US 5,510,583 AGranted

Assembly for sequential switching

AssigneeEaton Corporation

InventorJames R. Pescetto

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Abstract

A switch assembly having a rocker type actuator user moveable for actuating plural switches in a housing. The rocker type actuator includes first and second rocker members journalled together for rotation about a common axis. The first member has a paddle extending out of the housing and a first cam portion for actuating a first switch upon initial rotation in one direction. Upon continued rotation in the same direction, overtravel of the first switch is absorbed by a torsion spring which permits resiliently biased lost motion of the first cam with respect to a second cam for subsequent actuation of a second switch. The torsion spring provides a significant increase in the force required to move the actuator between the first and second switch actuation to provide tactiley discernable feedback to the user of the state of switch actuations.

Claims9

Dependent claims

A switch assembly comprising

(a) housing means having disposed therein a plurality of switches, each of said switches with a stationary and a moveable contact and an actuator member operable upon movement to effect opening and closing of the moveable contact against the stationary contact for each of the switches;
(b) a user moveable rocker member pivotally mounted on said housing means for rotation in opposite directions about an axis and including a first cam portion thereof operable upon user movement in a first direction to effect movement of said actuator of one of said plurality of switches for effecting closing of the contacts thereof;
(c) a second rocker member mounted for rotation about said axis on said housing means and including a second cam portion operable upon continued user movement of said first rocker member in said first direction to effect movement of said actuator of a second one of said plurality of switches and closing of the contacts thereof;
and,
(d) means for biasing said second rocker member in a direction opposite said first direction and operable to provide for lost-motion between said first and second rocker members during said continued movement.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.