U.S. patent number 3,854,018 [Application Number 05/370,096] was granted by the patent office on 1974-12-10 for multiple circuit selector switch assembly having movable contact means adapted to retain itself in closed circuit position.
This patent grant is currently assigned to AMP Incorporated. Invention is credited to Charles Edward Reynolds, Harold Oakley Woolley, Jr..
United States Patent |
3,854,018 |
Reynolds , et al. |
December 10, 1974 |
MULTIPLE CIRCUIT SELECTOR SWITCH ASSEMBLY HAVING MOVABLE CONTACT
MEANS ADAPTED TO RETAIN ITSELF IN CLOSED CIRCUIT POSITION
Abstract
A switch assembly has an apertured grate superimposed upon a
contact board on which a plurality of independent electrical
contacts are located. The apertures in the grate are respectively
associated with the contacts to expose the contacts through the
grate. A cross-curved elongated contact strip is operatively
connected to the grate on the side thereof opposite the contacts in
a predetermined position and configuration such that the strip is
flexed between its points of connection to the grate in order to
form a single projection which extends into one of the apertures
and engages the contact associated therewith. The cross-curved
contact strip flattens at the projection within the aperture
because of the flexing of the strip, and thus holds the strip in
that aperture until the strip is urged through another aperture in
the grate, either manually or by a pushbutton or the like, thereby
causing the projection in the strip to occur at the other aperture
and relieving the projection at the aperture in which it was
previously formed.
Inventors: |
Reynolds; Charles Edward (Camp
Hill, PA), Woolley, Jr.; Harold Oakley (Hershey, PA) |
Assignee: |
AMP Incorporated (Harrisburg,
PA)
|
Family
ID: |
23458203 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/370,096 |
Filed: |
June 14, 1973 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
200/5A; 200/5E;
200/16R; 200/284; 200/16D; 200/275; 200/517 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01H
13/7013 (20130101); H01H 13/74 (20130101); H01H
15/04 (20130101); H01H 23/08 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H01H
13/74 (20060101); H01H 13/70 (20060101); H01H
15/00 (20060101); H01H 23/08 (20060101); H01H
23/00 (20060101); H01H 15/04 (20060101); H01h
013/74 (); H01h 015/02 () |
Field of
Search: |
;200/1R,5R,5A,5E,5EA,5EB,6R,6B,16R,85R,86R,86A,61.54-61.57,159B,259 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Scott; James R.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A switch assembly comprising a contact board having a plurality
of electrical contacts positioned thereon, an apertured grate
operatively connected to said contact board adjacent said
electrical contacts and having a plurality of apertures formed
therein respectively associated with each of said electrical
contacts to expose said contacts through the grate, and a resilient
electrically conductive contact strip having opposite end portions
respectively operatively connected to opposite ends of said grate
at predetermined points of connection on the side of said grate
opposite said contact board, said contact strip being cross-curved
about its longitudinal axis, transversely of its width; the
distance between said predetermined points of connection on said
grate being less than the length of said contact strip between said
points of connection whereby a portion of said strip is flexed into
a projection extending towards and entering one of the apertures in
said grate to engage the contact member associated with said one
aperture; said cross-curved contact strip being flattened across
its width at said projection by the flexing of the strip thereby
holding the strip in said one aperture until the strip is urged
through another aperture in said grate, causing said projection to
occur at said another aperture and relieving the projection and
flattening of the strip at said one aperture; and means for
maintaining one portion of said contact strip in electrical
connection with an electrical conductor at all times, whereby said
strip operates to provide an electrical connection between said
conductor and a selected one of said contacts at substantially all
times, in accordance with the selected location of said
projection.
2. A switch device as defined in claim 1 wherein said grate is
formed of an electrical insulating material.
3. A switch as defined in claim 1 including a cover plate
operatively connected to said grate, said cover plate being located
on the side of said contact strip opposite said grate and having a
plurality of apertures formed therein in position to be in
alignment with the apertures in said grate.
4. A switch as defined in claim 3 including a strip of insulating
material positioned over said contact strip on the side thereof
adjacent said cover plate.
5. A switch as defined in claim 3 including a plurality of
pushbuttons respectively slidably mounted in the apertures in said
cover plate for movement towards and away from said contact board
and having first end portions positioned adjacent said contact
strip and adapted to be respectively urged into engagement with
said strip and into their associated apertures in said grate to
flex said strip and form said projection at their associated
aperture in the grate to contact their associated contact member
with said strip.
6. The switch as defined in claim 3 wherein said contact strip is
positioned with one curved side thereof opening towards said
grate.
7. The switch as defined in claim 3 including at least one toggle
member pivotally mounted in said cover plate above and adjacent a
pair of apertures therein; said toggle member including a pair of
leg members positioned to respectively enter said pair of apertures
in said cover upon pivotal movement of said toggle between first
and second positions.
8. The switch as defined in claim 1 including a cover plate
operatively connected to said grate, said cover plate being located
on the side of said contact strip opposite said grate and having an
elongated aperture formed therein in substantially vertical
alignment with the apertures in said grate; and an insulative slide
member slidably mounted in said cover plate above said contact
strip for movement in the aperture of the cover between first and
second positions with respect to the apertures in said grate, said
slide member having a resilient leg adapted to slidably engage said
contact strip, said leg member being adapted to urge said contact
strip into the aperture in the grate therebelow to form said
projection.
9. The switch as defined in claim 3 wherein said contact strip is
formed of thin spring steel.
10. A switch assembly comprising, a contact board having a
plurality of electrical contacts positioned thereon, a grate
superimposed on and operatively connected to said contact board and
having a plurality of apertures therein including apertures
respectively located with respect to the contacts for exposing the
contacts through the grate, and a cross-curved elongated contact
strip operatively connected to said grate on the side thereof
opposite said contacts in a predetermined position whereby the
strip is flexed between its points of operative connection to the
grate to form a projection extending into one of said apertures
wherein the cross-curved strip is flattened across its width at
said projection by the flexing of the strip thereby to hold the
strip in said one aperture until the strip is urged through another
aperture in said grate, causing said projection to occur at said
another aperture and relieving the projection at said one aperture;
and means for maintaining one portion of said contact strip in
electrical connection with an electrical conductor at all times,
hereby said strip operates to provide an electrical connection
between said conductor and a selected one of said contacts in
accordance with the selected location of said projection.
11. The switch assembly as defined in claim 10 wherein said contact
strip has opposite end portions respectively connected to said
grate at predetermined points of connection; the distance between
said predetermined points of connection being less than the length
of said contact strip between said points of connection whereby
upon application of a force in a direction normal to said contact
strip and towards said grate, said strip is flexed into a
projection extending towards and entering one of the apertures in
said grate to engage the contact member associated with said one
aperture.
12. The switch assembly as defined in claim 11 including means in
said assembly engaging said contact strip for urging the strip into
a straight configuration above the apertures in said grate.
13. The switch assembly as defined in claim 11 wherein said
distance and said lengths are selected in predetermined relation to
each other such that flexing of said strip holds the strip in said
one aperture until the strip is urged through another aperture in
said grate, causing said projection to occur at said another
aperture and relieving the projection at said one aperture.
14. The switch assembly as defined in claim 13 wherein said means
comprises means for maintaining said one portion of said contact
strip in engagement with one of said electrical contacts on said
board at all times.
Description
The present invention relates to electrical switches, and more
particularly to a selector switch which permits one circuit to be
selected from a group of circuits.
Selector switches of various types have been previously proposed
which will enable an operator to select one circuit from a group of
circuits in order to perform a desired operation. Typically, such
selector switches are provided with a plurality of pushbutton
control members that are movable between two operative positions
and interconnected with each other such that as any one of the
control members is moved to one of its operative positions a
control member previously in that operative position is returned to
its other operative position. The problem with such pushbutton
selector switches is that they require relatively complex
arrangements of springs, plates or levers for interconnecting the
respective control members in order that they operate in the
desired manner. Moreover, the number of control members or
pushbuttons which can be operatively associated with each other in
the control device is usually limited because of the complexity of
the interconnections required to control the positions of the
pushbuttons. Also, because of the complexity of such previously
proposed pushbutton selector switches, it is relatively difficult
to assemble the components in their housings and thus a relatively
large amount of hand labor is required in order to complete the
assembly. As a result, it is not possible to obtain a rapid
production rate in the manufacture of such selector switches.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a
selector switch which has a minimum of movable components.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a
selector switch by which one circuit can be conveniently selected
from a series of circuits.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a selector
switch which is relatively inexpensive to produce and is durable in
use.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a pushbutton
device which requires a minimum of force in order to make the
selected contact, and yet has sufficient strength to maintain the
contact at all times until another circuit is selected.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention a selector
switch assembly is provided by which individual circuits can be
selected by the engagement of a contact strip with contact elements
positioned on a printed circuit board. The switch includes a
contact or printed circuit board having electrical contacts located
thereon and an apertured grate which is operatively connected to
the contact board on the side thereof containing the electrical
contacts. The grate has a plurality of apertures formed therein
which are respectively associated with each of the individual
electrical contacts on the contact board, thereby to expose the
contacts through the grate. A resilient electrically conductive
common contact strip is operatively connected to the grate at the
opposite end portions thereof. The contact strip is cross-curved
about its longitudinal axis and its length between the points of
connection thereof to the grate is greater than the distance
between the points of connection so that the strip is thus flexed
into a projection which extends towards and enters one of the
apertures in the grate. As a result, the projection engages the
contact member associated with the aperture in which it has
entered.
Because of the cross-curved construction of the common contact
strip, the strip has an unstable column strength and thus flattens
across its width at the projection in an aperture; the flattening
of the strip in this manner holds the strip in that aperture until
the strip is urged through another aperture in the grate, either
manually or by a pushbutton, thus causing the projection to occur
at the other aperture and relieving the projection of the strip at
the first aperture. As a result, the first contact is broken and a
new contact is made.
In one embodiment, means are provided for automatically relieving
the projection when manual pressure is removed, whereby the switch
can be used to make intermittent contacts.
The above, and other objects, features and advantages of this
invention, will be apparent in the following detailed description
of illustrative embodiments thereof which are to be read in
connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a selector switch constructed in
accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged exploded perspective view of the selector
switch illustrated in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3a is a sectional view taken alone line 3--3 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3b is a partial sectional view similar to FIG. 3a of another
embodiment of the invention;
FIGS. 4 and 5 are sectional views of the contact strip used in the
present invention taken along lines 4--4 and 5--5 respectively in
FIG. 3a;
FIG. 6 is a sectional view, similar to FIG. 3, of another
embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 7 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 6, of yet another
embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a sectional view of still another embodiment of the
present invention; and
FIGS. 9 and 10 are partial exploded perspective views of two
additional embodiments of the invention.
Referring now to the drawing in detail, and initially to FIGS. 1
and 2 thereof, it is seen that a selector switch 10, constructed in
accordance with the present invention, includes a plurality of
pushbuttons 12 slidably mounted therein (as described more fully
hereinafter) with which an operator may select any one of a series
of electrical circuits connected to the switch assembly along its
contact edge 14. The switch is constructed so that only one of the
circuit connections 15 along edge 14 is selected at any given time
by the depression of one of the pushbuttons 12 in the assembly.
As seen most clearly in FIG. 2, switch assembly 10 includes a
printed circuit board element 16, also referred to hereinafter as a
contact element or contact board, on which a plurality of contacts
18 are formed or otherwise positioned in any conventional manner in
electrical contact with circuit connections 15. A grate plate 20,
preferably formed of an electrical insulation material, is
superimposed on the side 22 of contact board 16 on which contacts
18 are printed. The grate is provided with a plurality of
independent apertures 24 which are located in the plate to be
directly above and associated with individual contact members 18,
so that those contacts are exposed through the grate.
A common contact element 26 in the form of an elongated
electrically conductive strip is provided in the switch assembly 10
in order to allow an operator to make selective contact with the
contacts 18, thereby to select the desired electrical circuit. As
would be apparent to those skilled in the art, the common connector
strip may be connected in any convenient manner through external
circuits to a source of current so as to form a complete electrical
circuit with the circuits to which connectors 15 are connected when
the contact between the connector strip 26 and the respective
contacts 18 is made, in the manner described hereinafter. However,
in the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawing,
connector strip 26 is provided with a permanent bend or corrugation
26' adjacent one end 30 thereof, which corrugation extends through
an opening 24' in grate 20 into permanent contact with a contact
18' which is connected through a connector 15' on the printed
circuit board to a source of current. Alternatively, corrugation 30
can be eliminated and strip 26 connected to the current source by a
wire lead or the like in any convenient manner.
Contact strip 26 is connected to grate plate 20 and to contact
board 16, in any convenient manner, and preferably by rivets 28, as
illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, at the opposite ends thereof. The
contact strip is provided as a cross-curved metallic element
(preferably of thin spring steel), i.e. an element which is curved
about its longitudinal axis, transversely of its width. This is
most clearly illustrated in the sectional view of FIG. 4, wherein
it is seen that in the normal relaxed configuration of the strip
26, the strip maintains a curved configuration in
cross-section.
In accordance with the present invention, the length of the strip
26 between the points of connection 27 thereof to grate 20 is
selected to be somewhat longer than the distance between rivets 28.
As a result of this differential in length, the strip 26 will be
flexed between its ends 30, i.e. between the rivets 28, so as to
form a projection 32, as seen in FIG. 3. The difference in length
between the length of the strip 26 and the distance between the
rivets 28 determines the size of projections 32 and that difference
is selected so that projection 32 will contact one of the contacts
18 through its associated aperture 24 in grate plate 20. The
selection of which contact 18 is engaged by projection 32 is made
by depressing one of the buttons 12, as described hereinafter. It
is noted that formation or movement of projection 32 does not
effect corrugation 26' since the latter is located on the other
side of rivet 28'; thus the contact between corrugation 26' and
contact 18' is always "made." In addition, strip 26 may have gold
strips or the like plated or otherwise secured thereto at the
locations on its lower surface with which it engages contacts 18.
Such strips will allow the switch to accommodate heavy current
flows therethrough.
Superimposed above grate 20 and contact strip 26 is a cover plate
33 connected to the switch assembly by rivets 28. Cover plate 33
has a plurality of apertures 34 formed therein which slidably
receive pushbuttons 12. The latter have a complementary
configuration in plan to the configuration of apertures 24 and are
provided with laterally extending flanges 36 which prevent the
buttons from being inadvertently withdrawn from the assembly. The
buttons are freely slidably mounted in the apertures 34, except as
limited by the flanges 36, and have projection portions 38 which
are located to engage the upper surface 40 of contact strip 26, as
seen most clearly in FIG. 3. In addition, an insulating pad 42 is
positioned between the projections 38 of pushbuttons 12 and the
upper surface 40 of contact strip 26. The insulator pad 42 is
preferably formed of a waterproof material such as nylon or silicon
rubber and it serves to protect against inadvertent contacts with
the strip 26 through plate 33 which may cause shorting in the
circuits connected to connectors 15. However, in certain
applications this strip may be eliminated.
In the illustrative switch of the present invention, as shown in
FIGS. 1-3, the switch is adapted to be operated intermittently,
that is contact of the strip 26 with a contact 18 is maintained
only as long as a button 12 is held depressed. When the button is
relieved, the strip will automatically return to a position out of
engagement with the contact board. This is accomplished by the
provision of a pair of spacers 44 located at the opposite ends of
the switch assembly. These spacers hold cover plate 33 sufficiently
above grate plate 20 to accommodate the curved cross-sectional
configuration of contact strip 26 and have downwardly bent ends 45
which engage strip 26. The bent ends 45 of spacers 44 bend strip 26
downwardly slightly into opening 47 in board 20 and hold the strip
bent at these locations thereby normally taking up the extra length
of the strip between rivets 28 so that the strip normally remains
straight above grate 20. Thus, when one of the buttons, e.g. 12b,
is depressed, it forms the projection 32 and causes it to engage
its associated contact 18b, as seen in FIG. 3, thereby urging strip
26 at its ends upwardly against bent ends 45 of the spacers.
However, as soon as the pressure on button 12b is relieved, the
spring force of the bent ends of the spacers will overcome the
tendency of strip 26 to maintain projection 32 and thus will bend
the strip into opening 47, relieve projection 32, and return the
strip to its straight configuration over opening 24. On the other
hand, where it is desired that the strip 26 maintain its contact
with a contact 18 for extended periods, i.e. not be intermittently
operated, then the bent ends 45 of spacers 44 are eliminated. In
that case, as described hereinafter, the strip 26, because of its
configuration, will hold projection 32 in contact with the selected
contact until another button 12 is pushed.
This latter form of the invention is shown in FIG. 3b wherein it is
seen that in the assembled configuration of switch 10, without the
bent spacer ends 45, strip 26 is flexed, due to the differential in
length between its ends and the points of connection 28 on grate 20
so that a projection 32 is automatically formed which will enter
one of the apertures 24 in the grate and contact one of the
contacts 18 on contact board 16. Thus, for example, as shown in
FIG. 3b, one of the contacts 18b is engaged by the projection 32.
In that position the button 12b is, in effect, depressed and slides
into its lowermost position under the influence of gravity. On the
other hand, the remaining buttons 12 remain in their uppermost
position resting on the upper surface 40 of strip 26. In this
position the buttons also prevent the projection 32 from forming in
a direction away from grate 20.
As a result of the cross-curved configuration of strip 26, the
strip has an unstable column strength which makes it relatively
easy to bend to form projection 32. However, when the projection is
formed, the curved strip tends to flatten out, at the apex of the
projection, as illustrated in FIG. 5. (This occurs in all
embodiments of the present invention.) This flattening of the
cross-curved band tends to hold the band in the flexed position,
i.e. it serves to maintain the configuration of projection 32,
until an outside force is placed on strip 26 at some other
location. In effect, the cross-curved band acts as an "over the
center member" when the band is flexed into the curved position.
That is, at projection 32 the flexure of the strip causes the
curved cross-section thereof to flatten out so that the center
portion of the band moves downwardly, as seen in FIGS. 4 and 5,
past a position at which the natural resiliency of the band will
maintain its curved configuration. Once it has moved past that
point, the band will maintain its flat configuration, or possibly
even a reverse curved configuration until it is forced back in the
opposite direction. This feature of the crosscurved strip enables
the strip to maintain the projection 32 at a fixed location during
the operation of the switch of FIG. 3b until another button 12 is
depressed.
It is noted that although the strip 26 is shown in the drawing as
being positioned to curve or open towards grate 20 and contact 18,
the strip can be placed in the reverse position to curve or open
towards cover plate 33 and will still operate in substantially the
same manner, i.e. it will still flatten out at projection 32 to
hold the projection in its associated grate aperture 24.
When it is desired to engage the common contact strip 26 with
another contact element, for example contact 18a in FIG. 3b,
pushbutton 12a is manually engaged and depressed against strip 26
and into the aperture 24a associated therewith. As a result of the
manual force applied to the pushbutton 12a, band 26 is depressed
and projection 32 is formed in the aperture 24a associated with
contact 18a. Because the force on pushbutton 12a forms the
projection 32 in this aperture, the projection 32 in aperture 24b
is relieved, and the band returns to its curved and relatively
straight configuration beneath pushbutton 12b, raising the latter
to its uppermost position. Of course, in the embodiment of FIG. 3a
this occurs automatically when pressure on pushbutton 12b is
relieved due to the biasing effects of the spring bent ends 45 of
spacers 44. In that case projection 32 is relieved and is not
formed again until another pushbutton, e.g. 12a, is depressed and
held down against the bias of spacers 44.
Because of the cross-curved configuration of strip 26, there is a
positive snap action in the switch assembly so that the contacts
between the strip 26 and the contacts 18 are made rapidly and
positively. That is, projection 32 is rapidly snapped and unsnapped
at the respective locations of the buttons 12 upon the actuation
thereof. Thus, there is a clean, positive action contact in the
switch.
In another embodiment of the present invention illustrated in FIG.
6, a toggle switch element 50 is utilized in lieu of the
pushbuttons 12. As seen therein the toggle switch comprises an
inverted Y-shaped member having a stem 52 and a pair of legs 54, 56
respectively. The toggle is pivotally mounted at 58 in the cover
plate 33 of the switch assembly, with legs 54, 56 being positioned
above respective apertures 24 formed in grate 20. It is noted for
the purpose of simplifying the drawing, only two apertures 24 have
been shown in FIG. 6, however, it is to be understood that the
switch shown therein can have multiple toggle switches respectively
associated with additional contacts 18 formed on board 16. In this
embodiment of the invention the switch is constructed in a similar
manner to the switch 10 in that a contact board 16 is provided with
contacts 18 formed thereon. The apertured grate plate 20 is
positioned in superimposed relation to the printed circuit board
16, with the apertures 24 thereof exposing contact elements 18, and
a cross-curved common contact strip 26 is mounted above the grate
plate 20 between that plate and the cover 33. As will be
appreciated by a careful consideration of FIG. 6, by rotating
toggle member 50 in opposite directions, as indicated by the arrow
60 in the drawing, legs 54 and 56 will alternately be urged into
contact with common contact strip 26, causing the projection 32 to
form in the aperture 24 in which the leg is inserted. The switch
operates in substantially the same manner as the previously
described switch of FIG. 3b in that the cross-curved contact member
tends to flatten out in an over-the-center manner, to hold the
projection 32 in the selected aperture 24 until the switch 50 is
reversed.
Yet another embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIG. 7 of
the drawing. The switch 70 shown therein is similar in construction
to the switch illustrated in FIG. 3b of the drawing, however, in
lieu of the pushbutton members 12 a slide element 72 is mounted for
sliding movement in cover 33 between two extreme positions at the
right and left side (not shown) of the switch along a straight
path, indicated by the arrow 74, above openings 24 in grate 20.
Slide element 72 has a resilient arm 76 secured thereto which is
adapted to slidingly engage the upper surface 40 of the
cross-curved common contact strip 26. As illustrated in FIG. 7,
with leg 76 engaging the contact strip 26 in this manner, it
depresses the strip and forms projection 32 therein which engages
the contact element 18a associated with the aperture 24 in grate
plate 20 thereabove. When the slide 72 is moved towards the right,
the leg 76 thereof causes the projection 32 to be formed in the
successive apertures 24 while relieving the projection 32 in a
prior aperture by applying sufficient force to the strip to
overcome its tendency to hold the projection in the prior
aperture.
Another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIG.
8 of the drawing. This embodiment is similar to that illustrated in
FIG. 3, except that the pushbuttons 12 have been eliminated
therefrom so that the switch can be directly operated manually.
Thus, switch 80 includes a contact board 16 having electrical
contacts 18 formed thereon at predetermined spaced locations along
its upper surface 22. A grate 20 is mounted above contact board 16
in superimposed relation with the apertures 24 thereof respectively
located above the contacts 18. In addition, a cross-curved metallic
contact strip 26 is mounted above and adjacent grate 20, with its
length being selected to be larger than the distance between the
points of connection 28 of the contact element to the grate so
contact to form the projection 32 therein. Cover 33 provides a
series of apertures 34 through which a finger can be inserted to
engage the contact strip 26. The apertures 34 serve to confine the
finger pressure to the proper area over the desired contact element
18.
In this embodiment of the invention the contact strip 26 may be
provided with an insulated coating on its exposed side, i.e. on its
side facing the apertures 34. Alternatively, in certain
applications, the contact element need not be insulated. For
example, the selector switch 80 may be used in a vending machine
wherein the selection is made prior to insertion in a coin in the
machine; in that case there is no current through the switch until
the coin is deposited. Thus, the purchaser simply makes a selection
by inserting a finger in a selected aperture 34 in order to urge
the contact strip 26 into engagement with the appropriate contact
18, thereby moving the projection 32 into the appropriate aperture
24 adjacent the selected contact, and then deposits his coin. At
that point, his finger is removed from the switch and the coin
activates an additional switch which supplies current to the
circuit. Thus, no insulation of strip 26 will be required.
In this embodiment of the invention the cross-curved contact strip
operates in substantially the same manner as the embodiments which
were previously described in that the curved configuration thereof
provides unstable column strength in the strip which permits the
strip to be readily flexed in the desired direction and which holds
the flexed strip with projection 32 in the appropriate aperture
until an outside force is applied to the strip through a separate
aperture 24.
FIGS. 9 and 10 of the drawings illustrate a portion of two
additional embodiments of the present invention which are similar
in construction to the embodiment of FIG. 3b. Each of these
embodiments is provided with a contact strip compliance means 90,
100, respectively, formed therein. These compliance means serve to
apply a compressive force in the longitudinal direction of their
associated contact strip 26, which aids the strip in maintaining
the projection 32 in a fixed position until an outside force is
applied to the strip at another location. The compliance members
are useful in the switches of the present invention because high
tolerances between the respective lengths of the contact strip 26,
between the apertures or points of connection 27 therein, and the
distance between the rivets 28, such as is required to properly
form the projections 32, are sometimes difficult to produce,
particularly in mass production operations. More specifically, in
the structure of the present invention, particularly in the
embodiments described above, the projection 32 is formed by the
compression effected upon the contact strip 26 because of the
greater length between the apertures or connection points 27 in the
contact strip and the distance between the rivets 28. Thus, the
differential in these distances or lengths is highly important in
effecting the formation of the projections 32 and small variations
in the amount of this difference can seriously effect the operation
of the switch. On the other hand, by the embodiments of the
invention shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 of the drawings, the compliance
members 90, 100, serve to apply a compression bias to the contact
strip 26 so that any variation in the tolerance of the respective
lengths of the strip and the distance between the points of
connection, is overcome by the compression imposed on the strip
from the compliance means.
More specifically, the compliance means 90 shown in the
modification of the switch assembly in FIG. 9 of the drawings
consists of a preformed and permanent corrugation in one end of the
strip 26 on the same side of the opening 27 therein as the
projections 32 to be formed. The corrugation 90 is located to enter
an opening 92 formed in grate 20 to accommodate the corrugation. By
this construction, when the strip 26 is secured in the assembled
switch, i.e. secured to rivets 28, it is held in compression not
only by the excess length of the strip between its openings 27, but
also by the corrugation or crimp in the strip provided by the
compliance means 90. Thus, a bias compression stress or force is
placed on the strip 26 along its longitudinal axis by the
compliance means 90. This force will hold the projections 32 formed
in the switch in a stable configuration until another pushbutton is
pushed to form the projection 32 at a different location, i.e. in a
different aperture 24.
The embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 10 of the
drawing operates on the same principle as the compliance means
discussed above with respect to FIG. 9. In this case, however, the
cross-curved strip 26 is provided with an enlarged portion 102
having a central aperture 104 formed therein in order to define a
pair of thin legs or connecting strips 106. By this construction,
when the switch is assembled with strip 26 secured through its
openings 27 to the rivets 28, the strip is compressed to form a
projection 32 because of the difference between its length between
openings 27 and the distance between the rivets 28. However, any
difference in tolerance is accommodated by the compliance means
100, since the thin legs 106 thereof apply a longitudinal
compressive force to the contact strip in the mounted assembly.
Accordingly, the strip is maintained in compression and the
projections 32 formed therein will be held in a fixed position even
if the relative lengths between openings 27 and rivets 28 are not
exactly correct. The legs 106, since they are formed of the same
spring steel material as the strip 26, have a relatively high
spring rate, i.e. they constitute a relatively stiff spring which
maintains a substantial compression stress on the strip 26 to
insure that the projections 32 when formed hold their position and
contact with their associated contact member 18.
Accordingly, it is seen that a relatively simple and inexpensive
switch assembly is provided wherein only a single moving part is
utilized to provide a selection between a plurality of different
electrical circuits. Moreover, this single moving element, i.e. the
flexible cross-curved strip 26, is constructed so as to maintain
the selected position as a result of its own configuration and
strength rather than as a result of the application of outside
forces by springs, latches or the like as are required in
previously proposed devices. As a further result of the relatively
simple construction of the invention, the switch assembly is
inexpensive to produce and can be manufactured at relatively high
production rates.
It will be apparent from the foregoing description that the
cross-curved strip 26 should be of a suitable spring material for
best results in the practice of the invention. Spring steel,
preferably stainless spring steel, having the physical properties
of the strip used to manufacture steel tape measures is a highly
satisfactory material for the strip 26. Other alloys such as
berillum copper, phosphor bronze, or a suitable spring brass can be
used.
Although illustrative embodiments of the present invention have
been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings,
it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to those
precise embodiments, and that various changes and modifications may
be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing
from the scope or spirit of this invention.
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