises a cruciform-shaped recess in an upper wall of the base member and the cam member is received in the recess.

4. A combination as in claim 1 wherein the lower face of the cam member is provided with two camming areas each having three camming elevations and so positioned that the camming areas respectively engage upper end faces of the translating pins to provide three operating positions for each of the pins selectively.

5. A combination as in claim 1 wherein the lower ends of the openings in the base member have shouldered areas restraining the translating pins within the openings while permitting their lengthwise movement in response to movement of the cam member and the self-restoring action of the push buttons.

6. A combination as in claim 5 wherein the base member comprises separate upper and lower base portions held in face-to-face engagement, the cruciform-shaped recess is in the upper wall of the upper base portion, and a pair of upper openings in the upper base portion are axially aligned with a pair of lower openings in the lower base portion and constitute said pair of pin-receiving openings extending through the base member, the lower openings are of larger diameter than the upper openings, the translating pins have lower enlarged portions of greater diameter than the upper openings and said lower enlarged portions are received in the lower openings.

7. A combination as in claim 1 wherein an indexing collar is slidably received on the operating member above the guide plate, the guide plate has a guiding recess in an upper wall surface thereof, and spring means are provided for biasing the collar into engagement with the recess thereby to restrict movement of the indexing collar and the operating member along one or boTh of said paths.

8. A combination as in claim 7 wherein the area around the guiding recess is concave upwardly so that when the guiding collar is moved selectively from an intermediate position toward the outer ends of the guiding recess by movement of the operating member, the spring means is compressed thereby to urge the indexing collar and the operating member toward the intermediate position.