Rocker switch

An electrical switch of the type having an actuator movable between a first position and a second position for moving a bridge member to electrically bridge a first pair of terminals or a second pair of terminals respectively, said terminals engageable with respective corresponding contact means, said switch comprising:

• housing means having an actuating face and a contact face;
• dielectric insert means mountable within said housing means proximate said contact face thereof;
• a first pair of terminal means mounted to said dielectric insert means and having a spaced pair of first contact sections at a selected first location within said housing means after said insert means is mounted therein and further having outer first contact sections at said contact face for engagement with first corresponding contact means;
• a second pair of terminal means mounted to said dielectric insert means and electrically insulated from said first pair of terminal means, and having a spaced pair of second contact sections at a selected second location within said housing means after said insert means is mounted therein, and further having outer second contact sections at said contact face for engagement with second corresponding contact means;
• a bar having a first conductive end associated with said pair of first contact sections and a second conductive end associated with said pair of second contact sections;
• mounting means for securing said bar to said dielectric insert means prior to mounting said dielectric insert means within said housing means such that said first end is proximate said pair of first contact sections and said second end is proximate said pair of second contact sections, said mounting means including a pivot means and permitting actuated movement of said bar about said pivot means between a first position and a second position;
• actuating means secured to said housing means proximate said actuating face and movable between a first actuating position and a second actuating position, said actuating means including bearing means engageable with said bar at only a first engaging position proximate said first end thereof and a second engaging position proximate said second end thereof, said actuating means further including means for axially loading said bearing means;
• biasing means for camming said bearing means away from loaded engagement with said bar at an initial one of said first and said second engaging positions, and permitting impacting of said bearing means into loaded engagement with said bar at a resulting one of said first and said second engaging positions, during movement of said actuating means between said first and said second positions;
• and
• holding means for holding said bar stationary at an initial one of said first and said second bridging positions such that a respective one of said first and said second ends thereof is held under substantial contact normal force in electrical engagement with a respective pair of said first and second contact sections;
• said bar being movable by said actuating means to a first bridging position electrically bridging only said pair of first contact sections when said actuating means is in said first actuating position and to a second bridging position electrically bridging only said pair of second contact sections when said actuating means is in said second actuating position, and said bar being held in said initial one of said first and second bridging positions until being moved to a resulting one of said first and second bridging positions by being impacted by said bearing means proximate said resulting one of said first and said second engaging positions.