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US 6,207,908 B1Granted
Mode switch
AssigneeMitsuku Denki Kogyo K.K.
InventorMuneyoshi Miyata
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A mode switch is provided that consists of a base, a rotor, a contact spring piece plate and an actuator plate. Movable contacts of contact spring pieces of the contact spring piece plate are relatively and separately mounted over stationary contacts on the base. Actuators of the actuator plate are placed over the contact spring pieces of the contact spring piece plate. The rotor is placed over the actuator plate and is rotatably attached to the base.
Claims20
A mode switch, comprising:
- a base;
- a rotor;
- a contact spring piece plate;
- and
- an actuator plate,
- wherein:
- said rotor is formed of an insulation disc plate having a lower surface and an outer circumferential fringe and includes a hollow center shaft protruding at a center portion of the lower surface of the insulation disc plate, a circumferential side plate protruding on the outer circumferential fringe of said insulation disc plate, engaging rims protruding from said outer circumferential fringe, and a predetermined number of arc protruding stripes or protrusions of a predetermined length arranged on said insulation disc plate at predetermined positions along a predetermined number of imaginary concentric circles centered with respect to the hollow center shaft;
- said base is formed of a circular insulation substrate and includes a center shaft protruding from the center of an upper surface of said circular insulation substrate and configured to fit into the hollow center shaft of said rotor, engaging pieces disposed along an outer circumference of engaging rims of said circular insulation substrate at angles set on an imaginary circle concentric with said center shaft, said engaging pieces having edges acting as engaging pawls, circumference protruding stripes configured to fit to the circumferential side plate of said rotor with respect to the center shaft, right and left support pillars, and stationary contacts being exposed and formed on said base at positions adjacent to said imaginary concentric circles, said stationary contacts extending to respective terminals outside said circular insulation substrate;
- said mode switch includes guide pillars facing said imaginary concentric circles on said rotor and being provided adjacent to said imaginary concentric circles, said guide pillars having guide grooves or holes respectively positioned along said imaginary concentric circles, said guide pillars being provided at positions bilaterally symmetrical to the center shaft to fit said contact spring piece plate and said actuator plate;
- said contact spring piece plate has a predetermined number of contact spring pieces integrally and protrusively formed on lower sides of left and right plates of sectoral metal spring pieces, said contact spring pieces having first ends acting as movable contacts, each of said left and right plates having a mounting hole for fitting said right and left support pillars of said base, respectively, and said movable contacts of said contact spring pieces being positioned so as to be relatively spaced above the stationary contacts on said base while said contact spring piece plate is attached to said base;
- said actuator plate is formed of an insulation plate of substantially the same shape as said contact spring piece plate and has actuators positioned so as to respectively face with the contact spring pieces of said contact spring piece plate, said actuator plate having insertion holes positioned so as to match the mounting holes of said left and right plates in said contact spring piece plate, said actuators being integrally formed on respective end portions of spring pieces integrally protruding from right and left side lower portions of said insulation plate, and guide protrusions configured to engage with the guide grooves or holes of said guide pillars of said base are formed on right and left side surfaces of said actuators,
- and wherein:
- said contact spring piece plate is mounted to said base by inserting said right and left support pillars into said mounting holes of said left and right plates in said contact spring piece plate such that said movable contacts of said contact spring pieces are relatively spaced from said stationary contacts on said base;
- said actuator plate is placed over said contact spring piece plate by inserting the right and left support pillars of said base into said insertion holes such that said actuators are in contact with said contact spring pieces and said guide protrusions of said actuators are vertically and movably engaged with said guide grooves or holes in said guide pillars on said base, respectively;
- said rotor is placed over said actuator plate such that said rotor is rotatably mounted to said base by inserting said hollow center shaft thereof to the center shaft of said base, by inserting said circumferential protruding stripes of said base into said circumferential side plate and by engaging said engaging pawls of said engaging pieces of said base with said engaging rims of said circumferential side plate;
- when said rotor is rotated, said arc protruding stripes or protrusions on the lower surface of said rotor collide with and run over respective ones of said actuators, thus vertically pushing down respective ones of said contact spring pieces under guidance of said guide grooves or holes, so that respective ones of said movable contacts make contact with respective ones of said stationary contacts under pressure;
- and
- when said rotor is further rotated, said respective ones of said actuators cross over said arc protruding stripes or protrusions, so that said respective ones of said contact spring pieces spring back, said respective ones of said actuators vertically rise to original positions before said arc protruding stripes or protrusions collided and run over said respective ones of said actuators, and said respective ones of said movable contacts are separated from said respective ones of said stationary contacts.
15 more elements
A mode switch comprising:
- a base made of a circular insulation substrate and including at least one stationary contact;
- a rotor made of an insulation disc plate and rotatably mounted on said base, said rotor being configured to rotate co-axially with respect to said base;
- a contact spring piece plate disposed between said base and said rotor, said contact spring piece plate including at least one contact spring piece and at least one movable contact;
- and
- an actuator plate disposed over said contact spring piece plate between said base and said rotor, said actuator plate including at least one actuator which is configured to press said at least one contact spring piece such that said at least one movable contact makes contact with said at least one stationary contact when said rotor is rotated,
- wherein said at least one actuator is provided at an end portion of a spring piece which is configured to bias against force exerted on said at least one actuator.
3 more elements
A mode switch comprising:
- a base made of a circular insulation substrate and including a plurality of stationary contacts;
- a rotor made of an insulation disc plate and rotatably mounted on said base, said rotor being configured to rotate co-axially with respect to said base;
- a contact spring piece plate disposed between said base and said rotor, said contact spring piece plate including a plurality of contact spring pieces and a plurality of movable contacts located at each of said plurality of contact spring pieces;
- and
- an actuator plate disposed over said contact spring piece plate between said base and said rotor, said actuator plate including a plurality of actuators, each of said plurality of actuators is configured to press a respective one of said plurality of contact spring pieces such that a respective one of said plurality of movable contacts makes contact with a respective one of said plurality of stationary contacts when said rotor is rotated,
- wherein each of said plurality of actuators are provided at an end portion of a respective spring piece which is configured to bias against force exerted on said plurality of actuators.
3 more elements
A mode switch comprising:
- a base made of a circular insulation substrate and including at least one stationary contact;
- a rotor made of an insulation disc plate and rotatably mounted on said base, said rotor being configured to rotate co-axially with respect to said base;
- a contact spring piece plate disposed between said base and said rotor, said contact spring piece plate including at least one contact spring piece and at least one movable contact;
- an actuator plate disposed over said contact spring piece plate between said base and said rotor, said actuator plate including at least one actuator which is configured to press said at least one contact spring piece such that said at least one movable contact makes contact with said at least one stationary contact when said rotor is rotated;
- and
- at least one guiding device configured to guide actuating movement of said at least one actuator, said at least one guiding device comprising a plurality of guide grooves formed by a plurality of guide pillars disposed on said base and a plurality of guide protrusions provided on said at least one actuator and configured to fit in said plurality of guide grooves, respectively, such that said at least one actuator is guided to move along respective ones of said plurality of guide grooves.
3 more elements
A mode switch comprising:
- a base made of a circular insulation substrate and including a plurality of stationary contacts;
- a rotor made of an insulation disc plate and rotatably mounted on said base, said rotor being configured to rotate co-axially with respect to said base;
- a contact spring piece plate disposed between said base and said rotor, said contact spring piece plate including a plurality of contact spring pieces and a plurality of movable contacts located at each of said plurality of contact spring pieces;
- an actuator plate disposed over said contact spring piece plate between said base and said rotor, said actuator plate including a plurality of actuators, each of said plurality of actuators is configured to press a respective one of said plurality of contact spring pieces such that a respective one of said plurality of movable contacts makes contact with a respective one of said plurality of stationary contacts when said rotor is rotated;
- and
- a plurality of guiding devices configured to guide actuating movement of said plurality of actuators, said plurality of guiding devices comprising a plurality of guide grooves formed by a plurality of guide pillars disposed on said base and a plurality of guide protrusions provided on each of said plurality of actuators and configured to fit in said plurality of guide grooves, respectively, such that each of said plurality of actuators is guided to move along respective ones of said plurality of guide grooves.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.