Small Illuminating Switch

This invention relates to an improved small switch. More particularly, it relates to an improved switch used as a toggle switch or wave type switch for making or breaking the main contacts by manipulating a movable operating handle; in which lead wires from an illuminator mounted at one end of the movable operating handle are safely conducted to the contact elements of the main contact converter member in such a manner that the lead wires do not move relative to the handle; in which the contact elements to which the lead wires are connected at one end can be readily and reliably fitted to the converter member; and in which the terminals of the illuminator and the ends of the lead wires can be easily connected in the movable operating handle.

In the conventional small illuminating switch of this type, the lead wires from the illuminator are drawn out into the interior space of the switch body through an opening formed in the movable handle connected with the converter member or slider member, and then are connected to the terminals of the lighting circuit. In this construction, a trouble often results in the electric circuit from the illuminator, such as a lamp or light-emitting diode fitted at the top end of the handle, to the terminals of the lighting circuit fitted in the switch body. Especially, the lead wires drawn out from the illuminator are forced to move relative to the handle every time the handle is operated so that the lead wires become fragile by the bending motion and may be broken. Furthermore, the connecting portion between the terminals of the lighting circuit and the lead wires drawn out through the opening may be damaged as a result of the repeated operation of the handle.

In a case where the lead wires connected to the illuminator at the top end of the movable operating handle are drawn out through an opening formed in the handle at a location reasonably spaced from the fulcrum of the handle and are then connected to the contact elements fitted in the housing of the switch, the following drawback is observed. That is, since the lead wires are oscillated each time the handle is operated, the lead wires must be loose to provide a play for oscillatory movement so that the loose wires are often caught by the internal mechanism of the switch such as the movable contact elements, causing malfunctions or improper connection between the contacts.

To sum up, this invention provides an improved small switch.

The switch of this invention comprises: a housing having at least one open end; main contact contained in the housing and having at least one first movable contact element and at least one first fixed contact element; a cover member mounted on the open end of the housing; a movable operating handle whose one end is disposed within the housing and the other end extends through and projects from the cover member; an illuminator disposed at one end of the movable operating handle; a converter member disposed at the other end of the movable operating handle for making or breaking the main contacts; second movable contact elements fitted to the converter member; lead wires disposed within the interior space of the movable operating handle and connecting the second movable contact elements and the illuminator; and second fixed contact elements disposed within the housing with which the second movable contact elements are brought into contact.

This switch also includes an insulating member contained in the hollow interior space of the movable operating handle and having at least two through bores into which the terminals of the illuminator and the bare end portions of the lead wires are inserted so as to make firm contact with each other.

The converter member is formed with first bores having a step into which the second movable contact elements are fitted.

Thus, an object of this invention is to provide an improved small illuminating switch.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved small illuminating switch in which the lead wires connected to the illuminator mounted on one end of the movable operating handle is safely conducted to the converter member secured to the other end of the handle in such a manner that the lead wires do not move relative to the handle when the handle is operated, the converter member being adapted to open or close the main contacts.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an improved small illuminating switch in which the contact elements, to which the lead wires disposed within the interior space of the movable operating handle are connected at one end, can be readily and reliable fitted to the converter member secured to one end of the handle.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved small illuminating switch in which the terminals of the illuminator and the ends of the lead wires can be readily connected in the movable operating handle.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description.

This invention therefore covers those features in construction and those combinations and arrangements of members and parts that are detailed in the following in conjunction with the preferred embodiments, and the scope of this invention is specified in the claims.

For thorough understanding of this invention, the attached drawings should be referred to, in which

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the small illuminating switch constructed according to this invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the main portion of the illuminating switch of this invention;

FIG. 3a is a plan view showing the interior of the switch body of the illuminating switch of this invention;

FIG. 3b is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III--III of FIG. 3a;

FIG. 4a is a cutaway view showing the converter member of the illuminating switch of this invention;

FIG. 4b is a cutaway view showing another example of the converter member constructed according to this invention;

FIG. 4c is a cutaway view showing still another example of the converter member in the illuminating switch of this invention;

FIG. 5a is a perspective view showing the contact element of the illuminating switch of this invention;

FIG. 5b is a perspective view showing another example of the contact element in the illuminating switch of this invention;

FIG. 6a is a perspective view showing an example of the insulating member in the illuminating switch of this invention;

FIG. 6b is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VI--VI of FIG. 6a.

FIG. 6c is a perspective view showing another example of the insulating member in the illuminating switch of this invention;

FIG. 6d is a perspective view showing still another example of the insulating member in the illuminating switch of this invention;

FIG. 6e is a perspective view showing a further example of the insulating member in the illuminating switch of this invention;

FIGS. 7a and 7b are perspective views showing other examples of the fixed contact elements in the illuminating switch of this invention; and

FIG. 8 is a disassembled perspective view showing another example of the supporting mechanism of the movable operating handle in the illuminating switch of this invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the switch of this invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the switch with main parts disassembled. In these figures, reference numeral 1 represents a housing for containing a switch body, the housing having an open end 1a and a central partition wall 1b of a predetermined height (as shown in FIG. 3a). The housing 1 is provided at its open end 1a with a cover 2 and a sleeve 3, the cover and the sleeve forming a cover member. In other words, the cover 2 is secured to the open end 1a of the housing 1 by a suitable means, and the sleeve 3 is fastened to the upper surface 2a of the cover 2 by an external screw 3a fitted to the lower end portion of the sleeve 3. Provided in the housing 1 and projecting from the upper end 3b of the sleeve 3 is a movable operating handle 4 which is a cylindrical member with a hollow interior space 4h and whose upper cylindrical member 4A and lower cylindrical member 4B are detachably connected by a threaded portion 4e. As shown in FIG. 1, a swivel portion 4a formed on the almost central portion of the lower cylindrical member 4B is supported in a swivel receiver 3c formed on the upper inner wall of the sleeve 3 and is biased by a coiled spring 15 (shown in FIG. 2) so that the handle 4 can be tilted to the right and left about the swivel receiver 3c as a fulcrum.

Secured to the lower portion of the movable operating handle 4 is a converter 5 which has a through opening 5a at its center and a bore 5b cut into the lower surface. The converter 5 also has a pair of bores 5c, 5c extending therethrough, which are each provided with a upwardly inclined step 5d. The side surface of the converter 5 adjacent to the pair of bores 5c is formed with a slightly raised central surface 5e and two slightly recessed surfaces 5f on both side thereof. A cut portion 4b formed at the lower end of the handle 4 is loosely inserted into the through opening 5a at the center of the converter so that the converter 5 can be oscillated to the right and left by mannually tilting the handle 4 toward the right and left, as viewed in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 4a, a telescopic slider 14 is inserted into the bore 5b cut into the underside of the converter 5 with the coiled spring 15 interposed between the slider and the bottom of the bore so that the telescopic slider 14 projects out of the lower surface of the converter 5. The telescopic slider 14 is biased by the spring 15 to bear against a movable contact element 10 so as to make or break the main contacts which are provided in one half of the housing 1 divided by the central partition wall 1b. A pair of ears 10a of the movable contact element 10 which constitutes part of the main contacts are supported by a pair of support walls 1e projecting within the housing 1, with the central undersurface of the movable contact element resting on a terminal 12 extending through the bottom wall of the housing 1. The movable contact element 10 is so supported that it can be tilted about the terminal 12 as the fulcrum in either direction to make selective contact with fixed contact elements or terminals 11 and 13, these fixed contacts extending through the bottom wall of the housing 1 like the terminal 12. The telescopic slider 14 is urged by the coiled spring 15 to bear against the upper surface of the movable contact element 10, as shown in FIG. 2. The upward reactionary force of the spring 15 presses, through the converter 5, the swivel portion 4a of the handle 4 into the swivel receiver 3c formed on the inner wall of the sleeve 3. Disposed within the interior space of the upper end of the upper cylindrical member 4A is an illuminator 6 such as a lamp and a light-emitting diode, which has two pin-like terminals 6a projecting downwardly from the undersurface thereof. The illuminator 6 emits light upwardly through the upper end surface 4c of the upper cylindrical member 4A of the handle 4. The upper cylindrical member 4A has a small-diameter portion 4d around the upper end surface 4c for preventing the illuminator 6 from getting out of the upper cylindrical member 4A. Two lead wires 7 which electrically connect the terminals 6a of the illuminator 6 with lower terminals 18A, 18B extend downward through the entire length of the lower cylindrical member 4B of the handle and into the converter 5.

To facilitate the connection between the terminals 6a of the illuminator 6 and the upper ends of the lead wires 7, a cylindrical insulating member 8 is inserted, next to the illuminator 6, into the upper cylindrical member 4A. The insulating member 8 is made of insulating material such as synthetic resin with elasticity and has a pair of through bores 8a extending longitudinally therethrough. As shown in FIG. 2, the pair of terminals 6a of the illuminator 6 are inserted into the pair of through bores 8a from above and the bare end portions 7a of the pair of lead wires 7 are inserted into it from below. Thus, the terminals 6a and the bare end portions 7a are arranged side by side contacting each other in the through bores 8a. By properly selecting the diameters of the through bores 8a, it is possible to cause the terminals and the conductors to press against each other with the aid of the proper elasticity of the insulating member 8, so that good electrical and mechanical connection can be obtained by simply inserting the lead wires and the terminals into the through bores 8a formed through the insulating member 8. The lower end 8b of the insulating member 8 abuts against the upper end 4s of the lower cylindrical member 4B of the handle, and the upper end 8c of the insulating member 8 against the lower end 6b of the illuminator 6. In this condition, the upper cylindrical member 4A of the handle 4 is screwed over the threaded portion 4e formed on the outer surface of the upper portion of the lower cylindrical member 4b thereby firmly securing the upper and lower cylindrical members together and holding the insulating member 8 and the illuminator 6 in place in the upper cylindrical member 4A.

Denoted by 9A, 9B are a pair of contact elements resiliently fitted to the converter 5 for receiving the uncovered lower end portions 7b of the pair of lead wires 7 and securing them to the converter 5. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5a, each of the contact elements 9A, 9B has a U-shaped portion 9a-9b-9c and an elastic tongue 9d downwardly bending from one of the upper ends of the U-shaped portion. The tongue 9d is formed with an opening 9e through which the lower end bare portion 7b of the lead wire 7 is inserted to be connected therewith. The lower end bare portion 7b of the lead wire 7 may be wound on any of the portions 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d, instead of being inserted through the opening 9e. In this case, the opening 9e may be omitted. The contact elements 9A, 9B are fitted to the converter 5 by inserting the bent portions 9c-9d into the bore 5 c from below, as shown in FIG. 4a. The tongue 9d has sufficient elasticity so that it is deformed when being inserted since the lower portion of the bore 5c is narrow but, when the lower end 9d' of the tongue 9d is pushed above the step 5d, the tongue 9d snaps back and expands as shown in FIG. 4a, with the lower end 9d' abutting against the step 5d, thereby preventing the contact elements 9A, 9B from coming off the converter 5. Then the portion 9a of each contact element contacts the recessed surface 5f on each side of the raised surface 5e of the converter 5. Thus, the contact elements can be fitted to the converter very easily simply by inserting them into the bores. The lower end bare portions 7b of the lead wires 7 extend downward through the opening 5a formed in the converter 5 and are connected, for example, to the tongue 9d as described earlier.

Corresponding to the pair of movable contact elements 9A, 9B, a pair of fixed contact elements 16, 17 are provided to the inner wall of the housing 1. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3a, the fixed contact element 16 consists of a vertical portion 16a, a horizontal portion 16b, a rectangular hole 16c and a horizontally extended portion 16d while the other fixed contact element 17 consists of a vertical portion 17a, a horizontal portion 17b, a rectangular hole 17c and a vertically extended portion 17d. The vertical portion 16a of the contact element 16 corresponds to the contact element 9A on the left-hand side, as viewed in FIG. 2, and the vertical portion 17a of the contact element 17 to the contact element 9B on the right-hand side. As already mentioned, the contact element 16 has a rectangular hole 16c formed in the horizontal portion 16b extending from a lower end of the vertical portion 16a at a right angle thereto. A terminal 18A similar in shape to the fixed contact elements or terminals 11, 13 is inserted into the rectangular hole 16c from above and is also inserted through the bottom wall of the housing 1 so as to be fixed in it. Likewise, the contact element 17 has a rectangular hole 17c formed in the horizontal portion 17b and a terminal 18B extends through the rectangular hole 17c and through the bottom wall of the housing 1 so that the terminal 18B is secured to the housing. The horizontally extended portion 16d of the contact element 16 and the vertically extended portion 17d of the contact element 17 are provided for giving the switch multiple purposes, and may be omitted.

When the handle 4 is in a position shown in FIG. 1, the portion 9a of the movable contact element 9A makes contact with the vertical portion 16a of the fixed contact element 16, and the other movable contact element 9B with the vertical portion 17a of the fixed contact element 17 so that the illuminator 6 is electrically connected to the fixed contact elements 16, 17. When the handle 4 is pressed to the opposite side, the portion 9a of the contact element 9B makes contact with the vertically extended portion 17d of the fixed contact element 17 but the portion 9a of the contact element 9A disengages from the fixed contact element 16 so that the circuit of the illuminator 6 is open.

As a variation of the converter 5, the bores 5c may be formed such that they open downwardly only, with the upper end of the bores closed, as shown in FIG. 4b, in which case the movable contact elements 9A, 9B are inserted into the bores 5c from below. Conversely, it is also possible to insert the contact elements 9A, 9B into the converter 5 from above, as shown in FIG. 4c. In this case, the tongue 9d is upwardly inclined and the step 5d downwardly inclined.

As a variation of the contact elements 9A, 9B, the central area of the portion 9c may be cut to form a rectangular elastic tongue 9d whose lower end is projected as shown in FIG. 5b, instead of providing the elastic tongue 9d separately from the portion 9c, as shown in FIG. 5a.

The pair of through bores 8a of the insulating member 8 may take various forms as shown in FIGS. 6a through 6e. Generally, the gourd-shaped bores are most desirable (FIG. 6e). They may be formed into circular bores (FIG. 6c) or rectangular bores (FIG. 6d). In the gourd-shaped bores, the two bores may be arranged so that the longitudinal center lines run parallel to each other, as shown in FIG. 6e, or they may be arranged in a line. Furthermore, a pair of small holes 8d may be formed in the insulating material 8, in addition to the pair of through bores 8a, as shown in FIGS. 6a and 6b. The small holes 8d are to secure to the insulating member 8 the bare end portions 7a of the lead wires 7, as shown in FIG. 6b, that are to be connected with the terminals 6a of the illuminator 6. The insulating member 8 may also be omitted and the handle 4 may be formed as a continuous single body.

If the illuminator is turned on or off by changing over the power switch and therefore the on-off switching action is not required in the illuminator circuit, the fixed contact elements 16, 17 may be formed as shown in FIGS. 7a and 7b.

The supporting means for the movable operating handle 4 is not limited to the above embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, a pair of pivotal shafts 22 provided to the movable operating handle 4 may be inserted into bearing holes 21 formed in a pair of erected walls 20a on the cover 20 and the handle 4 may be biased by the spring 15 fitted in the converter 5 so that the handle 4 can be pivoted about the supported pivotal shafts.

This invention is constructed and works as stated above. According to this invention, the lead wires for the illuminator mounted within the upper portion of the handle are conducted down through the handle into the main contact converter where they are connected with the movable contact elements fitted to the converter, so that the oscillatory movement of the handle does not produce relative movement of the lead wires with respect to the handle. This gives the following advantages: the lead wires can be prevented from being bent or damaged; the movable contact elements can easily be mounted to the converter; and the construction becomes relatively simple and the size small.

Furthermore, this invention has advantages that the connection or disconnection between the terminals of the illuminator and the lead wires can easily be done and that, when connected, they are pressed against each other by the elasticity of the insulating member, thus providing a firm connection between them.

Though preferred embodiments of this invention have been shown and described herein, it should be noted that these embodiments simply illustrate examples and that many changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Likewise, the following claims that are intended to cover all the general and specific features of this invention must be construed without adhering too strictly to the forms and styles used therein.