Multiple electric switch with single actuating lever

• US 6,198,054 B1
• Filed: 04/11/2000
• Issued: 03/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Coactive Technologies Pte Limited
• Original Assignee: ITT Manufacturing Enterprises, Inc. (ITT, Inc.)
• Inventors: Janniere, Alain
• Primary Examiner(s): SCOTT, JAMES R
• Application Number:
  US09/546,165
• Time in Patent Office: 329 Days
• Field of Search: 200/5.R, 200/5.A, 200/6.A, 200/4, 200/17.R, 200/18, 200/533, 200/553, 200/557, 200/517, 200/1.B
• US Class Current: 200/5.00R
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2025/046 having a spherical bearing between operating member and housing or bezel
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2025/048 having a separate central push, slide or tumbler button which is not integral with the operating part that surrounds it
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 25/008 Operating part movable both angularly and rectilinearly, the rectilinear movement being perpendicular to the axis of angular movement
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 25/041 having a generally flat operating member depressible at different locations to operate different controls

Abstract

A switch arrangement with multiple switches that can be selectively actuated by operation of a single lever, is of simple construction and occupies a minimum of space on a circuit board. The arrangement includes a housing (100) with a vertical axis (V) and an actuating lever (50) lying along the axis and pivotable about horizontal axes (102, 104). Upper and lower West switches (114, 116) that lie West of the axis, are actuated, one when the lever top is moved West and the other when the lever top is moved East. Similarly, upper and lower South switches (117, 118) are actuated, one when the lever top is moved South and the other when the lever top is moved North. Each pair of switches includes a pair of resilient trip members (32W, 33W and 32S, 33S), and with an arm (68W, 68S) extending horizontally from the middle of the lever and lying between the centers of the trip members. The lever includes a spherical body (48) lying in a spherical recess (46) of the housing to enable the lever to pivot, and a plunger (53) that is vertically slideable in a passage (58) in the spherical body, so when the plunger is depressed it depresses a snap dome trip member (132) to close a fifth switch under the lever. The snap dome biases the plunger upwardly, and the plunger can press upwardly against the spherical body to hold it in the recess.

Claims

1. A multiple switch arrangement comprising:

a housing;

an actuating lever having a lever top, with said lever lying in said housing at a primarily vertical axis and pivotable about a horizontal North-South axis and about a perpendicular horizontal East-West axis, said lever having a West arm and a South arm extending, respectively, primarily West and primarily South from said vertical axis;

a pair of West switches lying primarily West of said axis, including a lower West switch that is actuated when said lever top is moved West to lower to said West arm, and an upper West switch that is actuated when said lever top is moved East to raise said West arm;

at least one South switch lying primarily South of said axis, and that is actuated by said South arm when said lever top is moved in a predetermined direction that is largely parallel to said North-South axis.

2. The switch arrangement described in claim 1 wherein:

said lever includes a lever body that is pivotally mounted on said housing to pivot about said North-South axis and about East-West axis, with said body having a vertical passage with a lower end;

said lever includes a plunger that is slideably mounted in said vertical passage;

a switch lying at said lower end of said passage, to be operated by depression of said plunger.

3. The switch arrangement described in claim 1 wherein:

said pair of West switches includes upper and lower resilient trip members lying one below the other, with each trip member having a middle portion and a peripheral portion, said lower switch includes a pair of lower switch contacts lying below the corresponding lower trip member and said upper switch includes a pair of upper switch contacts lying above the corresponding upper trip member, with each trip member including a middle portion and opposite sides and with each pair of switch contacts including a middle contact lying opposite and normally spaced from the middle portion of the corresponding trip member and a side contact lying against the peripheral portion of the trip member;

said lever includes a pair of arms that each has an outer end with a pair of convex projections lying respectively against the middle of one of said upper trip members and against the middle of one of said lower trip members.

4. The switch arrangement in claim 1 wherein:

said housing has North, South, East, and West walls, with the distance between said axis and said North wall being less than the distance between said axis and said South wall, and with the distance between said axis and said East wall being less than the distance between said axis and said West wall.

5. A multiple switch arrangement, comprising:

a housing which includes a vertical axis and a plurality of horizontally-spaced cavities lying along different horizontal directions that are angularly spaced about said axis;

a plurality of switches lying in said cavities, including in each cavity an upper switch that includes an upper resilient trip member with an upper member middle and that also includes an upper center contact lying above said upper trip member middle and a second contact engaged with said upper trip member, and including in each cavity a lower switch that includes a lower resilient trip member with a lower member middle portion and that also includes a lower center contact lying below said lower trip member middle portion and a second contact engaged with said lower trip member;

an actuating lever having a center lying substantially on said axis and being pivotable on said housing about a plurality of horizontal axes, said lever having a plurality of arms each projecting into one of said cavities and having an end positioned to upwardly deflect one of said upper trip members and downwardly deflect one of said lower tripping members when said lever is pivoted to respectively raise and lower the corresponding arm.

6. The switch arrangement described in claim 5 wherein:

said housing includes a recess that holds said center of said lever, and said housing includes upper and lower housing parts that each forms about half of each of said cavities and that each forms a plurality of horizontal arm passages connecting said central cavity region to each of said cavities, with each of said arms extending through one of said arm passages and with each arm passage limiting pivoting of said lever about said vertical axis to locate the arm about said vertical axis.

7. The switch arrangement described in claim 5 wherein:

said plurality of cavities consists of only two cavities, including a South cavity and a West cavity lying respectively South and West of said axis.

8. The switch arrangement described in claim 5 wherein:

said lever includes a metal plate that lies in a primarily horizontal plane and that forms a plurality of arm cores that extends along each arm into each of said cavities, and said lever includes a polymer overmold on each of said arms, with each overmold forming a pair of convex projections that lie respectively against the upper trip member middle and the lower trip member middle.

9. A multiple switch arrangement, comprising:

a housing that has a vertical axis and that includes polymer molded upper and lower housing halves that fit together to form said housing, with said housing halves forming a first side cavity between them that is spaced from said axis, with said upper housing part having spherical walls forming a part spherical recess that faces primarily downwardly along said vertical axis, and with said lower housing part forming a bottom recess under said part spherical recess;

a pair of first contacts lying in said bottom recess, and a resilient center trip member that is upwardly bowed and that has an edge that engages one of said first contacts and that has a middle portion lying over the other first contact to engage it when said trip member middle is depressed;

a switch lying in said first side cavity;

a lever having a partially spherical body lying in said spherical recess, with said lever having a lever part with a lower end that lies against said resilient center trip member to downwardly deflect said center trip member when said lever part is depressed, said body having a primarily horizontally-extending arm extending into said first side cavity to operate said switch when said body is pivoted.

10. The switch assembly described in claim 9 wherein:

said partially spherical body has a vertical passage, and said lever part comprises a push button that is vertically slideable in said passage and that forms a lower end that lies against said resilient trip member, with said push button having an upwardly-facing shoulder that abuts said body to push it into said spherical recess when said push button is not depressed.

11. A multiple switch arrangement, comprising:

a housing that includes upper and lower housing halves that have outside walls and that fit together to form a housing that has a vertical axis, with each of said housing halves being a molded polymer part, and with said housing halves forming first and second side cavities between them that are each spaced from said axis, and said housing forming a center cavity lying along said axis;

a pair of first switches lying in said first cavity including upper and lower first switches, and at least one second switch lying in said second cavity with each of said switches having an independent switch contact;

an actuator moveably mounted in said housing and coupled to said switches to selectively operate them;

a circuit board which has an upper face with a plurality of traces thereon;

the independent switch contact of said upper switch includes a vertically elongated contact tail that extends from said upper housing half and down along an outer wall of said lower housing half to one of said traces.

12. The switch arrangement described in claim 11 wherein:

each of said switches includes a trip member, with said lower switch including an upwardly bowed lower trip member, and with said upper switch including a downwardly bowed upper trip member;

said actuator is in the form of a lever that is pivotable about a plurality of horizontal axes on said housing, and said actuator has a plurality of arms that each extends into one of said side cavities including a first arm that lies between the upper and lower trip members in said first cavity.