Sealed board-mounted electrical switch
AssigneeITT Manufacturing Enterprises, Inc.
InventorsSylvain Rochon, Laurent Bouvier
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An electrical switch mounted on a circuit board and providing tactile feedback includes a domed tripper (18) and an elastomeric actuator (16) with a rod having an upper operating end (78) that can be depressed to snap down the tripper and close the switch. The actuator has a lower sealing lip (62) extending in a 360° circle around the tripper and lying against the circuit board upper face, to form a sealed cavity (56) containing the tripper. The 360° sealing lip of the actuator is pressed down against the circuit board by a cap (14) that has a side wall (26) with a lower edge (38) pressing down against the sealing lip. The cap has feet (42) extending down through holes in the circuit board, the feet having latches (48) that hold the cap in place.
Claims15
A tactile-effect electrical switch which includes a circuit board, the circuit board including a board having an upper face and at least a pair of conductive traces on said upper face, a tripper with a middle that can be depressed to snap down and connect said pair of traces, an actuator with an actuator center have a lower face lying over said middle of said tripper and an actuator upper face that can be depressed, and a cap that is fastened to said circuit board and which lies over and surrounds a portion of said actuator, wherein:
- said actuator is integrally formed of elastomeric material and has a lower sealing lip extending 360° around said tripper and lying against said circuit board upper face;
- said upper cap is fastened to said circuit board at a plurality of locations spaced around said actuating member lower sealing lip, and said upper cap has a side wall with a lower edge that presses down against substantially all of said lower sealing lip to press the sealing lip against said circuit board and form a substantially sealed cavity in which said tripper lies.
A tactile-effect electrical switch which includes a circuit board, the circuit board including a board having an upper face and at least a pair of conductive traces on said upper face, a tripper with a periphery and with a tripper middle that lies on a vertical axis over one of said traces, said tripper middle being depressable to snap down and connect said pair of traces, and an elastomeric actuator having a peripheral skirt and having an actuator center portion lying within said skirt, said actuator center portion having an upper end that can be depressed and said actuator center portion having a lower actuating face lying over said middle of said tripper, and said actuator having a connection portion that connects said skirt to said actuator center portion, wherein:
- said tripper has a plurality of arms extending away from said tripper middle, each of said arms having opposite sides;
- said actuator includes a tripper-positioning portion that engages the sides of a plurality of said arms to horizontally and rotationally position said tripper.
A tactile-effect electrical switch which comprises a circuit board that includes a board having an upper face and a pair of conductive traces on said upper face, a tripper with a tripper periphery and with a tripper middle that lies on a vertical axis over one of said traces, said tripper middle being depressable to snap down and connect said pair of traces, and an actuator that can be depressed and that depresses said tripper middle, wherein:
- said actuator is a one-piece elastomeric member with an actuator periphery that is pressed against said circuit board to seal thereagainst, said actuator having a center forming a rod that has upper and lower rod parts and a rod middle part lying vertically between said upper and lower rod parts, and said actuator having a connecting portion extending 360° around said rod and extending between said rod middle part and said actuator periphery and merging with each of them, said tripper lying within said actuator periphery;
- said upper rod part having an exposed upper end and said lower rod part lying substantially against said tripper middle, with said red upper and lower parts being thicker than said connecting portion.
A tactile-effect electrical switch for mounting on a circuit board that has a board and a pair of conductive traces, to connect said traces when the switch is operated comprising:
- a tripper with a periphery lying on one of said traces and with a middle that can be depressed to snap down against another of said traces and connect said pair of traces;
- an actuator with an actuator center lying over said tripper middle and with an upper end that can be depressed;
- a cap for fastening to said circuit board;
- said actuator is formed of elastomeric material and has a lower sealing lip;
- said cap has a side wall with a lower end that lies over and against said actuator sealing lip, to press the sealing lip against the circuit board when the switch is mounted on the circuit board.
A switch for mounting over traces of a circuit board comprising:
- a tripper with a middle lying on an axis and a plurality of arms extending largely radially from said middle and having arm opposite sides;
- an elastomeric actuator with a skirt that surrounds said tipper, a center portion that can be depressed and that lies over said tripper middle, and a connecting portion that connects said skirt and said center portion, said skirt forming fingers that engage said arm opposite sides.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.