Patent Application
20120325629
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a switch, and more particularly to a tilt switch.
2. The Related Art
A traditional tilt switch includes an insulating housing, a plurality of electrical terminals assembled in the insulating housing, a switching ball rollably placed in the insulating housing, and an insulating cover covered on the insulating housing to restrain the switching ball in the insulating housing. An inclined guiding slope of a ring shape is provided in the insulating housing for propping the switching ball when the tilt switch is at a closed state by means of simultaneously contacting with the electrical terminals, and guiding the switching ball to roll by means of tilting the tilt switch sideward so as to disconnect the switching ball from the electrical terminals and realize an open state of the tilt switch.
However, in the condition of the tilt switch having a finite size, it is difficult to ensure the tilt switch steadily at the closed state or the open state only by means of the inclined guiding slope, and the switching ball is apt to randomly roll even if the tilt switch is tilted at a very little angle. As a result, the tilt switch has a bad operational reliability. Furthermore, each of the electrical terminals has one distal end which electrically contacts with the switching ball designed as a pyramid shape for making point contact with the switching ball. In order to meet a strength demand, the electrical terminal is designed to have a relatively larger cross-section. As a result, a great deal of materials is needed and manufacture cost of the electrical terminal is accordingly increased.
An object of the present invention is to provide a tilt switch including an insulating housing. The insulating housing has a receiving chamber in an upper portion thereof and a connecting cavity in a lower portion thereof. The connecting cavity is coaxially connected with the receiving chamber and smaller than the receiving chamber in diameter to accordingly form a ring-shaped step between two vertical periphery surfaces of the connecting cavity and the receiving chamber. The ring-shaped step has a top face substantially perpendicular to the two vertical periphery surfaces of the connecting cavity and the receiving chamber. A plurality of electrical terminals each has a support arm of platy shape penetrating upward through the insulating housing to stretch into the connecting cavity, and a soldering arm extending sideward from a bottom end of the support arm to be suspended under the insulating housing. The support arms are arranged at regular intervals around the center axis of the connecting cavity. A switching ball is made of conductive materials and rollably placed in the receiving chamber of the insulating housing. An insulating cover is removably covered on the insulating housing to seal up the receiving chamber and restrain the switching ball in the insulating housing. The switching ball needs to roll over the ring-shaped step having a hard span when the tilt switch changes working states thereof among a closed state which is realized by the switching ball further projecting into the connecting cavity to simultaneously electrically connect with free ends of the support arms, a shorted state which is realized by tilting the tilt switch to make the switching ball contact with three of the electrical terminals, and an open state which is realized by tilting the tilt switch to disconnect the switching ball from at least two of the electrical terminals.
As described above, the switching ball of the tilt switch of the present invention needs to roll over the step which has a harder span when the tilt switch changes the working states thereof among the closed state, the shorted state and the open state. Furthermore, the support arm of the electrical terminal can be punched from a sheet material so that makes the strength of the support arm easily improved by means of widening the support arm. So manufacture materials and cost of the electrical terminal are effectively reduced.
The present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art by reading the following description thereof, with reference to the attached drawings, in which:
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The switching ball 30 is made of conductive materials and rollably placed in the receiving chamber 12 of the insulating housing 10, wherein the switching ball 30 can be supported by the ring-shaped step 15 to further project into the connecting cavity 13 so as to electrically contact with the contact slopes 211 of the electrical terminals 20. The insulating cover 40 is covered on the insulating housing 10 to seal up the receiving chamber 12, so as to restrain the switching ball 30 in the insulating housing 10.
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As described above, the switching ball 30 of the tilt switch of the present invention needs to roll over the step 15 which has a harder span when the tilt switch changes working states thereof among the closed state, the shorted state and the open state. Furthermore, the support arms 21 of the electrical terminals 20 utilize the contact slopes 211 to steadily hold the switching ball 30 thereamong when the tilt switch is at the closed state. So, the working states of the tilt switch are not easily changed so that further improves operational reliability of the tilt switch. Moreover, the support arm 21 of the electrical terminal 20 can be punched from a sheet material so that makes the strength of the support arm 21 easily improved by means of widening the support arm 21. So manufacture materials and cost of the electrical terminal 20 are effectively reduced.
