Electrical switch

Abstract

The electric switch comprises at least one key (4) that pivots about a pivoting axis (5) and a base (2) provided with at least one electric connection and disconnection actuation point (3), so that the pivoting of the key 4 causes the application of pressure to at least one actuation point 3 and causes the electric connection or disconnection, and it is characterized in that the base (2) comprises at least one pivoting actuator (6). A low-cost mechanical type electric switch is obtained which automatically returns to its rest position, and which for the user has the same sensation as an electronic type electric switch.

Claims

1. An electric switch comprising at least one key (4) that pivots about a pivoting axis (5) and a base (2) provided with at least one electric connection and disconnection actuation point (3), so that the pivoting of the key (4) causes the application of pressure to at least one actuation point (3) and causes the electric connection or disconnection, the base (2) comprising at least one pivoting actuator (6), wherein the at least one pivoting actuator (6) comprises a proximal portion (6a) and a distal portion (6b) provided to press the at least one actuation point (3), characterized in that said proximal portion (6a) of said actuator (6) comprises a rotation axis (7) that is placed on an end of the proximal portion (6a) that is remote from a center of the key (4) and said distal portion (6b) is in contact with the actuation point (3) by pressing the key (4) associated therewith.

2. The electric switch according to claim 1, wherein said proximal portion (6a) and said distal portion (6b) define an actuation angle (a).

3. The electric switch according to claim 2, wherein said actuation angle (a) is comprised between 110° and 130°.

4. The electric switch according to claim 3 wherein the distal portion (6) forms an angle with a normal axis to the base (2) of the key (4) at the actuation point (3) between 0 and 90 degrees.

5. The electric switch according to claim 4, wherein said distal portion (6b) comprises a protrusion (8) for contacting said actuation point (3).

6. The electric switch according to claim 5, wherein from the position when the key (4) is not pressed to the position when the key (4) is pressed, a distance (D3) that the end of the distal portion (6b) remote from the rotation axis (7) travels in the direction perpendicular to the base (2) is between 2.5 and 1.5 mm.

7. The electric switch according claim 6, wherein from the position when the key (4) is not pressed to the position when the key (4) is pressed, a distance (D2) that the end of the key (4) remote from the pivoting axis (5) travels in the direction perpendicular to the base (2) is between 2.5 and 1.5 mm.

8. The electric switch according to claim 7, wherein the ratio between the distance (D3) that the end of the distal portion (6b) remote from the rotation axis (7) travels in the direction perpendicular to the base (2) from the position when the key (4) is not pressed to the position when the key (4) is pressed and the distance (D2) that the end of the key (4) remote from the pivoting axis (5) travels in the direction perpendicular to the base (2) from the position when the key (4) is not pressed to the position when the key (4) is pressed is between 0.7 and 3.

9. The electric switch according to claim 8, wherein the ratio between the distance (D3) that the end of the distal portion (6b) remote from the rotation axis (7) travels in the direction perpendicular to the base (2) from the position when the key (4) is not pressed to the position when the key (4) is pressed and the distance (D2) that the end of the key (4) remote from the pivoting axis (5) travels in the direction perpendicular to the base (2) from the position when the key (4) is not pressed to the position when the key (4) is pressed is approximately 1.

10. The electric switch claim 9, wherein from the position when the key (4) is not pressed to the position when the key (4) is pressed a distance (D1) that the center of the key (4) travels is between 0.5 and 1.5 mm.

11. The electric switch according to claim 10, wherein the distance (D1) that the center of the key (4) travels is 1 mm.

12. The electric switch according to claim 7, wherein the distance (D2) that the end of the key (4) remote from the pivoting axis (5) travels in the direction perpendicular to the base (2) is 2 mm.

13. The electric switch according to claim 1, wherein the distal portion (6) forms an angle with a normal axis to the base (2) of the key (4) at the actuation point (3) between 0 and 90 degrees.

14. The electric switch according to claim 1, wherein said distal portion (6b) comprises a protrusion (8) for contacting said actuation point (3).

15. The electric switch according to claim 1, wherein from the position when the key (4) is not pressed to the position when the key (4) is pressed, a distance (D3) that the end of the distal portion (6b) remote from the rotation axis (7) travels in the direction perpendicular to the base (2) is between 2.5 and 1.5 mm.

16. The electric switch according to claim 1, wherein from the position when the key (4) is not pressed to the position when the key (4) is pressed, a distance (D2) that the end of the key (4) remote from the pivoting axis (5) travels in the direction perpendicular to the base (2) is between 2.5 and 1.5 mm.

17. The electric switch according to claim 16, wherein the distance (D2) that the end of the key (4) remote from the pivoting axis (5) travels in the direction perpendicular to the base (2) is 2 mm.

18. The electric switch according to claim 1, wherein the ratio between a distance (D3) that the end of the distal portion (6b) remote from the rotation axis (7) travels in the direction perpendicular to the base (2) from the position when the key (4) is not pressed to the position when the key (4) is pressed and a distance (D2) that the end of the key (4) remote from the pivoting axis (5) travels in the direction perpendicular to the base (2) from the position when the key (4) is not pressed to the position when the key (4) is pressed is between 0.7 and 3.

19. The electric switch according to claim 1, wherein from the position when the key (4) is not pressed to the position when the key (4) is pressed a distance (D1) that the center of the key (4) travels is between 0.5 and 1.5 mm.

20. The electric switch according to claim 19, wherein the distance (D1) that the center of the key (4) travels is 1 mm.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) For better understanding of what has been disclosed, some drawings are accompanied, in which, schematically and only by way of a non-limiting example, a practical case of embodiment is shown.

(2) FIG. 1 is a sectional view of the electric switch of the present invention in its rest position;

(3) FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the electric switch of the present invention in its operating position;

(4) FIGS. 3 and 4 are schematic views of the position of the key and the pivoting actuator in the rest position and the operating position respectively; and

(5) FIG. 5 is a plan view of the electric switch of the present invention, comprising two bases.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

(6) The electric switch according to the present invention comprises one or more bases 2 and one or more keys 4. In the case of using more than one key 4, preferably each key is of the same size.

(7) In addition, said base 2 or each base 2 is provided with an actuation point 3 for connection and disconnection, each key 4 being pivotable with respect to a pivoting axis 5, which pivoting presses said actuation point 3 and causes the electric connection or disconnection.

(8) In addition, each actuation point 3 is preferably located approximately in the center of each key 4, as can be seen in FIG. 5.

(9) It should be noted that an electric switch comprising two bases is shown in FIG. 5. In order to allow the actuator 6 to be shown and the bases 2, the corresponding keys 4 have been removed in this figure, and the actuator 6 has been removed in the upper half.

(10) In FIGS. 1 and 2 it can be seen that the base 2 comprises a pivoting actuator 6 formed by a proximal portion 6a and a distal portion 6b, defining preferably an actuation angle (a). For example, said actuation angle (a) may be between 175° and 5°, preferably is between 140° and 70°, and more preferably 110° and 130°, e.g. 120°.

(11) Furthermore, said proximal portion 6a of the pivoting actuator 6 comprises a rotation axis 7 at its end remote from the center of the base and said distal portion 6b is in contact with the actuation point 3 by its free end when said key 4 is pressed. In this position, the distal portion forms an angle with an axis normal to the base of the key at the actuation point 3, which is between 0 and 90 degrees.

(12) In a preferred embodiment, the ratio D3/D2 is between 0.7 and 3, it being more preferred that said ratio is between 0.8 and 2, and more preferably about 1, where D3 is the distance that travels the end of the distal portion remote from the rotation axis in the direction perpendicular to the base, and D2 is the distance that travels the end of the key remote from the pivoting axis in the direction perpendicular to the base. This way, a compromise is achieved between minimum travel D2, the drive force and the proportions of the pivoting actuator 6 with respect to the dimensions of the key.

(13) In order to determine the optimal value of the ration D3/D2, two factors are considered: Small travel D2 which provides the electronic switch effect, but being mechanical. Small driving force.

(14) The driving force, for a determined travel D2 of the key, increases with the travel D3 of the free end of the distal portion for a given actuation angle. The higher the actuation angle the greater the driving force for the determined travels D2 of the key and D3 of the free end of the pivoting actuator. In small size keys, the dimension of the pivoting actuator 6 forces the defined angle between the distal portion and an axis normal to the base of the key at the actuation point 3 to be between 0 and 90 degrees.

(15) So that D3/D2=5 with an angle defined between the distal portion and an axis normal to the base of the key at the actuation point 3 between 0° and 90° would also have an acceptable small travel D2 but increases the driving force, and D3/D2=0.2 would have a small driving force, but the key travel D2 would be greater, so that in none of these cases the desired effect of electronic switch is obtained.

(16) According to a preferred embodiment, distance D3 running along the end of the distal portion 6b remote from the rotation axis 7 in the direction perpendicular to the base 2 is advantageously between 2.5 and 1.5 mm, for example 2 mm, the distance D2 running along the end of the key 4 remote from the pivoting axis 5 in the direction perpendicular to the base 2 is between 2.5 and 1.5 mm, for example 2 mm, and distance D1 running the center of the key 4 is between 0.5 and 1.5 mm, such as 1 mm.

(17) The dimensions specified in the previous paragraph may be larger if the lengths L1+L2 are larger.

(18) For a better understanding, the positions of the key 4 and the actuator 6 are shown schematically in FIGS. 3 and 4, in the rest position (FIG. 3) and in the actuating position (FIG. 4).

(19) In these figures, the following reference points are shown:

(20) P1: Point at which the intersection of the proximal 6a and distal 6b portions contacts the inner surface of the key;

(21) P2: Limit point of maximum movement of the key 4;

(22) P3: Actuation point of the pivoting actuator 6;

(23) L1: Distance between the pivoting axis 5 and point P1;

(24) L2: Distance between the rotating axis 7 and point P1.

(25) In one embodiment, the pivoting actuator 6 optimizes the ratio D3/D2, so that:

(26) When P2 travels 2 mm (D2), P1 travels 1 mm (D1);

(27) When P2 travels 2 mm (D2), P3 travels 2 mm (D3);

(28) By setting the travel D2, and the actuation angle a, when L1 increases, D3 increases and increases the driving force;

(29) By setting the travel D2, and the actuation angle a, when L1 decreases, D3 decreases and decreases the driving force.

(30) As can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, when the key 4 is pressed at its end remote from the pivoting axis 5, the lower part of the key 4 pushes on the actuator 6, in particular, on the intersection between the proximal portion 6a and the distal portion 6b.

(31) This push causes the actuator 6 to pivot about the rotation axis 7, so that the protrusion 8, or failing it the end of the distal portion 6b closest to the pivoting axis 5, it presses the actuation point 3, causing the electric connection or disconnection.

(32) When the user stops pressing the key 4, the actuator 6 will automatically return to its rest position (shown in FIG. 1). This automatic return is done by means of elastic means, for example, one or more springs, which are not shown in the figures, and which may be conventional.

(33) Although reference has been made to specific embodiments of the invention, it is apparent to a person skilled in the art that the described electric switch is susceptible of numerous variations and modifications, and that all the details mentioned can be replaced by other technically equivalents, without departing from the scope of protection defined by the appended claims.