Patent Grant
11640885
This application claims priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 119(a) of Indian Patent Application No. 202011002501, filed Jan. 20, 2020, which application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Example embodiments of the present invention relate generally to switch systems and, more particularly, to improved rotary switch configurations.
Medical equipment, computing devices, industrial controls, vehicle instrumentation, and related devices may rely on various sensors and switches during operation. For example, vehicles may leverage rotary switches to enable changes to the vehicle's operating state (e.g., various speeds) and/or to adjust various vehicle functions (e.g., head light intensity, wiper speed, etc.). However, the inventors have identified numerous deficiencies with these existing technologies in the field, the remedies for which are the subject of the embodiments described herein.
Apparatuses, systems, and associated methods of manufacturing are provided for switch systems. An example rotary switch may include a substrate and a plurality of electrical contacts supported by the substrate. The rotary switch may also include a resistor network including a plurality of resistors in electrical communication with the plurality of electrical contacts. The rotary switch may further include a commutator configured to move relative to the substrate along the plurality of electrical contacts. The commutator may be configured to electrically connect a pair of adjacent electrical contacts so as to modify an output voltage of the rotary switch corresponding to a position of the rotary switch.
In some embodiments, each resistor of the resistor network may be positioned so as to electrically connect a respective pair of adjacent electrical contacts. In such an embodiment, each resistor in the resistor network may define a resistance value that is different from resistance values of other resistors in the resistor network.
In some embodiments, the plurality of resistors may be connected in series between an input connection and an output connection.
In other embodiments, the commutator may be configured to electrically connect the pair of adjacent electrical contacts such that a resistor positioned in electrical communication between the pair of adjacent electrical contacts is bypassed.
In some further embodiments, the rotary switch may include a microcontroller operably coupled to the resistor network configured to determine the position of the rotary switch based on the output voltage.
In some embodiments, the plurality of electrical contacts may include a first set of electrical contacts and a second set of electrical contacts. In such an embodiment, the commutator may be configured to electrically connect pairs of adjacent electrical contacts of the first set, and a second commutator may be configured to electrically connect pairs of adjacent electrical contacts of the second set.
In any embodiment, the substrate may be formed as a disk. As such, the plurality of electrical contacts may be positioned along a peripheral edge of the disk and/or the substrate may define an opening positioned at the center of the disk.
The above summary is provided merely for purposes of summarizing some example embodiments to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the invention. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the above-described embodiments are merely examples and should not be construed to narrow the scope or spirit of the invention in any way. It will be appreciated that the scope of the invention encompasses many potential embodiments in addition to those here summarized, some of which will be further described below.
Having described certain example embodiments of the present disclosure in general terms above, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings. The components illustrated in the figures may or may not be present in certain embodiments described herein. Some embodiments may include fewer (or more) components than those shown in the figures.
The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings in which some but not all embodiments of the inventions are shown. Indeed, these inventions may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. As used herein, terms such as “front,” “rear,” “top,” etc. are used for explanatory purposes in the examples provided below to describe the relative position of certain components or portions of components. Furthermore, as would be evident to one of ordinary skill in the art in light of the present disclosure, the terms “substantially” and “approximately” indicate that the referenced element or associated description is accurate to within applicable engineering tolerances.
As used herein, the term “comprising” means including but not limited to and should be interpreted in the manner it is typically used in the patent context. Use of broader terms such as comprises, includes, and having should be understood to provide support for narrower terms such as consisting of, consisting essentially of, and comprised substantially of.
As used herein, the phrases “in one embodiment,” “according to one embodiment,” “in some embodiments,” and the like generally refer to the fact that the particular feature, structure, or characteristic following the phrase may be included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Thus, the particular feature, structure, or characteristic may be included in more than one embodiment of the present disclosure such that these phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment.
As used herein, the word “example” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any implementation described herein as “example” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. Although described herein with reference to a rotary switch, the features, configurations, and devices of the present application may also be applicable to other switch devices, applications, and circuits.
With reference to
As shown, the switch system 100 may include a rotary switch 200 as described hereafter that is configured to rotate about an axis A. A rotary switch may refer to a mechanical or electronic switch that is operated by rotation (e.g., user inputted rotation or otherwise) in that the rotary switch 200 may be rotated about axis A to various positions. As described above, some vehicles (e.g., tractors, golf carts, lawn mowers, or the like) may use rotary switches as a mechanism for altering an operating state or function of the vehicle. By way of example, a vehicle may use a rotary switch to allow for changing of the vehicle's operating state (e.g., various speeds) and/or to adjust various vehicle functions (e.g., head light intensity, wiper speed, etc.). Although described herein with reference to a rotary switch and associated switch systems 100 implemented in vehicle applications, the present disclosure contemplates that the rotary switch features and configurations described herein may also be applicable to medical equipment, computing devices, industrial controls, consumer products, appliances, and/or the like.
Conventional rotary switches, however, rely on common contacts to facilitate electrical communication within the switch. For example, conventional rotary switch designs use rows of electrical contacts and dedicated common contacts that serve as shorted electrical commons. In operation, a commutator may move within the switch such that the commutator contacts an electrical contact and an electrical common (e.g., dedicated neutral contact). In this way, the electrical common only operates to close the circuit for the electrical contact (e.g., via the commutator). Given that each electrical contact and associated position within the rotary switch requires an associated common contact, electrical commons occupy additional space within a rotary switch (e.g., of a printed circuit board (PCB)) without providing increased functionality. As such, the switch systems 100 of the present application may employ rotary switch 200 configurations with resistor networks that allow for a commutator to electrically connect a pair of adjacent electrical contacts so as to modify an output voltage of the rotary switch corresponding to a position of the rotary switch without relying on electrical commons. In doing so, the rotary switch 200 of the present application as described hereafter may operate to (1) reduce material costs associated with printed circuit board (PCB) assemblies due to reduced electrical components (e.g., no electrical commons), (2) to increase space on PCB assemblies for other components, and/or (3) to increase the reliability of the rotary switch by reducing the number of components required for operation.
With reference to
With continued reference to
In some embodiments, the substrate 202 may be formed as a disk or equivalent shape with circular cross-section. In such an embodiment, the disk (e.g., plate or the like) may define an opening 212 located at the center of the disk. As described above, by providing a rotary switch 200 without centrally located electrical commons as found in conventional rotary switches, the rotary switch 200 described herein may be formed of a substrate 202 with less material. In other embodiments, the rotary switch 200 may be formed as a solid disk (e.g., a single piece of material) such that the substrate 202 includes additional space for supporting other electrical components. In embodiments in which the substrate 202 is formed as a disk, the plurality of electrical contacts may be positioned along a peripheral edge of the disk so as to further provide increased space on the substrate 202 or allow for further substrate 202 material to be removed.
With continued reference to
Reference hereafter is made to the first set of electrical contacts 204 and associated commutator 206; however, operation of the second commutator 210 and associated second set of electrical contacts 208 may operate substantially the same as the electrical contacts 204 and first commutator 206. With reference to
As described hereafter with reference to
With reference to
In operation, the input connection 402 may receive an electric voltage having a defined voltage (e.g., 3.3 V). The output connection 404 may be connected to a ground resistor 207 so as to complete an electric circuit. In this example as illustrated in
By way of a particular example, in an instance in which the resistor network 205 includes resistors R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, and R6 having resistance values as illustrated in Table 1 below, the total resistance for the resistor network 205 prior to electrical connection by the commutator 206 is 21 kΩ. In an instance in which the commutator 206 is located at position three providing electrical connection between the third electrical contact 306 and the fourth electrical contact 308, the total resistance for the resistor network 205 is reduced by the resistance value of the resistor between the third electrical contact 306 and the fourth electrical contact 308 (e.g., 3 kΩ). Said differently, the electric current received by rotary switch 200 bypasses the resistor located at position 3. As shown in Table 1, the resistance value between the input connection 402 and the output connection 404 is therefore 18 kΩ. By way of a further example, in an instance in which the input connection 402 receives 3.3 V, the output voltage of at the output connection 402 may be modified to approximately 1.179 V. Although described herein with reference to a rotary switch 200 having seven (7) electrical contacts 204 and, by association, a resistor network including six (6) resistors, the present disclosure contemplates that the rotary switch 200 may include any number of electrical contacts 204 and associated resistors based upon the intended application of the rotary switch 200.
With continued reference to
Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which these inventions pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the inventions are not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 202011002501 | Jan 2020 | IN | national |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5010214 | Yamazaki | Apr 1991 | A |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 203910383 | Oct 2014 | CN |
| 102016218493 | Mar 2018 | DE |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20210225605 A1 | Jul 2021 | US |
