Switch

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10290443-B2
Application number	US-201815933987-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 23, 2018
Priority date	Apr 28, 2017
Publication date	May 14, 2019
Grant date	May 14, 2019

Abstract

A switch includes a housing, a common stationary contact terminal, an individual stationary contact terminal, and a plunger including a moving contact unit. The moving contact unit includes a body, a first arm, a second arm, and a third arm extending from the body in a direction intersecting with a parallel direction in which the common stationary contact terminal and the individual stationary contact terminal are arranged parallel to each other, electrically interconnected with each other, and are spaced apart from one another in the parallel direction, a first moving contact included in the first arm, a second moving contact included in the second arm, and a third moving contact included in the third arm.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A switch, comprising:
a housing comprising an internal compartment;
a common stationary contact terminal extending from outside the housing to the compartment and fixed to the housing, the common stationary contact terminal comprising a common stationary contact arranged in the compartment;
an individual stationary contact terminal extending from outside the housing to the compartment and arranged parallel to the common stationary contact terminal, the individual stationary contact terminal comprising a first individual stationary contact and a second individual stationary contact that are fixed to the housing and arranged in the compartment, the first individual stationary contact and the second individual stationary contact being electrically independent of the common stationary contact terminal; and
a plunger supported by the housing in a manner movable in a parallel direction in which the common stationary contact terminal and the individual stationary contact terminal are arranged parallel to each other, the plunger comprising a moving contact unit arranged in the compartment so as to come in contact with, at one time, the common stationary contact, the first individual stationary contact, and the second individual stationary contact as the plunger moves in the parallel direction, the moving contact unit comprising:
a body extending in the parallel direction;
a first arm, a second arm, and a third arm extending from the body in a direction intersecting with the parallel direction, the first arm, the second arm, and the third arm being electrically interconnected and spaced from one another in the parallel direction;
a first moving contact included in the first arm, the first moving contact configured to come into contact with the common stationary contact;
a second moving contact included in the second arm, the second moving contact configured to come into contact with the first individual stationary contact; and
a third moving contact included in the third arm, the third moving contact configured to come into contact with the second individual stationary contact, wherein

the common stationary contact terminal, the individual stationary contact terminal, and the moving contact unit cause the second moving contact to separate from the first individual stationary contact and then the third moving contact to separate from the second individual stationary contact in response to the plunger moving in the parallel direction while the first moving contact is in contact with the common stationary contact, the second moving contact is in contact with the first individual stationary contact, and the third moving contact is in contact with the second individual stationary contact.

2. The switch according to claim 1 , wherein
the second arm and the third arm extend from the body in a same direction, and a direct distance from the body to the second moving contact is greater than a direct distance from the body to the third moving contact.

3. The switch according to claim 1 , wherein
the body is plate-like, and
the moving contact unit further comprises a pair of the first arms, a pair of the second arms, and a pair of the third arms, and the arms in each pair are arranged symmetric to each other with respect to a perpendicular plane passing through a center line of a plate surface of the body and perpendicular to the plate surface of the body.

4. The switch according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an individual-contact insulator adjacent to the second individual stationary contact located nearer the common stationary contact terminal in the parallel direction, wherein
the individual-contact insulator comprises a tapered surface that slopes toward the third moving contact at smaller distances to the individual stationary contact terminal in the parallel direction, and that faces and comes into contact with the third moving contact as the plunger moves.

5. The switch according to claim 4 , wherein
the second individual stationary contact and the individual-contact insulator have a gap therebetween that is narrower than a width of the third arm at the third moving contact in the parallel direction.

6. The switch according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a common-contact insulator adjacent to the common stationary contact located farther from the individual stationary contact terminal in the parallel direction, and facing and coming into contact with the first moving contact of the moving contact unit as the plunger moves.

7. The switch according to claim 1 , wherein
the first arm, the second arm, and the third arm extend from the body in a direction perpendicular to the parallel direction.

8. The switch according to claim 1 , wherein
the first arm, the second arm, and the third arm are plate-like,
the first moving contact is elastically deformable in a thickness direction of the first arm and away from the body, and comes in slide contact with the common stationary contact as the plunger moves in the parallel direction,
the second moving contact is elastically deformable in a thickness direction of the second arm and away from the body, and comes in slide contact with the first individual stationary contact as the plunger moves in the parallel direction, and
the third moving contact is elastically deformable in a thickness direction of the third arm and away from the body, and comes in slide contact with the second individual stationary contact as the plunger moves in the parallel direction.

9. The switch according to claim 2 , wherein
the body is plate-like, and
the moving contact unit comprises a pair of the first arms, a pair of the second arms, and a pair of the third arms, and the arms in each pair are arranged symmetric to each other with respect to a perpendicular plane passing through a center line of a plate surface of the body and perpendicular to the plate surface of the body.

10. The switch according to claim 2 , further comprising:
an individual-contact insulator adjacent to the second individual stationary contact located nearer the common stationary contact terminal in the parallel direction, wherein
the individual-contact insulator comprises a tapered surface that slopes toward the third moving contact at smaller distances to the individual stationary contact terminal in the parallel direction, and that faces and comes into in contact with the third moving contact as the plunger moves.

11. The switch according to claim 3 , further comprising:
an individual-contact insulator adjacent to the second individual stationary contact located nearer the common stationary contact terminal in the parallel direction, wherein
the individual-contact insulator comprises a tapered surface that slopes toward the third moving contact at smaller distances to the individual stationary contact terminal in the parallel direction, and that faces and comes into contact with the third moving contact as the plunger moves.

12. The switch according to claim 9 , further comprising:
an individual-contact insulator adjacent to the second individual stationary contact located nearer the common stationary contact terminal in the parallel direction, wherein
the individual-contact insulator comprises a tapered surface that slopes toward the third moving contact at smaller distances to the individual stationary contact terminal in the parallel direction, and that faces and comes into contact with the third moving contact as the plunger moves.

Assignees

• Omron Tateisi Electronics Co

Inventors

• Fujita Hiroyuki
• Kuroki Kenji

Classifications

• H01H13/10

  Bases; Stationary contacts mounted thereon · CPC title

• H01H1/40

  Contact mounted so that its contact-making surface is flush with adjoining insulation · CPC title

• H01H13/04 Primary

  Cases; Covers · CPC title

• H01H1/36

  by sliding · CPC title

• H01H13/12

  Movable parts; Contacts mounted thereon · CPC title