Arrangement of pushbutton switches with a programmable display

Abstract

An arrangement of pushbutton switches with a programmable display that has a support structure with an assembly panel with openings for arranging there through an enclosure body of each push-button switch of the arrangement; a printed circuit board; and a shielding plate, wherein the enclosure body of each pushbutton comprises an appendix arranged through through-openings defined in the assembly panel, printed circuit board and plate; and a connector attached to the enclosure body that is opposite to and engaged with a connector of the printed circuit board, wherein each enclosure body is attached to the support structure by removable immobilizing means of said appendix with respect to said shielding plate, the immobilizing means comprising a nut with a coupling configuration to be coupled to a tubular shaft by a respective complementary coupling configuration integrated with or attached to the tubular shaft.

Claims

1. An arrangement of pushbutton switches with a programmable display, each of the pushbutton switches comprising: an enclosure body; a microswitch affixed to said enclosure body an actuator member having limited linear shift play inside the enclosure body, said microswitch being activated by said linear shift when the pushbutton switch is operated; and a programmable display arranged, in the enclosure body; said arrangement of pushbutton switches including a support structure comprising: an assembly panel provided with a plurality of openings for arranging there through the enclosure body of each pushbutton switch of the arrangement, with the support of a bezel on said assembly panel; a printed circuit board wherein connection and/or control elements of said display and microswitch are arranged; a shielding plate of said printed circuit board; separating columns and attachment means linking said assembly panel, printed circuit board and plate in an overlapping arrangement, wherein the enclosure body of each of the pushbutton switches comprises: at least one appendix integral to the enclosure body and arranged through through-openings defined in said panel, printed circuit board and shielding plate, said openings facing each other in said support structure; and at least one connector attached to the enclosure body that is opposite to and engaged with, in an assembled state, a corresponding connector provided and arranged on the printed circuit board for connecting said programmable display and said microswitch, wherein each enclosure body is attached to the support structure by removable immobilizing means of said appendix with respect to said shielding plate, the appendix comprising by a tubular shaft that extends from the bottom of the enclosure body, and the immobilizing means comprising a nut with a coupling configuration to be coupled to the tubular shaft by a respective complementary coupling configuration integrated with or attached to the tubular shaft, so that the nut is coupled against said shielding plate, and wherein the programmable display of each of the pushbutton switches is arranged in the actuator member.

2. An arrangement of pushbutton switches according to claim 1, wherein said enclosure body has a cup-shaped configuration that incorporates one of said at least one in its bottom for a flexible, flat, multifilament conductor of said display, and a secondary connector for connecting said microswitch.

3. An arrangement of pushbutton switches according to claim 1, wherein said complementary coupling configuration is a bayonet coupling configuration.

4. An arrangement of pushbutton switches according to claim 1, wherein said printed circuit board includes one or several LEDs that, in an assembled situation, are adjacent to walls of said enclosure body, which is made of a light-conducting material so that a lighting of said one or several is transferred through the enclosure body to said bezel above the panel.

5. An arrangement of pushbutton switches according to claim 1, wherein said programmable display comprises organic light-emitting diodes OLEDs, and wherein a control device of each display is arranged on the printed circuit board or on an auxiliary board connected to said printed circuit board.

6. An arrangement of pushbutton switches according to claim 1, wherein said display is retained inside an actuator body.

7. An arrangement of pushbutton switches according to claim 1, wherein said assembly panel comprises openings of at least two sizes so as to house pushbutton enclosure bodies of different dimensions.

8. An arrangement of pushbutton switches according to claim 5, wherein said printed circuit board and/or said auxiliary board includes a microcontroller governing all the programmable displays of the pushbutton switches of the arrangement.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The above and other advantages and characteristics will be more fully understood from the following detailed description of embodiments in reference to the attached drawings, which are to be taken by way of illustration, not limitation, wherein:

(2) FIG. 1A shows an axonometric view of an arrangement of pushbutton switches with a programmable display included in a support structure, the side provided with the push-buttons being visible;

(3) FIG. 1B shows an axonometric view of an arrangement of pushbutton switches with a programmable display included in a support structure, the side provided with the shielding plate and the securing nuts of the push-buttons being visible;

(4) FIG. 2 is an exploded axonometric view wherein the elements conforming the support structure are shown, as well as an exploded view of the first push-button with its main components, a second push-button with the elements conforming the actuator member being mounted, while it is shown removed from the enclosure body, and a third fully mounted push-button, shown removed from the support structure;

(5) FIG. 3 shows an enlarged exploded axonometric view of all the main components of the push-button, together with a portion of the printed circuit board provided with LEDs wherein said push-button is included;

(6) FIG. 4 shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of a push-button engaged with the support structure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

(7) The invention proposes an arrangement of pushbutton switches with a programmable display, wherein said display 54, visible from the outside, is arranged in an actuator member of the push-button 58 having limited linear shift play inside an enclosure body 50 that includes an affixed micro switch, which is activated by said linear shift when the push-button is operated.

(8) Said arrangement of pushbutton switches is formed by means of a support structure 70 that comprises, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2: an assembly panel 10 provided with a plurality of openings 11, 12 for arranging there through the enclosure body 50 of each pushbutton switch of the arrangement, with the support of a bezel 50a on said panel 10; a printed circuit board 20 wherein connection and/or control elements of said display 54 and switch are arranged; a shielding plate 30 of said printed circuit board 20; and separating columns 40 41 and attachment means 42 linking said panel 10, printed circuit board 20 and plate 30 in an overlapping arrangement.

(9) According to this invention, the enclosure body 50 of each of the pushbutton switches comprises, as shown in FIG. 3 and especially in FIG. 4: at least one appendix being arranged through openings 11, 23, 31 defined in said panel 10, printed circuit board 20 and plate 30, said openings 11, 23, 31 facing each other in said support structure 70, as shown in FIG. 4; and at least one connector 57 attached to the enclosure body 50 that is opposite to and engaged with, in an assembled situation, a connector 21 provided and arranged in the printed circuit board 20 for connecting said display 54 and said micro switch 16.

(10) Each enclosure body 50 is attached to the support structure 70 by removable immobilizing means of said appendix relative to said shielding plate 30.

(11) The enclosure body 50, according to a structure known per se, has a cup shaped configuration that incorporates a connector 56 in its bottom for a flexible, flat, multifilament conductor 55 of said display 54, and said appendix is made up by a tubular shaft 51 that extends from the bottom of the enclosure body 50.

(12) For the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the enclosure body 50 comprises a second connector 56a for the connection of the micro switch 16, being both connectors 56, 56a electrically connected to the connector 57.

(13) For another embodiment, not illustrated, at the bottom of the enclosure body 50 a small printed circuit board is arranged, to which the connector 56 and the micro switch 16 are attached (the latter, directly or through the second connector 56a), and their metallic terminals are welded to conductive tracks of the small circuit printed board, said small printed circuit board being configured and arranged to electrically connect the connector 57 with the connector 56 (and thus with the display 54) and with the micro switch 16.

(14) On the other hand, although not shown in the appended figures, two connectors are arranged at the lower face of the printed circuit board 20, one for electrical supply thereof and the other for bidirectional data communication (such as a USB connector) with a “host” of central computer, for example of an amusement machine, allowing the hot connexion/disconnection, i.e. the hot swap, of the whole assembly with respect to said host, to which purpose the latter must be prepared, both at a hardware (electrical protection devices) and at a software level.

(15) Said immobilizing means comprise, in a preferred embodiment, a nut 60, for instance a bayonet coupling one, associable to said tubular shaft 51, which includes a complementary coupling configuration, so that said nut 60 is tight against said shielding plate 30.

(16) The printed circuit board 20 includes one or several LEDs 22 that, in an assembled situation, are close to walls of said enclosure body 50, which is made of a light-conducting material so that the lighting of said LEDs is transferred through the enclosure body 58 to said bezel 50a above the panel 10. This printed circuit board and/or an auxiliary board includes a microcontroller 25 (in FIG. 2 it is the auxiliary board 24 the one which includes the microcontroller 25) governing all the displays 54 and the operation of the lighting LEDs 22 of the pushbutton switches of the arrangement. The printed circuit board 20 further includes, in its face opposite the push-buttons, connectors for connecting other standard pushbutton switches lacking an OLED display.

(17) The display 59 of each pushbutton switch is made up by a set of organic light-emitting diodes OLEDs, and the control device of each display is arranged on the printed circuit board 20 or on said auxiliary board 24 connected to said printed circuit board 20, for example through a connector 24a of the auxiliary board 24 to be coupled to a complementary connector (not shown) of the printed circuit board 20. The display 54 is retained inside an actuator body 58 (constituting the above called actuator member 58) by a support 59 presenting jambs that are clamped by side elastic pins of the push-button actuator 58. The actuator body 58 comprises a first housing for said display 54 and a second housing above thereof for a lens 53 and a cover 52.

(18) As can be seen in FIG. 2, the panel 10 comprises openings 11, 12 of at least two sizes so as to house push-button bodies 50 of different dimensions.