BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The previous and other advantages and features of the present invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description of an exemplary embodiment, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the lighted pushbutton-type switch assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged exploded perspective view showing a support board and an auxiliary board that form part of the assembly of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged exploded perspective view, with additional enlarged detail that shows an assembled actuating assembly, a base body and the auxiliary board forming part of the assembly of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing the elements of FIG. 3 once assembled;
FIG. 5 is a lower plan view of the base body; and
FIG. 6 is a longitudinal section of the lighted pushbutton-type switch assembly once assembled.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT
Throughout the following description, the terms “up”, “down”, upper” and “lower” and their derivatives are in accordance with the position in which the pushbutton-type switch assembly and its components are represented in the figures.
Referring to the figures in general, the lighted pushbutton-type switch assembly according to an exemplary embodiment comprises a base body 1 provided with a shank 21 adapted to pass through a hole 35 in a panel 2 (FIG. 6) and a bezel 22 connected to an upper end of said shank 21. The bezel 22 has a rear surface 23 (FIGS. 3 to 5) adapted to be supported on an exposed side of the panel 2 around said hole 35. The base body 1 is adapted to be conventionally secured to said panel 2 by means of protuberances 36 (FIGS. 3 to 5) that protrude from elastic arms formed on the shank 21. Alternatively, the shank 21 can include an outer threading for coupling to a securing nut located on the hidden side of the panel to fix the base body to the panel.
At a lower end of the shank 21 of the base body 1 a support board 4 is arranged carrying a circuit, a switch 3 connected to said circuit and a connector 12 comprising a receptacle containing terminals 14 connected to the circuit (FIGS. 1, 2 and 6). This support board 4 can advantageously be a printed circuit board, optionally with additional electrical and/or electronic components. The shank 21 inferiorly terminates in a surface 27 adapted to be supported on the support board 4 and comprising downwards protruding elastic arms 28 provided with respective locking claws 29. The mentioned elastic arms 28 are configured and arranged to cooperate with corresponding holes 30 in the support board 4 to position and secure the support board 4 with respect to the base body 1 by snap fit coupling in a known manner.
The pushbutton-type switch assembly also comprises an actuating assembly 5 formed by an actuator member 37 and a translucent or transparent cover 7. The mentioned actuator member 37 defines a hollow stem 24 adapted to be inserted inside said shank 21 of the base body 1 and an expanded upper portion provided with a perimetral rib 38 adapted to be coupled to said translucent or transparent cover 7 forming a pushbutton 25 adapted to be received, at least partly, inside said bezel 22 of the base body 1. Optionally, there is a conventional translucent or transparent body 39 between said expanded portion of the actuator member 37 and the translucent or transparent cover 7 (FIGS. 1 and 6), for example, in the form of a lens. The coupling of the hollow stem 24 of the actuating assembly 5 inside the shank 21 of the base body 1 is adapted to allow linear movement of the actuating assembly 5 with respect to the base body 1. The base body 1 comprise claws 31 (FIGS. 3 to 6) adapted to cooperate with corresponding elongated holes 32 provided in elastic tabs 33 formed on the hollow stem 24 of the actuating assembly 5 to retain the actuating assembly 5 in the base body 1 and limit the movement path of the actuating assembly 5 with respect to the base body 1 between an extended position (shown in FIG. 6) and a retracted position against the force of an elastic element 34 (FIG. 6). This elastic element 34 may be, for example, a helicoidal spring installed compressed between the actuating assembly 5 and the body base 1 to push the actuating assembly 5 towards said extended position. The hollow stem 24 of the actuating assembly 5 has a lower end arranged to operate an actuator element 40 of said switch 3 (FIG. 6) when said actuating assembly 5 is pushed towards the retracted position.
The pushbutton-type switch assembly of the present invention comprises a light source 6 connected to the circuit of said support board 4 and arranged to emit light through the translucent or transparent cover 7 of the actuating assembly 5. The mentioned light source 6 is mounted on an auxiliary board 8 adapted to be positioned with respect to the base body 1 and secured to the same. This auxiliary board 8 has an elongated shape delimited by two lateral edges 18 and the light source 6 is situated adjacent to a first upper end edge of the auxiliary board 8. The light source 6 is connected to conductors 11 terminating in contacts 9 (FIG. 3) arranged in a region 10 adjacent to a second lower end edge of the auxiliary board 8. The auxiliary board 8 can advantageously be a printed circuit board, optionally with additional electrical and/or electronic components.
The base body 1 comprises a positioning configuration in the form of two guide slots 15 (see the enlarged detail in FIG. 3) mutually facing each other and adapted to receive said lateral edges 18 of the auxiliary board 8 inserted in a sliding manner. The mentioned guide slots 15 are formed in a structure 26 of the base body 1 extending inside the shank 21 of the base body 1 and also inside said hollow stem 24 of the actuating assembly 5 parallel to the movement direction of the actuating assembly 5 with respect to the base body 1. The base body 1 also includes a securing configuration in the form of a protuberance 16 arranged on an elastic tab 19 situated between the mentioned mutually facing guide slots 15. In turn, the auxiliary board 8 comprises a securing configuration in the form of a hole 17 adapted and arranged to receive said protuberance 16 in order to secure the auxiliary board 8 by snap fit coupling to the base body 1 when the auxiliary board 8 is positioned with respect to the base body 1. The mentioned protuberance 16 is placed in the path of the auxiliary board 8 and has an entry chamfer 20. When the auxiliary board 8 is inserted into the guide slots 15, the first upper end edge of the auxiliary board 8 impinges on said entry chamfer 20 and an insertion force applied to said entry chamfer 20 by the auxiliary board 8 forces an elastic deformation of said elastic tab 19 sufficient to permit the auxiliary board 8 to pass. Hole 17 in the auxiliary board 8 is located in the path of the protuberance 16 so that when the auxiliary board 8 slides along the guide slots 15 and reaches a correct position with respect to the base body 1, the hole 17 coincides with the protuberance 16 to allow insertion of the protuberance 16 into the hole 17 by elastic recovery of the elastic tab 19.
When the auxiliary board 8 is positioned and secured with respect to the base body 1 (FIG. 6), the light source 6 adjacent to the first upper end edge of the auxiliary board 8 is located at an upper end of said structure 26, next to said translucent or transparent cover 7 of the actuating assembly 5 and directly facing the same, while the region 10 where the contacts 9 are located, which is adjacent to said second lower end edge of the auxiliary board 8, protrudes from a lower end of said structure 26 (FIG. 4) in a suitable position for insertion inside the receptacle of the connector 12 for connecting the contacts 9 of the auxiliary board 8 to the terminals 14 of connector 12. The auxiliary board 8 remains incorporated to the base body 1. When the base body 1 has the auxiliary board 8 incorporated into the same and the support board 4 is positioned with respect to the base body 1, the region 10 of the auxiliary board 8, where the contacts 9 are located, is automatically inserted into the receptacle of the connector 12 in order to connect the contacts 9 to the terminals 14. Inversely, when the support board 4 is removed from the base body 1, the region 10 of the auxiliary board 8 is automatically disconnected from the connector 12 while the auxiliary board 8 remains secured to the base body 1 in its correct position.
One skilled in the art would be able to introduce variations and modifications to the exemplary embodiment described and shown without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined in the attached claims.
Patent Application
20070246337
