Eaton Corporation

The Singer Company

Oak Industries, Inc.

John Comerford

Richard L Lauritsen

Robert E Zimmer

A switch assembly having a sliding plunger type actuator with the actuator assembled in a separate housing portion and snap-locked to a housing portion having a plurality of switches pre-assembled, with the ends of the switch blade engaging the actuator upon assembly. The plunger is surrounded by a collar having a plurality of fingers. Upon insertion of the plunger and fingers in a mounting structure aperture and upon rotation of the switch assembly, the locking fingers are spread by cam action. The plunger is friction-detentedly telescoped in said actuator for adjustment of the free position thereof after installation.

Switch assembly

An electrical snap-action type switch contact blade (80) is provided. Blade (80) has a base (6) and an electrical contact region (10) intermediate a pair of spaced-apart support legs (14) that extend angularly away from base (6) to respective free-ends. A tongue (12) extends arcuately away from region (10) in a direction opposite to support legs (14) and towards base (6) to a free-end (23). Free-end (23) of tongue (12) and the free-ends of support legs (14) respectively engage spaced-apart anchoring sites to secure blade (80) to the switch frame. Blade (80) can be actuated by application and removal of a Force (F) both against base (6) and for a prescribed distance (X) along support legs (14).

Switch contact blade

A sealed rotary switch has electrical contacts insert-molded in a stator. The stator has generally open ends which are closed by a pair of covers. The joint between the covers and the stator includes a notch filled with adhesive sealant. The covers have aligned openings in which a rotor is mounted for rotation. Each cover has a seat formed around its opening, with a resilient seal member located in the seat and sealing against the rotor.

Sealed rotary switch

Four switches are arranged at 90.degree. to each other. Each switch has a reversely bent blade having a short leg pivoted on a center terminal and a long leg having its free end normally spaced from a normally open terminal while the reversely bent portion engages a normally closed terminal higher than the other two terminals whereby the normally open terminal of an adjacent switch can be positioned under the normally closed terminal. The actuator handle actuates opposed parallel pairs in unison whereby one of the pair is actuated to close on its normally open terminal when the actuator moves in one direction and the other of the pair is so actuated when the actuator is moved in the opposite direction.

Switch blade mechanism and multi-arrangement

The actuating knob is biased to a center (off) position and can be actuated in opposite directions in each of two planes. Actuation in one plane serves to actuate either of two switches. Actuation in the other plane will actuate either of the same two switches but prior to actuating the switch will mechanically actuate a transmission through a Bowden cable. The cable wire is connected to the free end of each of two levers pivoted on the mounting bracket. Each lever is engaged by a pin protruding from a disc carried on the end of a cylinder rockably mounted in the switch casing and actuated by the knob. When the cylinder is moved from its normal mid position, one of the pins lifts the lever (the other lever has to go along) to lift the cable wire.

Growing community of inventors

Glendale Heights, IL, United States of America

John Comerford