US 2012/0268035 A1Published application

Push button switch

OwnerOliver Conrad Stanleyinventor

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Abstract

A push button switch for use in logic-level switching applications. It has dual-intensity LED backlighting of a display: the switch off-state is low intensity and the on-state is distinctly brighter. The button assembly, not attached to the main body, uses magnets to provide a tactile touch and a retaining force. The backlight power is inductively coupled to the button assembly by a high-frequency oscillator that also limits and controls the LED backlight current. Switching is by a Hall-effect switch; alternate action is by bistable logic; and diode logic provides single-wire switch output and remote-control input. The wire can also carry remotely generated pulse signals to program an alternative active display. There are no mechanisms or wear parts in the assemblies, allowing impregnation sealing.

Claims6

Dependent claims

A push button switch comprised of :

a first element hereinafter referred to as the piston, consisting of a rigid non-metallic hollow cylindrical body with a longitudinal groove in the outer surface, the body containing therein a solid cylindrical permanent magnet magnetized through the faces thereof fastened proximate to one end of the body, an insulated copper wire coil wound on an elongated cylindrical solid ferromagnetic core, hereinafter referred to as the coil, fastened proximate to the other end of the body, at least one LED electrically connected to the coil to receive operating power therefrom with the at least one LED located so as to project light out of the body end opposite the magnet end;
and
a second element hereinafter referred to as the button consisting of a transparent faceplate with a message medium located behind said faceplate, said faceplate fastened to one end of a hollow cylindrical knob, said knob fastened to the piston body with the message medium backlighted by the at least one LED with the message visible through the faceplate, the message medium consisting of a passive translucent membrane or an active display device, and
a third element hereinafter referred to as the cylinder, consisting of a rigid non-metallic cylindrical body into a first end of which the piston is placed magnet end first, the inside diameter of the cylinder body allowing the piston to move longitudinally therein, a pin or spline projecting into the longitudinal groove in the piston body to prevent rotation of the piston within the cylinder body, a ring of ferromagnetic material encircling the exterior of the cylinder with the width of the ring matching the length of the piston magnet to mutually attract and hold the piston in a magnetically stable position, also contained within and fastened to the body proximate to a second end a solid cylindrical permanent magnet magnetized through the faces thereof mounted with the magnetic pole of the face closest to the piston opposing the magnetic pole of the piston magnet to provide a resisting force to limit piston travel into the cylinder and to provide a restoring force to assist the piston to return to a magnetically stable position, and
a fourth element consisting of a printed circuit board, with electronic components attached thereon to perform the functions of low power high frequency oscillator with the coil of a parallel resonant circuit and a positive feedback coil wound on the cylinder body to inductively couple power to the piston coil;
a two-state oscillator control circuit to selectively increase or decrease the power coupled to the piston coil to result in a dual-intensity backlight of the message medium or to modulate the oscillator power with a pulse modulation;
a bistable circuit which alternates the logic state of the push button output when triggered by a circuit containing a solid-state Hall-effect device which causes the circuit to generate a pulse when the magnetic field due to the piston magnet is altered by depression of the piston, or by an electrical control pulse from an external remote-control device attached to the input/output terminal of an interface connector, and where the two states of the bistable circuit represent the on/off states of the push button switch, with the off-state controlling the oscillator to a low power operating state and the on-state controlling the oscillator to a higher power operating state, and where the two logic state voltages may be used as the output of the push button switch.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

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Abstract

A push button switch comprised of :

a first element hereinafter referred to as the piston, consisting of a rigid non-metallic hollow cylindrical body with a longitudinal groove in the outer surface, the body containing therein a solid cylindrical permanent magnet magnetized through the faces thereof fastened proximate to one end of the body, an insulated copper wire coil wound on an elongated cylindrical solid ferromagnetic core, hereinafter referred to as the coil, fastened proximate to the other end of the body, at least one LED electrically connected to the coil to receive operating power therefrom with the at least one LED located so as to project light out of the body end opposite the magnet end;
and
a second element hereinafter referred to as the button consisting of a transparent faceplate with a message medium located behind said faceplate, said faceplate fastened to one end of a hollow cylindrical knob, said knob fastened to the piston body with the message medium backlighted by the at least one LED with the message visible through the faceplate, the message medium consisting of a passive translucent membrane or an active display device, and
a third element hereinafter referred to as the cylinder, consisting of a rigid non-metallic cylindrical body into a first end of which the piston is placed magnet end first, the inside diameter of the cylinder body allowing the piston to move longitudinally therein, a pin or spline projecting into the longitudinal groove in the piston body to prevent rotation of the piston within the cylinder body, a ring of ferromagnetic material encircling the exterior of the cylinder with the width of the ring matching the length of the piston magnet to mutually attract and hold the piston in a magnetically stable position, also contained within and fastened to the body proximate to a second end a solid cylindrical permanent magnet magnetized through the faces thereof mounted with the magnetic pole of the face closest to the piston opposing the magnetic pole of the piston magnet to provide a resisting force to limit piston travel into the cylinder and to provide a restoring force to assist the piston to return to a magnetically stable position, and
a fourth element consisting of a printed circuit board, with electronic components attached thereon to perform the functions of low power high frequency oscillator with the coil of a parallel resonant circuit and a positive feedback coil wound on the cylinder body to inductively couple power to the piston coil;
a two-state oscillator control circuit to selectively increase or decrease the power coupled to the piston coil to result in a dual-intensity backlight of the message medium or to modulate the oscillator power with a pulse modulation;
a bistable circuit which alternates the logic state of the push button output when triggered by a circuit containing a solid-state Hall-effect device which causes the circuit to generate a pulse when the magnetic field due to the piston magnet is altered by depression of the piston, or by an electrical control pulse from an external remote-control device attached to the input/output terminal of an interface connector, and where the two states of the bistable circuit represent the on/off states of the push button switch, with the off-state controlling the oscillator to a low power operating state and the on-state controlling the oscillator to a higher power operating state, and where the two logic state voltages may be used as the output of the push button switch.

4 more elements