Electrical switch device
First Claim
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1. An electrical switch, comprising:
- a holder member reciprocatingly movable from a neutral position to operating positions on opposite sides of said neutral position;
an operating means engaged with said holder member for moving said holder member back and forth to said operating positions;
means associated with said operating means for normally holding said holder member at the neutral position and for automatically returning said holder member from the respective operating positions on the opposite sides of said neutral position to said neutral position when an operating force on said operating means is released;
a pair of spring pieces held on said holder member, said spring pieces extending out of the plane of movement of said holder member and being resiliently bendable toward and away from said holder member and oriented in opposite directions to each other, one being inclined toward one operating position and the other inclined toward the other operating position;
a base plate having a plate surface on which a plurality of stationary contacts are positioned;
a movable contact holder movable at least three steps in the same direction as one direction of movement of the holder member, said movable contact holder having contacts thereon for electrically connecting predetermined stationary contacts in different circuits at positions corresponding to each step;
a plurality of engaging projections on said contact holder, there being at least a subplurality of contacts equal to the number of steps on a line corresponding to the line along which one of said spring pieces moves and at least one on a line corresponding to the line along which the other of said spring pieces moves, said projections having engaging faces thereon engageable by said spring pieces for moving said contact holder during movement of said holder member;
means on said contact holder and said base plate cooperating for stopping and temporarily holding said contact holder at positions corresponding to each of said steps;
said projections having inclined surfaces on the sides thereof facing in the opposite direction to the engaging faces thereon for causing the spring pieces to ride over said projections during return movement of said holder member from an operating position to said neutral position; and
a fixed wall means between said holder and said holder member and having portions thereon for engaging the respective spring pieces during movement of said holder member for causing the spring pieces to be raised to pass over projections which are not desired to be engaged during movement of said holder.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An electrical switch device applicable, for example, to a lever switch arrangement for use in motor vehicles which is arranged to smoothly change over its functioning state through at least three steps of stepwise movement in each direction in its reciprocating operation.
64 Citations
10 Claims
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1. An electrical switch, comprising:
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a holder member reciprocatingly movable from a neutral position to operating positions on opposite sides of said neutral position; an operating means engaged with said holder member for moving said holder member back and forth to said operating positions; means associated with said operating means for normally holding said holder member at the neutral position and for automatically returning said holder member from the respective operating positions on the opposite sides of said neutral position to said neutral position when an operating force on said operating means is released; a pair of spring pieces held on said holder member, said spring pieces extending out of the plane of movement of said holder member and being resiliently bendable toward and away from said holder member and oriented in opposite directions to each other, one being inclined toward one operating position and the other inclined toward the other operating position; a base plate having a plate surface on which a plurality of stationary contacts are positioned; a movable contact holder movable at least three steps in the same direction as one direction of movement of the holder member, said movable contact holder having contacts thereon for electrically connecting predetermined stationary contacts in different circuits at positions corresponding to each step; a plurality of engaging projections on said contact holder, there being at least a subplurality of contacts equal to the number of steps on a line corresponding to the line along which one of said spring pieces moves and at least one on a line corresponding to the line along which the other of said spring pieces moves, said projections having engaging faces thereon engageable by said spring pieces for moving said contact holder during movement of said holder member; means on said contact holder and said base plate cooperating for stopping and temporarily holding said contact holder at positions corresponding to each of said steps; said projections having inclined surfaces on the sides thereof facing in the opposite direction to the engaging faces thereon for causing the spring pieces to ride over said projections during return movement of said holder member from an operating position to said neutral position; and a fixed wall means between said holder and said holder member and having portions thereon for engaging the respective spring pieces during movement of said holder member for causing the spring pieces to be raised to pass over projections which are not desired to be engaged during movement of said holder. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An electrical switch, comprising:
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a holder member reciprocatingly movable from a neutral position to operating positions on opposite sides of said neutral position; an operating means engaged with said holder member for moving said holder member back and forth to said operating positions; means associated with said operating means for normally holding said holder member at the neutral position and for automatically returning said holder member from the respective operating positions on the opposite sides of said neutral position to said neutral position when an operating force on said operating means is released; a base plate having a plate surface on which a plurality of stationary contacts are positioned; a movable contact holder movable at least three steps in the same direction as one direction of movement of the holder member, said movable contact holder having contacts thereon for electrically connecting predetermined stationary contacts in different circuits at positions corresponding to each step; means on said contact holder and said base plate cooperating for stopping and temporarily holding said contact holder at positions corresponding to each of said steps; means on said holder member and said contact holder cooperable for moving said contact holder in one direction of movement or the other and one step at a time and for permitting said holder member to return to said neutral position while said contact holder is held in the position to which it has been moved. - View Dependent Claims (10)
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Specification