Rotary switch

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8946572-B2
Application number	US-201213627963-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 26, 2012
Priority date	Aug 28, 2012
Publication date	Feb 3, 2015
Grant date	Feb 3, 2015

Abstract

A rotary switch includes a base forming a number of contacts, a support apparatus installed in the base, and a rotary apparatus rotatably installed in the support apparatus. The support apparatus forms zigzag first and second guiding portions. The rotary apparatus includes a rotary pole, a trigger mounted to the rotary pole, two abutting poles, and two resilient members respectively connected between two opposite ends of the rotary pole and the abutting poles. An end portion of each abutting pole slides along the first guiding portion, to allow the abutting poles to stretch and withdraw along a lengthwise direction of the rotary pole, and allow the abutting poles to undulate along the second guiding portion in a direction perpendicular to the lengthwise direction of the rotary pole, to allow the rotary pole to contact and trigger one of the contacts or pass over the contact.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A rotary switch, comprising:
a base forming a plurality of contacts arranged in an arc array;
a circular support apparatus installed in the base, and forming a zigzag first guiding portion undulating in a radial direction of the support apparatus, and a zigzag second guiding portion undulating in a direction perpendicular to the radial direction; and
a rotary apparatus rotatably installed in the support apparatus, and comprising a rotary pole, a trigger extending down the rotary pole for contacting and triggering a selected one of the contacts, two abutting poles, and two resilient members respectively connected between two opposite ends of the rotary pole and the abutting poles, an end portion of each abutting pole opposite to the rotary pole movably received in the first guiding portion, to allow the abutting pole to stretch or withdraw in the radial direction of the support member, and the end portion of the abutting pole also movably received in the second guiding portion, to allow the rotary pole to undulate in the direction perpendicular to the radial direction, thereby the trigger contacting and triggering the selected contact in response to the abutting poles moving to a bottom of the second guiding portion, and the trigger passing over one of the contacts in response to the abutting poles moving to a top of the second guiding portion.

2. The rotary switch of claim 1 , wherein each abutting pole is cylindrical, the end portion of each abutting pole is hemispherical.

3. The rotary switch of claim 1 , wherein the support apparatus comprises a support member defining a circular receiving space, the first guiding portion is formed in an inner wall bounding the receiving space.

4. The rotary switch of claim 3 , wherein the first guiding portion comprises a plurality of triangular first protrusions and a plurality of first indentations staggered with the first protrusions, the end portions of the abutting poles stretch in response to moving to the first protrusions and withdraw in response to moving to the indentations.

5. The rotary switch of claim 4 , wherein each first protrusion comprises two slanted guiding surface connected in a line away from the first indentations.

6. The rotary switch of claim 4 , wherein the support apparatus further comprises an annular first position member received in an upper portion of the receiving space, and an annular second position member received in a lower portion of the receiving space and spaced from the first position member, the second guiding portion is formed between the first and second position members.

7. The rotary switch of claim 6 , wherein an outer surface of the second position member forms a zigzag fastening portion latched into the first guiding portion of the support member.

8. The rotary switch of claim 6 , wherein the second guiding portion is formed on a top of the second position member, and comprises a plurality of triangular second protrusions and a plurality of second indentations staggered with the second protrusions.

9. The rotary switch of claim 8 , wherein a third guiding portion is formed on a bottom of the first position member, and comprises a plurality of triangular third protrusions and a plurality of third indentations staggered with the second protrusions, the third guiding portion and the second guiding portion cooperatively bound a zigzag guiding slot.

10. The rotary switch of claim 9 , wherein the second protrusions are respectively located at inner sides of the first protrusions, and the second indentations are respectively located at inner sides of the first indentations, the third protrusions are respectively aligned with the second indentations, and the third indentations are respectively aligned with the second protrusions.

11. The rotary switch of claim 9 , wherein an outer surface of the first position member defines a zigzag fastening portion latched into the first guiding portion of the support member.

12. The rotary switch of claim 1 , wherein the ends of the rotary pole each longitudinally define a locating hole, the resilient members are respectively received in the locating holes, second ends of the abutting poles opposite to the end portions are respectively inserted into the locating holes.

13. The rotary switch of claim 1 , wherein the rotary apparatus further comprises an operation member, the operation member comprises a circular rotary plate received in the receiving space of the support member, a handle protruding up from a middle of the rotary plate, and a guiding block extending down from the middle of the rotary plate opposite to the handle, a bottom of the guiding block defines a slot, the rotary pole is slidably received in the slot.

14. The rotary switch of claim 1 , wherein each resilient member is a coil spring.

Assignees

• Scienbizip Consulting Shenzhen Co Ltd
• Scienbizip Consulting Shenzhen Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yang Xin

Classifications

• H01H19/63 Primary

  Contacts actuated by axial cams {(H01H19/6355 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• H01H19/11

  with indexing means · CPC title