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US 5,691,517 AGranted
Multidirectional lever switch device
AssigneeSumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd.
InventorsTetsuo Yamamoto, Yoshikazu Taniguchi, Junichi Kojima
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A recess portion 14a is formed in the underside of the flange 14 of a tilting holder 13 at a position corresponding to, for example, an "upper right" select switch 4. As a result, the operating pin 10 of the "upper right" select switch 4 has a fixed gap with the flange 14. Consequently, the operating pin 10 of the "upper right" select switch is pressed when an operating lever 15 is tilted. However, the operating range B of, for example, the "upper right" select switch 4 is set narrower than the operating range A of, for example, the "upper" select switch 4 since the pressing of the operating pin 10 of, for example, the "upper right" select switch 4 is delayed by the gap resulting from the recess portion 14a.
Claims10
A lever switch device, comprising:
- an operating lever that is tiltable into and about a plurality of tilting positions;
- a plurality of switch elements disposed about the operating lever;
- a plurality of operating elements, wherein each of the plurality of operating elements corresponds to one of said plurality of switch elements, wherein tilting of said operating lever into a tilting position displaces an operating element, said displacement causing a corresponding switch element to be actuated, wherein selected ones of the operating elements actuate corresponding switch elements in response to a first amount of tilting of the operating lever, and wherein others of said operating elements actuate corresponding switch elements in response to a second amount of tilting of said operation lever;
- and
- a housing that extends along a longitudinal axis and that accommodates the operating lever, the plurality of switch elements and the plurality of operating elements, wherein tilting said operating lever said first amount in an acute angular direction relative to the longitudinal axis displaces one of the select ones of the operating elements and wherein tilting said operating lever said second amount in one of a parallel direction and a perpendicular direction relative to the longitudinal axis displaces one of said others of said operating elements.
2 more elements
A multidirectional switch device, comprising:
- an operating lever that is tiltable between a neutral position and a plurality of tilting positions and from one of the plurality of tilting positions to another one of the plurality of tilting positions;
- a plurality of switch elements disposed about the operating lever in a generally circular configuration and interconnected to each other to form a switch matrix circuit for outputting digital data, the plurality of switch elements being greater than four switch elements;
- and
- a plurality of operating elements, wherein each of the plurality of operating elements corresponds to one of said plurality of switch elements, wherein tilting of said operating lever into a tilting position displaces an operating element, said displacement causing a corresponding switch element to be actuated, wherein selected ones of the operating elements actuate corresponding switch elements in response to a first amount of tilting of the operating lever, and wherein others of said operating elements actuate corresponding switch elements in response to a second amount of tilting of said operation lever;
- and
- wherein said selected ones of the operating elements and said others of said operating elements are alternately disposed about the operating lever.
3 more elements
A multidirectional switch device, comprising:
- a lever tiltable in multiple directions;
- a plurality of switch elements so located as to surround the lever, said plurality of switch elements being interconnected into a matrix form to constitute a switch matrix circuit and including alternating ones of OR switch elements and non-OR switch elements;
- and
- a plurality of operating elements, each of which is displaced in interaction with the lever to operate any one of the plurality of switch elements when a corresponding one of the plurality of operating elements is displaced by a predetermined operating stroke in accordance with the tilting of the lever, wherein the switch matrix circuit outputs digital data indicating a selected one of the plurality of switch elements has been activated in conformity with a selected direction in which the lever has been tilted, wherein the digital data which is output from the switch matrix circuit is an OR signal when one of the OR switch elements and an adjacent one of the non-OR switch elements are simultaneously activated and wherein an OR operating element associated with a corresponding OR switch element is responsive to a first amount of tilting of the lever and a non-OR operating element associated with a corresponding non-OR switch element is responsive to a second amount of tilting of the lever, the first and second amounts of tilting of the lever being different from one another.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.