Safety switch

• US 7,667,149 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2006
• Issued: 02/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IDEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: IDEC Corporation
• Inventors: Komori, Etsurou, Nobuhiro, Masaki, Yasui, Takeo, Fukui, Takao
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Kyung
• Application Number:
  US11/919,592
• Publication Number:
  US 20090065340A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,399 Days
• Field of Search: 200/43.01, 200/43.04, 200/43.09, 200/17.R
• US Class Current: 200/43.04
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 27/007 the switch being lockable by remote control, e.g. by electromagnet

Abstract

A safety switch is provided which is increased in durability and which offers a high degree of freedom of mounting the safety switch to place.

A switch body has a rectangular solid shape. An actuator entrance hole is formed at one of the opposite corner portions of the switch body whereas a cable lead-out port is formed at the other corner portion, whereby the safety switch is increased in the degree of mounting freedom. Thus is offered a wider choice of place to mount the safety switch. The switch body is formed with only one actuator entrance hole so that the safety switch is prevented from suffering failure caused by foreign substances invading through an actuator entrance hole left unused. In addition, a driving cam may be formed with an engaging portion and a cam curve portion in spaced relation so that the driving cam is configured to be free from an area having poor strength. Thus, the driving cam is increased in strength. This leads to the increased durability of the safety switch.

Claims

1. A safety switch system for mounting on a support member surface defining a support member plane, comprising:

a switch body configured to be removably attachable to the support member, said switch body including an operation portion and a switch portion connected together;

said operation portion having exposed surfaces which include one actuator opening providing access to a driving cam, said exposed surfaces of the operation portion being absent actuator openings other than said one actuator opening;

an actuator configured to be insertable and removable by a user into and from the one actuator opening of the operation portion to rotate the driving cam in first and second directions;

the switch portion having a switching device and an operating rod translating rotation motion of said driving cam to operate the switching device between an off state and an on state based on insertion and removal of the actuator;

said switch body having a rectangular solid shape having six planar side surfaces including a first pair of surfaces including first and second opposing side surfaces, a second pair of surfaces including third and fourth opposing side surfaces, and third pair of surfaces including fifth and sixth opposing side surfaces, the first, second and third pairs of surfaces being disposed orthogonal to each other;

said first side surface including a portion of the exposed surfaces of the operation portion and said actuator opening, said actuator opening being disposed at a first corner portion of the rectangular solid shape;

the rectangular solid shape being modified by an excised second corner portion such that a recessed surface is presented in addition to said first, second and third pairs of surface, the recessed surfaces being an outermost exterior surface of the rectangular solid shape at a location of the excised second corner portion and positioned diagonally opposite said first corner portion in a direction diagonally across said fifth and sixth opposing side surfaces;

said recessed surface defining a cable lead-out port positioned recessed relative to each of four planes defined by said second opposing side surface, said fourth opposing side surface, said fifth opposing side surface and said sixth opposing side surface; and

a cable entering said switch portion via said cable lead-out port, said cable lead-out port being sufficiently recessed relative to said four planes such that the switch body is mountable with any of said second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth opposing side surfaces against said support member without said cable passing through said support member plane.

2. The safety switch system according to claim 1, wherein said recessed surface is a slanted planar surface defining oblique angles in conjunction with said second and fourth opposing side surfaces.

3. A safety switch system for mounting on a support member surface defining a support member plane, the safety switch system being configured to accept a cable for connection to a controlled device, comprising:

a switch body configured to be removably attachable to the support member, said switch body including an operation portion and a switch portion connected together;

said operation portion having exposed surfaces which include one actuator opening providing access to a driving cam, said exposed surfaces of the operation portion being absent actuator openings other than said one actuator opening;

an actuator configured to be insertable and removable by a user into and from the one actuator opening of the operation portion to rotate the driving cam in first and second directions;

the switch portion having a switching device and an operating rod translating rotation motion of said driving cam to operate the switching device between an off state and an on state based on insertion and removal of the actuator;

said switch body having a rectangular solid shape having six planar side surfaces including a first pair of surfaces including first and second opposing side surfaces, a second pair of surfaces including third and fourth opposing side surfaces, and third pair of surfaces including fifth and sixth opposing side surfaces, the first, second and third pairs of surfaces being disposed orthogonal to each other;

said first side surface including a portion of the exposed surfaces of the operation portion and said actuator opening, said actuator opening being disposed at a first corner portion of the rectangular solid shape;

the rectangular solid shape being modified by an excised second corner portion such that a recessed surface is presented in addition to said first, second and third pairs of surface, the recessed surfaces being an outermost exterior surface of the rectangular solid shape at a location of the excised corner portion and positioned diagonally opposite said first corner portion in a direction diagonally across said fifth and sixth opposing side surfaces; and

said recessed surface defining a cable lead-out port positioned recessed relative to each of four planes defined by said second opposing side surface, said fourth opposing side surface, said fifth opposing side surface and said sixth opposing side surface, the cable-lead out port being configured to accept the cable for connection to said switch device, said cable lead-out port being sufficiently recessed relative to said four planes such that the switch body is mountable with any of said second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth opposing side surfaces against said support member without said cable passing through said support member plane.

4. The safety switch system according to claim 3, wherein said recessed surface is a slanted planar surface defining oblique angles in conjunction with said second and fourth opposing side surfaces.

5. A safety switch system for mounting on a support member surface defining a support member plane, the safety switch system being configured to accept a cable for connection to a controlled device, comprising:

a switch body housing a driving cam that is rotatably mounted, an operating rod, and a switching device;

said driving cam having a curved cam surface and an actuator engagement surface, both disposed on an outer periphery of the driving cam;

said switch body having a rectangular configuration and an entire exterior which includes one actuator opening disposed at a first corner portion of the switch body and providing access to a driving cam, said entire exterior of the switch body being absent actuator openings other than said one actuator opening;

an actuator configured to be insertable and removable by a user into and from the one actuator opening to engage the actuator engagement surface to rotate the driving cam in first direction during insertion and a second direction during removal;

said operating rod being slidably mounted to effect translation of rotation motion of said driving cam by displacement by said curved cam surface to operate the switching device between an off state and an on state based on insertion to removal of the actuator, said curved cam surface extending from a first position on the driving cam engaged by the operating rod when the actuator is not inserted and a second position on the driving cam engaged by the operating rod when the actuator is fully inserted;

said exterior of said switch body defining a cable lead-out port positioned at a second corner portion of the switch body which is located opposite said first corner portion; and

said driving cam being absent curved cam surfaces engageable by said operation rod other than said curved cam surface, and said driving cam being absent engagement surfaces oriented to engage the actuator other than said actuator engagement surface.

6. The safety switch system according to claim 5, wherein:

said rectangular configuration of said switch body has six planar side surfaces, and a slanted planar surface at an excised corner portion, in addition to said six planar side surfaces, is provided, said slanted planar surface defining oblique angles in conjunction with a first orthogonal pair of said six planar surfaces adjacent said slanted planar surface;

said actuator opening is formed in a first planar side surface, other than said first orthogonal pair of side surfaces, in a corner portion located diagonally opposed to said excised corner portion and said slanted planar surface; and

said cable lead-out port is defined in said slanted planar surface.

7. The safety switch system according to claim 5, wherein:

the switch body configured to be removably attachable to the support member;

said rectangular configuration has six planar side surfaces including a first pair of surfaces including first and second opposing side surfaces, a second pair of surfaces including third and fourth opposing side surfaces, and third pair of surfaces including fifth and sixth opposing side surfaces, the first, second and third pairs of surfaces being disposed orthogonal to each other;

said actuator opening is in the first opposing side surface; and

said rectangular configuration being modified so as to have an excised corner portion forming a recessed surface in addition to said six planar side surfaces, said recessed surface defining a cable lead-out port positioned recessed relative to each of four planes defined by said second opposing side surface, said fourth opposing side surface, said fifth opposing side surface and said sixth opposing side surface, the cable-lead out port being configured to accept the cable for connection to said switch device, said cable lead-out port being sufficiently recessed relative to said four planes such that the switch body is mountable with any of said second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth opposing side surfaces against said support member without said cable passing through said support member plane.

8. A safety switch system comprising:

a switch body removably attachable to a fixing member, an actuator free to enter or retreat from an operation portion of said switch body, a driving cam free to rotate in said operation portion, wherein;

said actuator is engage with an engaging portion of said driving cam so as to rotate said driving cam in either direction depending upon the entrance or retreat of said actuator,

the rotation of said driving cam in either direction causes an operating rod disposed in a switch portion of said switch body to reciprocate as sliding on a cam curve portion of said driving cam, thereby shifting a switching device of said switch portion between an off state and an on state based on which the entrance or retreat of said actuator is detected,

said switch body has a rectangular solid shape, only one actuator entrance hole is formed at one peripheral surface constituting one corner potion of said switch body, and peripheral surface included in six outside surfaces of said switch body,

a cable lead-out port of a cable connected to said switching device of said switch portion is formed at the other corner potion opposite said one corner portion of said switch body,

only one engaging portion is formed on an outer peripheral surface of said driving cam, and

only one cam curve portion is formed on an outer peripheral surface of said driving cam from a position at which said operating rod contacts when said actuator is completely retreated to a position at which said operation rod contacts when said actuator is completely entered.

9. The safety switch system according to claim 8, wherein a slant surface is formed at said opposite corner portion of said switch body, as inclined to two peripheral surfaces constituting said opposite corner portion, said two peripheral surfaces included in the six outside surfaces of said switch body, and wherein said cable lead-out port is formed at said slant surface.

10. The safety switch system according to claim 8, wherein any one of the five outside surfaces of said switch body except for said peripheral surface formed with said actuator entrance hole is used as a mounting surface to said fixing member.