Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6326570
-
Patent Number
6,326,570
-
Date Filed
Wednesday, August 16, 200024 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, December 4, 200122 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 200 520
- 200 865
- 200 341
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A pair of stationary contacts is held on the inner wall of a cylindrical case. The case is closed by a cover having a through-hole, and a bearing is fixed on the cover, such that an operation shaft extends through the bearing such as to be vertically displaceable with respect to the case. The operation shaft is biased upwards by a coil spring provided between its lower end and the bottom surface of the case. A contact piece having a plurality of movable contacts is inserted between the lower end of the operation shaft and the spring, such that it makes contact with the stationary contacts and separates therefrom along with the axial movements of the operation shaft.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a switch used for controlling switching-on and-off of a stop lamp that is turned on and off in operable connection with a brake pedal in an automobile.
2. Description of Related Art
There are two types of stop lamp switch of an automobile: One is a large-current type, wherein a stop lamp circuit connected to a power source is directly opened and closed with a switch, and the other is a small-current type, wherein such stop lamp circuit is indirectly opened and closed by the control of a microprocessor in an electronic circuit through relays or the like. With the progress of overall electronic control of automobiles in recent years, the latter has found more applications.
One of the conventional switches will be described below with reference to
FIGS. 11
to
14
.
FIG. 11
is a cross sectional view of a conventional switch and
FIG. 12
is an exploded perspective of the same. The switch
10
comprises a cylindrical case
1
made of insulating resin having an inner bottom surface
1
A and an upper open end. A pair of stationary contacts
2
consisting of a conductive metal plate is embedded in the inner wall
1
B of the case
1
. The distal ends of this pair of stationary contacts
2
make connection parts
2
A and protrude through apertures in the bottom of the case
1
, these being connected to an electronic circuit of the automobile through a connector (not shown).
Reference numeral
3
denotes a contact piece that is made of a conductive thin metal plate having resiliency, and numeral
4
denotes an operation shaft that is accommodated within the case
1
such as to be displaceable in an upward and a downward directions. One end of the contact piece
3
is fixed to one side (right hand side in the drawing) of a support portion
4
A at the lower end of the operation shaft
4
with a rivet
5
, while the other end, which makes a pair of movable contacts
3
A, is resiliently pressed against the stationary contacts
2
. The contact piece
3
has two arms
3
B connecting the movable contacts
3
A with the base end of the contact piece, and these are slightly deformed when the movable contacts
3
A are in contact with the stationary contacts
2
. A coil spring
6
is inserted in a compressed state in a cavity
4
B formed on the underside of the operation shaft
4
and pressed against the inner bottom surface
1
A of the case
1
so that it gives the operation shaft
4
an upward biasing force.
The upper open end of the case
1
is covered by a cover
7
, which has a through-hole
7
A in the center thereof. A cylindrical bearing
8
having threads on the outer periphery thereof is fixed on the through-hole
7
A, so that the operation shaft
4
extends through the through-hole
7
A of the cover
7
and the hole
8
A bored in the bearing
8
.
The switch
10
constructed as described above is mounted to an automobile and operates as described below.
FIG. 13
is a side view showing a state wherein the switch
10
is mounted on an automobile. Reference numeral
11
denotes a brake pedal, which is integrally formed with an angle
11
A. The upper end of the angle
11
A is supported around a support
11
B such as to be rockable in relation to the automobile body. The switch
10
is mounted to the automobile body with nuts
12
which engage the threads on the bearing
8
in a state wherein the operation shaft
4
is pressed by the angle
11
A.
As previously mentioned, a connector
13
is attached to the switch
10
, so that one of the pair of stationary contacts
2
is directly connected to an electronic circuit
15
of the automobile, while the other stationary contact
2
is connected to the electronic circuit
15
through a power source
14
. The electronic circuit
15
comprises microprocessors for controlling a stop lamp circuit, anti-lock brake system, traction control device, and others.
While the operation shaft
4
of the switch is pressed by the angle
11
A, the movable contacts
3
A of the contact piece
3
are resiliently pressed against the inner wall
1
B of the case
1
at a point that is away from the stationary contacts
2
, as shown in FIG.
14
A. When the brake pedal
11
is depressed, as indicated by broken lines in
FIG. 13
, the angle
11
A rocks around the support
11
B as the fulcrum. When the angle
11
A departs from the operation shaft
4
of the switch
10
, the operation shaft
4
returns to the state shown in
FIG. 11
by the force of the coil spring
6
, whereupon the movable contacts
3
A of the contact piece
3
slide against the inner wall
1
B of the case
1
as being resiliently pressed thereto, and contact the pair of stationary contacts
2
as shown in FIG.
14
B. The two stationary contacts
2
are thus connected to each other through the contact piece
3
, thereby turning on the stop lamp.
In such switch as described above, because the movable contacts
3
A of the contact piece
3
make point contact with the stationary contacts
2
and they slide against the stationary contacts
2
and the inner wall
1
B of the case
1
always at the same point, when foreign substances exist between the contacting parts, they cannot establish reliable contact with each other. Particularly, it is often the case that foreign substances, such as galls of the insulating resin of the case
1
or carbides due to the arcs generated when the contact piece
3
contacts with and separates from the stationary contacts
2
, are deposited on the stationary contacts
2
.
Moreover, the contact piece
3
is held on one side of the support part
4
A at the lower end of the operation shaft
4
, and the movable contacts
3
A of the contact piece
3
are pressed against the stationary contacts
2
through the arms
3
B that are slightly deformed. A certain load is thus exerted to the operation shaft
4
on one side, whereby the operation shaft
4
is accommodated in a slightly tilted manner within the case
1
and the bearing
8
, within a range determined by the gaps present between the operation shaft
4
and the hole
8
A of the bearing
8
. Consequently, when mounted on the automobile, as the brake pedal
11
is depressed and the angle
11
A departs from the operation shaft
4
, whereby the operation shaft
4
is released from the pressing force from the angle
11
A and restores to its initial position by means of the coil spring
6
, the switch
10
may sometimes produce noises, as the tilted operation shaft
4
collides against the case
1
or the bearing
8
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing, an object of the present invention is to provide a switch for turning on and off the brake lamp of an automobile, whereby stable contact at the contacting portions can be achieved and noises in operation can be eliminated.
To accomplish the above object, a switch according to the present invention comprises:
a cylindrical case made of insulating resin having an upper open end;
a pair of opposite spaced stationary contacts arranged on an inner wall of the case, each of said pair of stationary contacts having a contact part that extends vertically within the case in a position spaced away from the inner wall of the case, with a lower end thereof being bent outwards;
an operation shaft that is supported within the case such as to be displaceable with respect to the case in an upward and a downward directions;
a coil spring provided within the case for biasing the operation shaft upwards;
a cover for closing the upper open end of the cylindrical case, said cover having a central through-hole through which the operation shaft passes;
a bearing connected to the upper open end of the cylindrical case for uprightly supporting the operation shaft; and
a contact piece inserted between a bottom end of the operation shaft and the coil spring, said contact piece comprising a middle part at which it is connected to the bottom end of the operation shaft, a pair of arms that extend obliquely downward from opposite edges of said middle part in an outwardly spreading manner, and a pair of movable contacts at leading ends of said pair of arms.
According to the present invention, a switch that establishes stable contact between contacting parts without producing any noise can be obtained.
Other and further objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear more fully from the following description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is a cross-sectional view of a switch in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2
is an exploded perspective view of same;
FIG. 3
is a side view of same when mounted to an automobile;
FIG. 4
is a cross-sectional view of same in a pressed state;
FIGS. 5A and 5B
are cross-sectional views illustrating contacting parts in the first embodiment;
FIG. 6
is a cross-sectional view of a switch in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 7
is an exploded perspective view of same;
FIG. 8A
is a plan view and
FIG. 8B
is a perspective view showing a modified example of a contact piece in the same embodiment;
FIG. 9
is a cross-sectional view of a switch in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 10
is an exploded perspective view of same;
FIG. 11
is a cross-sectional view of a conventional switch;
FIG. 12
is an exploded perspective view of same;
FIG. 13
is a side view of same when mounted to an automobile; and
FIGS. 14A and 14B
are cross-sectional views illustrating contacting parts of the conventional switch.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be hereinafter described with reference to
FIGS. 1 through 10
. Elements that are identical with or similar to those that have been described with regard to the prior art are given the same reference numerals, and they will no longer be described in detail.
(First Embodiment)
FIG. 1
is a cross-sectional view of a switch according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and
FIG. 2
is an exploded perspective of the same. The switch
30
comprises a cylindrical case
21
made of insulating resin having an inner bottom surface
21
A and an upper open end. A pair of spaced opposite stationary contacts
22
consisting of a conductive metal plate is arranged in the case
21
. Each of the stationary contacts
22
comprises a contact part
22
A that has a U-shaped cross section so that the middle portion thereof is spaced away from the inner wall
21
B of the case
21
, and a connection part
22
B at the distal end thereof, which protrudes through an aperture in the bottom of the case
21
, this being connected to an electronic circuit of the automobile through a connector (not shown).
Reference numeral
23
denotes a contact piece made of a conductive thin metal plate having resiliency, and reference numeral
24
denotes an operation shaft that is accommodated within the case
21
such as to be movable in an upward and a downward directions. The contact piece
23
has a hole
23
A in the center thereof, and further has arms
23
B extending therefrom on both sides, and movable contacts
23
C at respective leading ends of the arms
23
B. When the operation shaft
24
is accommodated within the case
21
, a projection
24
A formed on the lower end of the operation shaft
24
fits in the hole
23
A of the first contact piece
23
, while the pair of movable contacts
23
C is in resilient contact with the pair of contact parts
22
A of the stationary contacts
22
, respectively, in a state wherein the arms
23
B of the contact piece
23
are slightly deformed.
A coil spring
25
is inserted between a cavity
24
B on the bottom end of the operation shaft
24
and the inner bottom surface
21
A of the case
21
in a slightly deformed fashion, whereby the operation shaft
24
is biased upwards. A cover
26
for closing the upper open end of the case
21
has a through hole
26
A on the top surface in the middle thereof, on which a cylindrical bearing
8
having threads on its outer peripheral surface and a hole
8
A in its center is fixedly attached. Thus the operation shaft
24
extends upright through the bearing
8
.
The switch
30
constructed as described above is mounted on an automobile body, as shown in
FIG. 3
, in a similar manner as the prior art example that has been described previously. The outer periphery of the bearing
8
is attached to the automobile body with nuts
12
, in a state wherein the operation shaft
24
is pressed by the angle
11
A that is integral with the brake pedal
11
. One of the stationary contacts
22
is directly connected to the electronic circuit
15
of the automobile comprising a microprocessor through the connector
13
, while the other one of the stationary contacts
22
is connected to the electronic circuit
15
via a power source
14
.
While the operation shaft
24
of the switch
30
is pressed by the angle
11
A, the movable contacts
23
C of the contact piece
23
are separated from the contact parts
22
A of the stationary contacts
22
, as shown in FIG.
4
. When the brake pedal
11
is depressed, as indicated by broken lines in
FIG. 3
, the angle
11
A integrally formed with the brake pedal
11
rocks around the support
11
B as the fulcrum. When the angle
11
A departs from the operation shaft
24
of the switch
30
, the operation shaft
24
restores to its initial state shown in
FIG. 1
by the force of the coil spring
25
. At this time, the arms
23
B of the contact piece
23
first make contact with bent portions at the lower ends of the contact parts
22
A of the stationary contacts
22
as shown in FIG.
5
A. Thereafter, the movable contacts
23
C at the leading ends of the arms
23
B slide against the contact parts
22
A of the stationary contacts
22
in resilient contact therewith, as indicated by broken lines in
FIG. 5A
, and the contact piece
23
eventually restores to its initial position as shown in
FIG. 5B
, whereby the stationary contacts
22
are electrically connected to each other, so that the stop lamp is turned on.
According to this embodiment, as described above, contact between the contact piece
23
and the stationary contacts
22
is achieved such that the arms
23
B of the contact piece
23
contact the stationary contacts
22
in the beginning, and then the movable contacts
23
C make contact with the contact parts
22
A of the stationary contacts
22
. In other words, the contact piece
23
, when making contact with the stationary contacts
22
, changes the point of contact gradually as it restores to its initial position, and therefore, foreign substances such as galls of the insulating resin of the case
21
or carbides produced by the arcs at the time of contacting and separating can hardly deposit at the contact point. The contact piece
23
can thus establish stable contact with the stationary contacts
22
.
Moreover, when the pair of movable contacts
23
C at opposite leading ends of the contact piece
23
is in resilient contact with the pair of stationary contacts
22
that are arranged opposite each other on the inner wall
21
B of the case
21
, the operation shaft
24
receives resilient load from the contact piece
23
uniformly from both sides, thus causing the operation shaft
24
to stand upright within the case
21
and the bearing
8
. Therefore, even though the switch
30
is mounted on the automobile body in an inclined manner and the operation shaft
24
is pressed by the angle
11
A, it produces no objectionable noise.
(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 6
is a cross-sectional view of a switch according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and
FIG. 7
is an exploded perspective of the same. Similarly to the first embodiment described above, the switch
40
comprises a cylindrical case
31
made of insulating resin having an inner bottom surface
31
A and an upper open end. A pair of stationary contacts
22
is disposed in the case
31
such that their spaced opposite contact parts
22
A are arranged facing the inner wall
31
B of the case
31
. The upper open end of the case
31
is closed by a cover
7
.
A cylindrical bearing
8
having threads on its periphery is fixed at its bottom end to the edge of a through-hole
7
A formed in the center on the top face of the cover
7
. The operation shaft
32
of this embodiment extends through the hole
8
A bored in the bearing
8
similarly to the first embodiment. One characteristic feature of this embodiment is that a drive member
33
is accommodated within the case
31
such that its upper surface abuts the bottom surface of the operation shaft
32
.
A coil spring
25
is mounted between a cavity
33
B formed at the lower end of the drive member
33
and the inner bottom wall
31
A of the case
31
in a slightly compressed manner, and the contact piece
23
is inserted between this coil spring
25
and the lower end of the drive member
33
. A projection
33
A is formed protruding on the lower end of the drive member
33
, which fits in the center hole
23
A of the contact piece
23
. Thus, the drive member
33
and the operation shaft
32
are biased upwards by the coil spring
25
via the contact piece
23
.
The drive member
33
has protruded parts
33
C on its lateral edges, that are inserted into a guide groove
31
C formed in the inner wall
31
B of the case
31
. Furthermore, the switch
40
has a spacer
34
, made of relatively soft insulating resin, inserted between the upper edge of the case
31
and the cover
7
. The spacer
34
has a center through-hole
34
A through which the operation shaft
32
can pass, and annular grooves
34
B formed on the top and bottom surfaces thereof, respectively.
The switch
40
is mounted on the automobile body in a state wherein the operation shaft
32
is pressed by the angle
11
A, and when the brake pedal is depressed, the operation shaft
32
restores to its initial position shown in
FIG. 6
by the force of the coil spring
25
. In returning to its initial position, the operation shaft
32
is pressed upwards by the drive member
33
that abuts the lower end of the operation shaft
32
, because the coil spring
25
is inserted between the lower end of the drive member
33
and the inner bottom surface
31
A of the case
31
. As the contact piece
23
is brought upwards, its arms
23
B first contact the bent portions of the pair of contact parts
22
A of the stationary contacts
22
, and then the movable contacts
23
C of the contact piece
23
make contact with the contact parts
22
A of the stationary contacts
22
, whereby the two stationary contacts
22
are electrically connected with each other and the stop lamp is turned on.
According to this embodiment, as described above, a drive member
33
is provided independently of the operation shaft
32
for holding the contact piece
23
. Therefore, even if the operation shaft
32
is pressed in a tilted or twisted manner, such unbalanced load does not act directly on the contact piece
23
, whereby deformation or breakage of the contact piece
23
can be prevented, and stable contact between the contact piece
23
and the stationary contacts
22
can be maintained.
Furthermore, thanks to the spacer
34
provided between the open edge of the case
31
and the cover
7
, the sealing performance of the switch
40
is improved. The annular grooves
34
B formed in the upper and lower surfaces of the spacer
34
inhibit any liquid from flowing into the contacting parts, and they contribute effectively to the water-or oil-proof performance of the switch
40
.
FIGS. 8A and 8B
illustrate a modification of the contact piece denoted at numeral
35
. The contact piece
35
can be configured to have slits
35
B in the arms
35
A opened in their lengthwise direction, so that each of the arms
35
A can have a plurality of movable contacts
35
C, two each in this specific example, at the distal ends thereof, whereby they can assure more stable contact with the stationary contacts.
The movable contacts
35
C of the contact piece
35
are formed with curved ends as shown in
FIG. 8B
, and shaped convexly when observed from the top as shown in FIG.
8
A. Thereby, the movable contacts
35
C can make contact with the contact parts
22
A of the stationary contacts
22
without touching the stationary contacts
22
with burrs on cut edge of the contact piece
35
that may be produced during fabrication of the contact piece. Galling or scratching of contacting parts is thus prevented, and stable contact can be achieved.
(Third Embodiment)
FIG. 9
is a cross-sectional view of a switch according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and
FIG. 10
is an exploded perspective of the same. Similarly to the first and second embodiments described above, the switch
50
comprises a cylindrical case
41
made of insulating resin having an inner bottom surface
41
A and an upper open end. A pair of stationary contacts
22
is disposed in the case
41
such that their contact parts
22
A are arranged opposite each other on the inner wall
41
B of the case
41
. The upper open end of the case
41
is closed by a cover
7
. A cylindrical bearing
8
having threads on its periphery is fixed at its bottom end to the edge of a through-hole
7
A formed in the center on the top face of the cover
7
. The operation shaft
32
extends through the hole
8
A bored in the bearing
8
.
The bottom end of the operation shaft
32
abuts a drive member
42
, that is accommodated within the case
41
such as to be displaceable in an upward and a downward directions. The drive member
42
has a projection
42
A protruding from its bottom end, which fits into the center hole
23
A of the contact piece
23
. A spacer
34
is inserted between the open edge of the case
41
and the cover
7
. One characteristic feature of this embodiment is that the upper surface of the drive member
42
, which makes its abutting portion
42
B that is in contact with the lower end of the operation shaft
32
, is formed in a curved manner such as an arched surface.
Another feature of this embodiment is that, in the inner wall
41
B of the case
41
on the side where a guide groove
41
C is formed in which projected parts
42
C of the drive member
42
on lateral edges thereof are inserted, a pair of second stationary contacts
43
is embedded. Corresponding to this pair of second stationary contacts
43
, a second contact piece
44
is held on one side
42
D of the drive member
42
. The second contact piece
44
includes movable contacts
44
A at its leading end, which make resilient contact with the second stationary contacts
43
, thereby constituting another switch.
Similarly to the second embodiment described above, the switch is mounted on the automobile body in a state wherein the operation shaft
32
of the switch
50
is pressed by the angle
11
A, and when the brake pedal is depressed, the arms
23
B and the movable contacts
23
C of the contact piece
23
held below the drive member
42
successively make contact with the contact parts
22
A of the stationary contacts
22
, whereupon the stop lamp is turned on.
In this embodiment, the bottom end of the operation shaft
32
, when pushed upwards by the coil spring
25
, is pressed by the curved abutting part
42
B on the top surface of the drive member
42
. At this time, the second contact piece
44
held in the side face
42
D of the drive member
42
also makes contact with the second stationary contacts
43
, whereby switching of another function can simultaneously be accomplished. That is, automatic control of the automobile by a microprocessor includes some functions that are desired to be cancelled when the brake is being used. For example, there is an automatic drive circuit that controls the running speed of the automobile, and such function needs to be turned off during the braking. The second contact piece
44
and the second stationary contacts
43
accomplish the switching of such function simultaneously with the switching of the stop lamp.
According to this embodiment, as described above, in addition to the switching of the stop lamp by the contact piece
23
and the stationary contacts
22
, the switch
50
has another pair of contact piece and stationary contacts, thereby accomplishing simultaneous switching of another function.
Moreover, since the bottom end of the operation shaft
32
abuts the arch-like abutting part
42
B on the top surface of the drive member
42
, it only makes point or line contact with the top surface of the drive member
42
. Accordingly, the unbalanced load that may be exerted to the operation shaft
32
can hardly act on the drive member
42
. Therefore, deformation or breakage of the first contact piece
23
can be prevented more reliably.
In each of the embodiments described above, the movable contacts of the contact piece
23
and the second contact piece
44
have been described as being integrally formed with the contact piece itself. However, the movable contacts can of course be constructed by fixing a separate, rivet-like contact to the contact piece
23
or
44
in accordance with the voltage or current applied in the switch. Further, although the contact parts
22
A of the stationary contacts
22
are formed to have a U-shaped cross section in the specific examples given above, they may be configured to have an L-shaped cross section, with their lower ends being bent at right angles, while their upper ends being straight. In short, the stationary contacts
22
can be of any shape as long as they extend vertically within the case, with their contact parts
22
A protruding inwards from the inner wall of the case, and with the lower ends of the contact parts
22
A being bent outwards.
Although the present invention has been fully described in connection with the preferred embodiment thereof, it is to be noted that various changes and modifications apparent to those skilled in the art are to be understood as included within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims unless they depart therefrom.
Claims
- 1. A switch comprising:a cylindrical case made of insulating resin having an upper open end; a pair of opposite spaced stationary contacts arranged on an inner wall of the case, each of said pair of stationary contacts having a contact part that extends vertically within the case in a position spaced away from the inner wall of the case, with a lower end thereof being bent outwards; an operation shaft that is supported within the case such as to be displaceable with respect to the case in an upward and a downward directions; a coil spring provided within the case for biasing the operation shaft upwards; a cover for closing the upper open end of the cylindrical case, said cover having a central through-hole through which the operation shaft passes; a bearing connected to the upper open end of the cylindrical case for uprightly supporting the operation shaft; and a contact piece inserted between a bottom end of the operation shaft and the coil spring, said contact piece comprising a middle part at which said contact piece is connected to the bottom end of the operation shaft, a pair of arms that extend obliquely downward from opposite edges of said middle part in an outwardly spreading manner, and a pair of movable contacts at leading ends of said pair of arms.
- 2. The switch according to claim 1, wherein each of said pair of arms of the contact piece is formed with a slit in a lengthwise direction, so that each of said pair of arms has a plurality of movable contacts at a leading end.
- 3. The switch according to claim 1, wherein the movable contacts of the contact piece are formed to have a convexly curved outline when viewed from above.
- 4. The switch according to claim 1, wherein a lower end of each of the arms of the contact piece is bent inwards, an outside surface of said bent portion making the movable contacts of the contact piece.
- 5. A switch comprising:a cylindrical case made of insulating resin having an upper open end; a pair of opposite spaced stationary contacts arranged on an inner wall of the case, each of said pair of stationary contacts having a contact part that extends vertically within the case in a position spaced away from the inner wall of the case, with a lower end thereof being bent outwards; a drive member that is held within the case such as to be displaceable in an upward and a downward directions; a coil spring provided within the case for biasing the drive member upwards; an operation shaft held upon the drive member and supported movable in an upward and a downward directions; a cover for closing the upper open end of the cylindrical case, said cover having a central through-hole through which the operation shaft passes; a bearing connected to the upper open end of the cylindrical case for uprightly supporting the operation shaft; and a contact piece inserted between the drive member and the coil spring, said contact piece comprising a middle part at which said contact piece is connected to a bottom end of the drive member, a pair of arms that extend obliquely downward from opposite edges of said middle part in an outwardly spreading manner, and a pair of movable contacts at leading ends of said pair of arms.
- 6. The switch according to claim 5, wherein a top surface of said drive member that abuts a bottom end of the operation shaft is formed in a convexly curved shape.
- 7. The switch according to claim 5, wherein a pair of opposite spaced second stationary contacts is arranged in the inner wall of the case, while a second contact piece having movable contacts at a leading end thereof is held on one side of the drive member, so as to constitute an additional switch.
- 8. The switch according to claim 5, wherein a spacer made of an insulating resin having a central through-hole and an annular groove on at least one of a top surface and a bottom surface thereof is inserted between the upper open end of the case and the cover.
- 9. The switch according to claim 5, wherein each of said pair of arms of the contact piece is formed with a slit in a lengthwise direction, so that each of said pair of arms has a plurality of movable contacts at a leading end.
- 10. The switch according to claim 5, wherein the movable contacts of the contact piece are formed to have a convexly curved outline when viewed from above.
- 11. The switch according to claim 5, wherein a lower end of each of the arms of the contact piece is bent inwards, an outside surface of said bent portion making the movable contacts of the contact piece.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
11-258485 |
Sep 1999 |
JP |
|
US Referenced Citations (10)