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US 4,791,253 AGranted
Steering column switch
AssigneeSWF Auto-Electric GmbH
InventorsHerbert Erdelitsch, Walter Hecht, Horst Rachner
Life of this patent
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AssigneeSWF Auto-Electric GmbH
InventorsHerbert Erdelitsch, Walter Hecht, Horst Rachner
Estimating the term…
This invention relates to an electric switch, especially to a steering column switch. The switch comprises an insulation plate, a switch lever and a switching member, which are jointly swivellably mounted on the insulation plate in a swivelling plane extending perpendicular to a swivelling shaft and which are tiltable from this plane. In the swivelling plane, the lever and switching member can occupy several operating positions. The various operating positions are defined by a locking cam and a detent. One of these two elements is positioned on a locking lever. One end of said locking lever is swivellably mounted about a shaft parallel to the swivelling shaft of the switching member and the locking member is resiliently prestressed against the switching member. In order to prevent the switch lever and the switching member from shaking in the rest condition and to provide a smooth movement of the switch lever and switching member in a changeover between the operating positions, the switching member is guided in the swivelling plane by the switch lever. Thus, the guide can be maintained without an additional space requirement. Due to the guide, the switching member does not strike any other piece parts of the switch so that underside noise is also reduced.
An electric switch having an insulation plate and having a switch lever and a switching member securely joined and jointly swivellably mounted against the insulation plate in a swivelling plane extending perpendicular to a swivelling axis which projects from the insulation plate and about which the switch lever and switching member swivel, the switch lever and switching member being tiltable from said swivelling plane, and, in the swivelling plane, said lever and switching member occupying several operating positions defined by means of a locking mechanism, said locking mechanism comprising two locking element consisting of a locking cam and a detent, one of said locking elements being positioned on a resilient locking lever, with said locking lever being swivellably mounted in said swivelling plane by a first end fastened to the insulation plate and being prestressed against the switching member by means of a spring element, said switching member being guided in the swivelling plane by the locking lever, whereby switching occurs when said switch lever and switching member are swivelled between said operating positions so as to slide at least one set of bridging contacts into and out of contact with at least one set of contact points.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.