A kitchen appliance, including at least one kitchen appliance base and at least one preparation module is provided. The kitchen appliance base includes at least one electrical interface and at least one receiving region. The preparation module includes at least one electrical counter-interface for electrical contacting with the electrical interface. The electrical interface includes at least two power contacts and at least one auxiliary contact. The electrical counter-interface includes at least two power counter-contacts and at least one auxiliary counter-contact. In the kitchen appliance, the insertion forces for the electrical contacting for the user are reduced, are realized by the power contacts and the power counter-contacts, as well as the auxiliary contact and the auxiliary counter-contact being designed and configured such that the power contacts are electrically contacted with the power counter-contacts at a different point in time than is the auxiliary contact with the auxiliary counter-contact.

A non-mechanical-interfacing electronic switch or a mechanical-interfacing electronic switch are controlled to modulate between an active state and an inactive state based on electronic action. The switch includes an aperture defining an opening in a housing, and the opening defines an insertion path. A transmitter transmits a signal to a receiver along a signal path. To control the non-mechanical-interfacing electronic switch, a mechanical lockout device having a protrusion is inserted through the opening of the aperture along the insertion path. To control the mechanical-interfacing electronic switch, a mechanical control part have a protrusion is moveable to interrupt the signal. Methods of locking the non-mechanical-interfacing electronic switch with the mechanical lockout device as well as methods of locking the mechanical control part of the mechanical interfacing electronic switch with the mechanical lockout device are also provided.

A safety switch (2) with a latching unit (12), by means of which an associated actuator (3) is held in a latched position. The latching unit (12) has an opening (9) and a blocking element. In a latched position, the blocking element projects into the opening (9) and rear-engages an actuator head (8) of the actuator (3), which is in the latched position. The blocking element is held in the latched position by means of a positioning element with a setting force. When the actuator head (8) is inserted into or removed from the opening (9), the actuator head (8) pivots the blocking element out against the setting force.

An actuator (3) for a safety switch (2) with an actuator head (8), said actuator head being mounted to a core body (6) by means of a connection element (7). The actuator head (8) has, at least in parts, a larger cross section than the connection element (7). The connection element (7) is rigid in the axial direction. The actuator head (8) is held in a base position by means of the connecting element (7). In this base position, the longitudinal axis of the connection element (7) runs at an angle of inclination to the surface of the core body (6).

A safety switch for controlling the access to industrial machines comprises a switching device having switching means, an actuator device (3) to interact with the switching means at the opening/closing of the access for passing from a removed condition to an inserted condition, locking/unlocking means adapted to lock the actuator device on the switching device following their mutual interaction, an electronic control unit having a first communication channel with a first inlet and a first outlet and a second communication channel with a second inlet and a second outlet, wherein said first inlet and said second outlet are of safe type and adapted to vary their state after detecting the condition of said actuator device and wherein said electronic control unit is adapted to vary the state of said first outlet and said second outlet upon detection respectively of a first and a of second condition for said actuator device.

To prevent incoincidence of contacts, a safety switch switches the contacts by cooperation of an actuator and a switch body. The switch body includes an operating cam and a locking cam that rotate due to insertion of the actuator, an operating rod that switches the contact according to rotation of the operating cam, and a locking lever that is movable toward and away from the locking cam such that the locking lever takes a lock position in which it locks rotation of the locking cam and an unlock position in which it unlocks rotation of the locking cam. The locking lever includes a bulge protruding toward the locking cam. A cam contact surface of the locking lever contacts the locking cam when the actuator moves in a drawing-out direction in an intermediate position between the lock position and the unlock position.

A multifunctional switch manipulator is provided. The manipulator includes a first switch unit, which is curved to be convex at the upper surface thereof, a second switch unit, which is disposed at a first side of the first switch unit and which extends radially in a first direction, and a third switch unit, which is disposed at a second side of the first switch unit and which extends radially in a second direction opposite the first direction. Each of the second and third switch units includes a housing that has an opening and a rotary knob disposed at the housing to be rotatable in a direction in which the opening extends, and at least one surface of the rotary knob is exposed to an outside through the opening.

A safety switch arrangement with a safety switch and an actuator associated with it. Moreover, a locking unit is provided for, by means of which the actuator is locked in a latched position. The safety switch has an auxiliary unlocking unit that has a mechanically actuatable actuating element. An actuation of the actuating element is implemented only with a transmission element as a positioning movement for the locking unit.

A multifunctional switch manipulator is provided. The manipulator includes a first switch unit, which is curved to be convex at the upper surface thereof, a second switch unit, which is disposed at a first side of the first switch unit and which extends radially in a first direction, and a third switch unit, which is disposed at a second side of the first switch unit and which extends radially in a second direction opposite the first direction. Each of the second and third switch units includes a housing that has an opening and a rotary knob disposed at the housing to be rotatable in a direction in which the opening extends, and at least one surface of the rotary knob is exposed to an outside through the opening.

A safety switch for controlling the access to industrial machines comprises a switching device having switching means, an actuator device (3) to interact with the switching means at the opening/closing of the access for passing from a removed condition to an inserted condition, locking/unlocking means adapted to lock the actuator device on the switching device following their mutual interaction, an electronic control unit having a first communication channel with a first inlet and a first outlet and a second communication channel with a second inlet and a second outlet, wherein said first inlet and said second outlet are of safe type and adapted to vary their state after detecting the condition of said actuator device and wherein said electronic control unit is adapted to vary the state of said first outlet and said second outlet upon detection respectively of a first and a of second condition for said actuator device.