TWI862167B - Micro switch - Google Patents

Abstract

A micro switch comprises two terminals arranged at intervals, a connecting conductor between the two terminals, an actuator connected to one of the two terminals, at least one resistor, and a set of connecting strips connected to the connecting conductor. Each of the two terminals is formed with a mounting notch on a side facing the other of the two terminals. The two terminals are detected to generate an electrical signal that changes when the micro switch is operated. The connecting conductor and the two terminals are connected to the connecting conductor. The mounting notches define two resistor mounting spaces. The actuator is displaced after being operated. The at least one resistor uses the two resistor mounting spaces as mounting positions and contacts one of the two mounting notches to establish a conductive relationship with one of the two terminals. The terminal has two contact pins that extend into the two resistor mounting spaces respectively. The terminal contacts the at least one resistor with one of the two contact pins to establish a conductive relationship.

Description

Micro switch

The present invention relates to a micro switch, in particular to a micro switch provided with a power strip and not requiring a resistor to be assembled by welding.

With the development of technology, micro switches are now mostly used for signal switching to precisely control component movement. In order to improve signal identification, resistors are set inside the micro switches to identify the signal through the difference in resistance before and after operation. In addition, the use of micro switches during signal switching will cause signal interruption problems, which is very disadvantageous for component control.

To solve the above problems, the existing patents CN 207752913U, JP 6906183, JP 7270221B, JP 7281752B, and JP 201676356A propose micro switches that can avoid signal interruption. However, the above micro switches still have structural deficiencies. For example, the micro switches disclosed in CN 207752913U, JP 6906183, JP 7270221B, and JP 7281752B use a metal lead frame to form the conductive pins of the micro switches, but the metal lead frame needs to be fixed to the resistor by welding, and then the resistor is embedded in the base by insert molding. The aforementioned process steps are not conducive to the disassembly and assembly of the resistor, and also increase the complexity and difficulty of the process.

In addition, FIG. 6 of JP 201676356A discloses that the micro switch sets the resistor on the circuit board. However, the technical solution implemented by the circuit board is not conducive to the manufacturing process because the circuit board needs to plan the circuit configuration in advance, and then the board is etched based on the plan to form a printed circuit. Finally, the resistor is set on the circuit board to form an electrical connection with the printed circuit. In addition, the technical solution of using the circuit board in JP 201676356A is limited by the configured circuits and electronic components, and it is difficult to reduce the volume, which affects the miniaturization of the micro switch.

The main purpose of the present invention is to solve the problem of inconvenience in assembly caused by conventionally using switches to connect resistors in a welding manner.

Another object of the present invention is to solve the problem that conventional switches are implemented using circuit boards, which is not conducive to miniaturization of the switches.

To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention provides a micro switch, comprising two terminals arranged at intervals, an anchor conductor located between the two terminals, an actuator electrically connected to one of the two terminals and displaced after being operated, at least one resistor, and a set of terminals connected to the anchor conductor. Each of the two terminals is formed with a mounting notch on a side facing the other of the two terminals, and the two terminals are detected to generate an electrical signal that can change when the micro switch is operated. The two mounting notches of the anchor conductor and the two terminals define two resistor mounting spaces. The actuator is displaced between a first position not contacting the anchor conductor and a second position contacting the anchor conductor. The at least one resistor is selectively placed in one of the two resistor mounting spaces. At least one resistor contacts one of the two mounting notches to establish a conductive relationship with one of the two terminals. The at least one resistor uses the two resistor mounting spaces as mounting positions. The at least one resistor contacts one of the two mounting notches to establish a conductive relationship with one of the two terminals. The terminal has two contact pins extending into the two resistor mounting spaces respectively. The terminal contacts the at least one resistor with one of the two contact pins to establish a conductive relationship.

In one embodiment, the connecting conductor forms a set of through holes connected to the connecting plate.

In one embodiment, the contact plate has a protrusion disposed between the two contacts and assembled with the through hole.

In one embodiment, each of the two contacts is bent.

In one embodiment, the contact plate is formed into at least one positioning block positioned on the connecting conductor.

In one embodiment, each of the at least one resistor is a surface mount resistor.

In one embodiment, the actuator contacts only one of the two terminals when displaced between the first position and the second position.

In one embodiment, each of the two terminals has a curved section formed with the mounting notch and a power connection section connected to the curved section, and one of the two terminals has an action section connected to the curved section and in contact with the actuator.

In one embodiment, the micro switch has a base connecting the two terminals and the connecting conductor, and the base forms at least one through hole corresponding to the installation space of the two resistors.

In one embodiment, the base has at least one positioning wall disposed on one side of the at least one through hole and providing positioning for the at least one resistor.

In one embodiment, the base forms at least one pair of support posts for providing support to the connecting conductor.

In one embodiment, the micro switch includes an upper cover assembled with the base, an operating member exposed from the upper cover, a movable block connected to the actuator and driven by the operating member, and a reset spring disposed on the base and connected to the movable block.

According to the above-mentioned invention content, compared with the conventional technology, the present invention has the following characteristics: the micro switch of the present invention is provided with the power contact piece, and the power contact piece contacts the two resistors through the two contact pins to form an electrical connection, thereby reducing the assembly problems caused by the conventional switch needing to fix the resistor by welding.

The detailed description and technical contents of the present invention are as follows with reference to the accompanying drawings:

Please refer to Figures 1 to 5. The present invention provides a micro switch 20, including two terminals 22 arranged at intervals, a connecting conductor 23, an actuator 24, at least one resistor 25, and a contact plate 26. Specifically, the two terminals 22 have a conductive function, and the two terminals 22 are used as connectors between the micro switch 20 and at least one external device (not shown in the figure). The two terminals 22 can detect an electrical signal that can be generated when the micro switch 20 is operated. More specifically, the two terminals 22 are arranged on a base 21 of the micro switch 20, and the base 21 is formed of the insulating material. After the two terminals 22 are installed on the base 21, they are arranged side by side and spaced apart along the thickness direction of the base 21. Furthermore, each of the two terminals 22 is formed with a mounting notch 221 , and the mounting notch 221 is located at a side of each of the two terminals 22 facing the other of the two terminals 22 , so that the opening directions of the two mounting notches 221 face each other.

The connecting conductor 23 is located between the two terminals 22 and is disposed on the base 21, and is spaced apart from the two terminals 22. The connecting conductor 23 and the two mounting notches 221 of the two terminals 22 define two resistor mounting spaces 231. The actuator 24 has a conductive function and is used as a signal switcher of the micro switch 20. The actuator 24 is electrically connected to one of the two terminals 22 and generates a displacement after being operated. When the actuator 24 is in a state of being in contact with the connecting conductor 23, one end of the actuator 24 connected to one of the two terminals 22 slides on one of the two terminals 22, thereby continuously maintaining a conductive relationship with one of the two terminals 22, while the other end of the actuator 24 moves between a first position not in contact with the connecting conductor 23 and a second position in contact with the connecting conductor 23. It can be seen that the other end of the actuator 24 does not continuously maintain an electrically connected relationship with the connecting conductor 23. It should be noted that the first position and the second position described in the present invention do not limit the switching order of the micro switch 20. For the embodiments disclosed in Figures 1 to 8, the actuator 24 is in the first position when not operated, and is in the second position when operated. For the embodiments disclosed in Figures 9 to 12, the actuator 24 is in the second position when not operated, and is in the first position when operated.

Continuing from the above, the at least one resistor 25 uses the two resistor mounting spaces 231 as the mounting position. Each of the at least one resistor 25 has two conductive pins 251. The two conductive pins 251 are located at the two ends of each of the at least one resistor 25. One of the two conductive pins 251 contacts one of the two mounting notches 221 and creates a conductive relationship with one of the two terminals 22. In addition, the contact plate 26 has a conductive function. The contact plate 26 is assembled on the connecting conductor 23. The contact plate 26 has two contact pins 261. The two contact pins 261 extend into the two resistor mounting spaces 231 respectively. One of the two contact pins 261 is connected to the at least one resistor 25. One of the two contact pins 261 is not welded to the at least one resistor 25, but contacts the one of the two conductive pins 251 that is not in contact with the two mounting notches 221 to form a conductive relationship with the at least one resistor 25.

Continuing from the above, please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, and the implementation of the micro switch 20 will be described later. For the convenience of explaining the micro switch 20, the two terminals 22 are divided into a first terminal 222 that is continuously connected to the actuator 24, and a second terminal 223. First, with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 2 and FIG. 13, it is assumed that the number of the at least one resistor 25 is one, and the resistor 25 uses the resistor installation space 231 between the connecting conductor 23 and the second terminal 223 as the installation position, and electrically connects the connecting conductor 23 and the second terminal 223. When the micro switch 20 is initially switched, the actuator 24 is in the first position without displacement. At this time, the actuator 24 does not conduct the first terminal 222 and the connecting conductor 23. After the first terminal 222 receives the current, the current cannot enter the second terminal 223 through the actuator 24 and the connecting conductor 23, so that the first terminal 222 and the second terminal 223 are disconnected. When the actuator 24 is operated and displaced to the second position, the actuator 24 conducts the first terminal 222 and the connecting conductor 23. At this time, after the first terminal 222 receives the current, the current flows into the second terminal 223 through the actuator 24, the connecting strip 26, the resistor 25, so that the electrical signal output between the first terminal 222 and the second terminal 223 is the resistance value of the resistor 25. Similarly, assuming that the resistor 25 electrically connects the first terminal 222 and the connecting conductor 23, and the actuator 24 is not displaced at the initial time and is in the first position, the electrical signal output between the first terminal 222 and the second terminal 223 is the resistance value of the resistor 25. When the actuator 24 is displaced and enters the second position, a short circuit will occur between the first terminal 222 and the second terminal 223, which will not be described in detail.

Furthermore, the actuator 24 may be in the second position when not operated, and enter the first position after being operated. When the resistor 25 connects the connecting conductor 23 and the second terminal 223, the actuator 24 initially conducts the first terminal 222 and the connecting conductor 23, so that the electrical signal output by the first terminal 222 and the second terminal 223 is the resistance value of the resistor 25. When the actuator 24 moves from the second position to the first position, the actuator 24 releases the conducting relationship between the first terminal 222 and the connecting conductor 23, so that the first terminal 222 and the second terminal 223 are open circuited. Similarly, when the resistor 25 connects the first terminal 222 and the connecting conductor 23, the actuator 24 initially conducts between the first terminal 222 and the connecting conductor 23, so that a short circuit occurs between the first terminal 222 and the second terminal 223. When the actuator 24 enters the first position from the second position, the actuator 24 releases the conducting relationship between the first terminal 222 and the connecting conductor 23, so that the electrical signal output by the first terminal 222 and the second terminal 223 is the resistance value of the resistor 25.

As can be seen from the above, the micro switch 20 of the present invention no longer fixes the resistor by welding, but through the provision of the terminal 26, the solder joints are reduced and the assembly of the at least one resistor 25 is facilitated. At the same time, the present invention can also solve the problems generated in the switching process of conventional switch signals and improve the stability and accuracy of component control.

As mentioned above, please refer to FIG. 1 to FIG. 6 . The connecting conductor 23 of the present invention forms a through hole 232, and the through hole 232 passes through the connecting conductor 23 to provide the connecting piece 26 for assembly. It should be understood that the connecting piece 26 of the present invention has elastic deformation capability. Before the connecting piece 26 is assembled with the through hole 232, it is pre-compressed to accumulate elastic force. Once the connecting piece 26 is inserted into the through hole 232 and released, the connecting piece 26 releases the elastic force and is then stuck in the through hole 232. Furthermore, the connecting piece 26 has a raised portion 262 assembled with the through hole 232. The raised portion 262 is disposed between the two contacts 261 and facilitates the connecting piece 26 to be inserted into the through hole 232. In addition, at least one positioning block 265 may be formed on the contact plate 26. The at least one positioning block 265 is located on the raised portion 262 and assembled with the connecting conductor 23 to achieve the purpose of positioning and preventing it from falling off.

On the other hand, in order to position the at least one resistor 25, in one embodiment, each of the two contacts 261 of the contact sheet 26 is bent to provide a positioning function for the at least one resistor 25. In addition, each of the at least one resistor 25 of the present invention is a surface mount resistor, that is, the at least one resistor 25 is disposed on the base 21 through surface mount technology (SMT) after the base 21 is formed. To assist the surface mount process of the at least one resistor 25, at least one through hole 213 corresponding to the two resistor mounting spaces 231 is formed on the base 21. The through hole 213 penetrates the base 21 to provide the at least one resistor 25 to be disposed therein. In one embodiment, the at least one through hole 213 further corresponds to the through hole 232 to provide the contact sheet 26 to be disposed therein. Furthermore, to assist in positioning the at least one resistor 25 , the base 21 has at least one positioning wall 214 . The positioning wall 214 is disposed on one side of the through hole 213 to limit the assembly position of the at least one resistor 25 .

Furthermore, in order to assist in fixing the at least one resistor 25, after the at least one resistor 25 is installed on one of the two terminals 22, the at least one resistor 25 can be fixed by glue, and the glue spotting position of the at least one resistor 25 can be a side of the two conductive pins 251 that contacts one of the two terminals 22, or a side of the at least one resistor 25 facing the actuator 24.

As mentioned above, the number of the at least one resistor 25 of the present invention can be two, that is, the two resistors 25 are respectively disposed in the two resistor mounting spaces 231 . Please refer to Figures 3 to 12, 14 and 16. To facilitate the explanation of the two resistors 25, the two resistors 25 are divided into a first resistor 252 connected to the first terminal 222, and a second resistor 253 connected to the second terminal 223. For the embodiment in which the actuator 24 is initially in the first position, when the actuator 24 is not displaced, the electrical signal measured between the first terminal 222 and the second terminal 223 is the sum of the resistance values of the first resistor 252 and the second resistor 253. When the actuator 24 enters the second position, the electrical signal measured between the first terminal 222 and the second terminal 223 is the resistance value of the second resistor 253. Taking the embodiment in which the actuator 24 is initially in the second position as an example, when the actuator 24 is not displaced, the electrical signal measured between the first terminal 222 and the second terminal 223 is the resistance value of the first resistor 252. When the actuator 24 enters the second position, the electrical signal measured between the first terminal 222 and the second terminal 223 is the sum of the resistance values of the first resistor 252 and the second resistor 253. In this embodiment, the resistance values of the first resistor 252 and the second resistor 253 are not limited to be the same or different.

On the other hand, each of the two terminals 22 of the present invention has a curved section 224 and a power-connecting section 225. The curved section 224 is formed with the mounting notch 221 and can be assembled with the at least one resistor 25. The power-connecting section 225 continues the curved section 224 and extends away from the actuator 24 to be exposed on the surface of the micro switch 20. In the present invention, one of the two terminals 22 further has an action section 226 connected to the curved section 224. The action section 226 is located on the side of the curved section 224 that is not connected to the power-connecting section 225. The action section 226 maintains contact with the actuator 24, so that the actuator 24 only contacts one of the two terminals 22 when it moves between the first position and the second position.

Next, the anchor conductor 23 of the present invention is disposed on the base 21 and has no portion exposed on the surface of the micro switch 20. The base 21 is formed with at least one supporting column 215 to provide support for the anchor conductor 23. The supporting column 215 extends toward the actuator 24 and is assembled with the anchor conductor 23. In one embodiment, the supporting column 215 further has a contact block 217 that can contact the actuator 24. The contact block 217 is located at the second position of the actuator 24, so that the actuator 24 cannot conduct the first terminal 222 and the second terminal 223.

On the other hand, referring to FIGS. 1 to 6 , the micro switch 20 of the present invention further comprises an upper cover 27 assembled with the base 21, an operating member 28 exposed from the upper cover 27, a movable block 29 connected to the operating member 28, and a return spring 30 disposed on the base 21 and connected to the movable block 29. The upper cover 27 is hollow and serves as a housing of the micro switch 20 together with the base 21. The upper cover 27 and the base 21 can be joined by laser welding or adhesive bonding to enhance the waterproofness of the upper cover 27 and the base 21. In addition, the upper cover 27 is formed with at least one positioning post 271 . The positioning post 271 is located inside the upper cover 27 and contacts the base 21 to limit the assembly position of the base 21 .

Continuing, for the convenience of operation, the operating member 28 is exposed on the surface of the upper cover 27, the movable block 29 is connected to the operating member 28, and partially extends out of the upper cover 27. When the operating member 28 is subjected to force, the movable block 29 is driven to link the actuator 24. When the actuator 24 is displaced, the return spring 30 is compressed and stores elastic force. When the operating member 28 is no longer subjected to force, the return spring 30 pushes the actuator 24 to return. In one embodiment, to assist in positioning the return spring 30, the base 21 is formed with at least one protrusion 216 in which one end of the return spring 30 is disposed, and the movable block 29 is formed with an assembly groove 291 in which the other end of the return spring 30 is disposed. In addition, at least one limiting hole 293 is formed on the movable block 29, and at least one lug assembled with the limiting hole is formed on the actuator 24.

20: Micro switch 21: Base 213: Through hole 214: Positioning wall 215: Support column 216: Bump 217: Contact block 22: Terminal 221: Mounting notch 222: First terminal 223: Second terminal 224: Bend section 225: Power connection section 226: Action section 23: Anchor conductor 231: Resistor mounting space 232: Through hole 24: Actuator 241: Lug 25: Resistor 251: Conductive pin 252: First resistor 253: Second resistor 26: Power connection sheet 261: Contact pin 262: Raised part 265: Positioning block 27: Upper cover 271: Positioning column 28: Operating element 29: Movable block 291: Mounting groove 293: Limiting hole 30: Return spring

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure decomposition of the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure cross section of the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the structure decomposition of the second embodiment of the present invention (I). Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure decomposition of the second embodiment of the present invention (II). Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the structure cross section of the second embodiment of the present invention (I). Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the A-A line segment cross section of Figure 5. Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the structure cross section of the second embodiment of the present invention (II). Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure cross section of the second embodiment of the present invention (III). Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the structure decomposition of the third embodiment of the present invention. Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the structure cross section of the third embodiment of the present invention (I). Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the structure cross section of the third embodiment of the present invention (II). Figure 12, a schematic diagram of a structural cross section of the third embodiment of the present invention (III). Figure 13, a schematic diagram of a circuit of the present invention (I). Figure 14, a schematic diagram of a circuit of the present invention (II). Figure 15, a schematic diagram of a circuit of the present invention (III). Figure 16, a schematic diagram of a circuit of the present invention (IV).

20: Micro switch

21: Base

213:Through hole

214: Positioning wall

215: Support column

216: Bump

217: Contact block

22: Terminals

221: Installation gap

222: First terminal

223: Second terminal

23: Connecting conductor

231: Resistor installation space

232:Piercing

24: Actuator

241: Lug

25: Resistor

251: Conductive pin

26: Connect the power strip

261:Touching feet

262: bulge

265: Positioning block

27: Upper cover

28: Operating parts

29:Activity block

293: Restriction hole

30:Reset spring

Claims (12)

A micro switch comprises: Two terminals, arranged at intervals, each of the two terminals forming a mounting notch on a side facing the other of the two terminals, and the two terminals are measured to generate an electrical signal that can change when the micro switch is operated; An anchor conductor, located between the two terminals, the anchor conductor and the two mounting notches of the two terminals define two resistor mounting spaces; An actuator, electrically connected to one of the two terminals and displaced after being operated, the actuator displaced to a first position not contacting the anchor conductor, and a second position contacting the anchor conductor; At least one resistor, using the two resistor mounting spaces as the mounting position, the at least one resistor contacts one of the two mounting notches and generates a conductive relationship with one of the two terminals; and A contact plate is assembled on the connecting conductor, and the contact plate has two contact pins extending into the two resistor installation spaces respectively. The contact plate contacts the at least one resistor with one of the two contact pins to form a conductive relationship. A micro switch as described in claim 1, wherein the connecting conductor forms a set of through holes connected to the connecting plate. A micro switch as described in claim 2, wherein the power strip has a raised portion disposed between the two contacts and assembled with the through hole. A micro switch as described in claim 3, wherein each of the two contacts is bent. A micro switch as described in claim 2, wherein the terminal strip forms at least one positioning block positioned on the connecting conductor. A micro switch as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein each of the at least one resistor is a surface mount resistor. A micro switch as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the actuator only contacts one of the two terminals when displaced between the first position and the second position. A micro switch as described in claim 7, wherein each of the two terminals has a bent section formed with the mounting notch and a power connection section connected to the bent section, and one of the two terminals has an action section connected to the bent section and in contact with the actuator. A micro switch as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the micro switch has a base connecting the two terminals and the connecting conductor, and the base forms at least one through hole corresponding to the installation space of the two resistors. A micro switch as described in claim 9, wherein the base has at least one positioning wall arranged on one side of the at least one through hole and providing positioning for the at least one resistor. A micro switch as described in claim 9, wherein the base forms at least a pair of supporting columns for providing support for the connecting conductor. A micro switch as described in claim 11, wherein the micro switch comprises an upper cover assembled with the base, an operating member exposed from the upper cover, a movable block connected to the actuator and driven by the operating member, and a reset spring arranged on the base and connected to the movable block.

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