Electric switch

• US 6,765,165 B1
• Filed: 12/20/2003
• Issued: 07/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Inventors: Torrens, Eduard
• Primary Examiner(s): Donovan, Lincoln
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, KYUNG S
• Application Number:
  US10/707,550
• Time in Patent Office: 213 Days
• Field of Search: 200/512, 200/5.R, 200/176, 200/17.R, 200/51.03, 200/51.05, 200/330, 200/345
• US Class Current: 200/512
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 25/008 Operating part movable both angularly and rectilinearly, the rectilinear movement being perpendicular to the axis of angular movement

Abstract

There is disclosed an electrical switch having an extremely simple structure allowing up to six contact positions, based on a slightly lengthened control having a button end and a shaft end, equipped to close a first pair different circuits when it is moved in one longitudinal direction of the other, to close a second pair of different circuits when one of its shaft sides tilts forward or backward, and finally to close a third pair of different circuits through similar forward or backward movement by its other shaft side.

Claims

1. An electrical switch having six contact positions activated by a single switch button comprising:

an electrical switch body having an opening therein for passage of a button shaft and being fixedly attached to a printed circuit board, a printed circuit board having two surfaces, one surface facing the opening in said electrical switch body and having disposed thereon a plurality of electro-conductive pads capable of acting as electrical switches;

a button plate having two surfaces, one surface facing the printed circuit board surface having three pairs of side pieces each of said side pieces, said button plate second surface having mounted thereon a button shaft capable of passing through the opening in said electrical switch body and further being under dimensioned allowing said button shaft to move transversely in relation to said electrical switch body within the confines of said opening in said body;

a flexible membrane located between said button plate and said printed circuit board and having on its surface facing said button plate three pairs of tabs having straight trapezoidal profile and each pair of tabs facing each other through their larger bases defining a space for locating a corresponding pair of said three pairs of side pieces on said button and further being characterized as having on the lower heel portion of each tab being equipped with an electro-conductive pad designed to act upon one of said plurality of electro-conductive pads on said printed circuit board; and

a button mounted on said button shaft end extending from said electrical switch body opening for activating a desired one of said plurality of plurality of electro-conductive pads.

2. An electric switch as claimed in claim 1, wherein said opening in said electrical switch body is oversized in relation to said button shaft, acting as a movement limiter for said button plate against said flexible membrane.

3. An electric switch as claimed in claim 1 wherein, said flexible membrane has two positioning pins that mount in a pair of corresponding bores on said the printed circuit board.

4. An electric switch as claimed in claim 1 wherein, one of said three pairs of said tabs on said flexible membrane is situated centrally and aligned longitudinally, and the other two pairs of said tabs are positioned on either side of said centrally positioned pair of tabs are aligned transversely, so that they act on the respective circuits when said button is activated.

5. An electric switch as claimed in claim 1, wherein said switch has six electro-conductive pads.