PROGRAM SWITCH AND MODULAR PROGRAM SWITCH ARRANGEMENT FOR MOUNTING ON A PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING SUCH A PROGRAM SWITCH ARRANGEMENT

Abstract

The invention relates to a program switch for mounting on a printed circuit board comprising a housing, an insulator component with contact elements arranged thereon, and a switching element for contacting the contact elements. The housing has at least two connection elements for connecting the program switch to adjacent program switches to form a program switch arrangement having an arbitrary number of poles. Production and stock keeping and sale of the program switch are simple.

Claims

1. A program switch for mounting on a printed circuit board, comprising a housing (2), an insulator component (3) with contact elements (5) arranged thereon, and a switching element (4) for contacting the contact elements (5), wherein the housing (2) has at least two connection elements (6, 7) for connection to adjacent program switches (1).

2. The program switch according to claim 1, wherein the at least two connection elements (6, 7) for connection to the adjacent program switches (1) are embodied in a positively locking manner

3. The program switch according to claim 1, wherein the contact elements (5) define a plug-in direction (17) of the program switch (1) into the printed circuit board, and the at least two connection elements (6, 7) for connection are free of undercuts in the plug-in direction (17).

4. The program switch according to claim 1, wherein at least one connection element (6, 7) is embodied as projection and at least one connection element (6, 7) is embodied as cutout.

5. The program switch according to claim 1, wherein the housing (2) has a first side wall (8) and a second side wall (9), wherein at least one connection element (6, 7) is arranged on each of these side walls (8, 9).

6. The program switch according to claim 5, wherein each side wall (8, 9) has exactly one connection element (6, 7).

7. The program switch according to claim 6, wherein said connection element (6, 7) is arranged centrally on the respective side wall (8, 9).

8. The program switch according to claim 5, wherein each side wall (8, 9) has two connection elements (6, 7) spaced apart from one another.

9. The program switch according to claim 1, wherein an inner side (11) of the housing (2) is embodied in such a way that the insulator component (3) is positioned in a defined manner in the housing (2).

10. A modular program switch arrangement for mounting on a printed circuit board comprising at least two program switches (1) according to claim 1, wherein a program switch (1) is connected to an adjacent program switch (1) by means of the connection elements (6, 7).

11. The modular program switch arrangement according to claim 10, wherein the positively locking connection is embodied as a dovetail connection.

12. A method for producing a modular program switch arrangement, comprising the following steps: providing at least two program switches (1) according to claim 1, connecting the program switches (1) to form a modular program switch arrangement (12) by means of the connection elements (6, 7).

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein a further program switch (1) is connected to at least one free connection element (6, 7) of an outer program switch (1) of the modular program switch arrangement (12).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0026] FIG. 1 shows a first perspective illustration of a program switch according to the invention in accordance with a first exemplary embodiment,

[0027] FIG. 2 shows a second perspective illustration of the program switch in FIG. 1,

[0028] FIG. 3 shows a perspective illustration of a program switch arrangement according to the invention in accordance with the first exemplary embodiment,

[0029] FIG. 4 shows a perspective illustration of a program switch according to the invention in accordance with a second exemplary embodiment, and

[0030] FIG. 5 shows a perspective illustration of a program switch arrangement according to the invention in accordance with the second exemplary embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0031] FIGS. 1 and 2 show a first exemplary embodiment of the program switch 1 according to the invention. The program switch 1 comprises a housing 2, in which a switching element 4 and an insulator component 3 are incorporated. Two contact elements 5 are arranged on the insulator component 3. In this case, the contact elements 5 define a plug-in direction 17 of the program switch 1 into a printed circuit board. The printed circuit board is not illustrated, for reasons of clarity.

[0032] The housing 2 comprises two long side walls 8, 9, which hereinafter are also designated as first side wall 8 and second side wall 9, and two short side walls 8, 9, which connect the side walls 8, 9 to one another. An opening 18 for introducing the insulator component 3 is formed at an underside 14 of the housing 2. At a top side, the housing 2 has a cover wall 19, which connects the side walls 8, 8, 9, 9 to one another and through which the switching element 4 is led in sections for the purpose of actuation.

[0033] The switching element 4 serves for contacting the contact elements 5 and is movable between an on and an off switching position. In order to identify the on switching position or the off switching position of the program switch 1, the inscription ON and/or OFF may be provided on the housing 2. In the on switching position, the switching element 4 contacts the contact elements 5.

[0034] The first side wall 8 has two female connection elements 7, which are spaced apart transversely with respect to the plug-in direction 17 of the program switch 1. By contrast, the second side wall 9 has two male connection elements 6, which are correspondingly spaced apart transversely with respect to the plug-in direction 17 of the program switch 1. In this case, the connection elements 6 and 7, proceeding from the underside 14 of the housing 2, extend over roughly two thirds of the height of the housing 2 and have a symmetrically trapezium-shaped cross-sectional area. The acute angles of the cross-sectional area are 45 and are rounded. On account of their shape, the connection elements 6 and 7 form undercuts 10. The female connection elements 7 are embodied as cutout, whereas the male connection elements 6 are embodied as projection. In the plug-in direction 17, the connection elements 6, 7 are freely moveable to each other as far as movement is stopped by a mounting stop 20. An inner side 11 of the housing 2 and also the insulator component 3 have a chamfer 13, as a result of which the insulator component 3 is positioned unambiguously or in a defined manner in the housing 2.

[0035] The program switch 1 is embodied as a one-pole module, such that a modular program switch arrangement 12 having a desired number of poles is producible by the positively locking and force-locking connection of a plurality of program switches 1. FIG. 3 shows the modular program switch arrangement 12. In this case, the program switch arrangement 12 consists of a plurality of program switches 1 according to the invention, which are connected to one another in a positively locking and force-locking manner by means of the connection elements 6 and 7. Adjacent program switches 1 thus form a dovetail connection. By means of the number of program switches 1 connected in a positively locking and a force-locking manner, the program switch arrangement 12 is producible with an arbitrary number of poles. The program switch arrangement 12 is mounted on the printed circuit board in a customary manner by means of the contact elements 5. By virtue of the fact that the program switches 1 have two connection elements 6 and 7 on each side wall 8 and 9, the program switch arrangement 12 is extremely stable.

[0036] A program switch 1 in accordance with a second embodiment is evident from FIG. 4. Structurally identical component parts have the same reference numerals as in the previous FIGS. 1 to 3. In the second exemplary embodiment, the first side wall 8 and the second side wall 9 in each case have centrally exactly one connection element 6, 7. In this case, a female connection element 7 is formed on the first side wall 8 and a male connection element 6 is formed on the second side wall 9. As in the first exemplary embodiment, the connection elements 6 and 7 proceeding from the underside 14 of the housing 2, extend over roughly two thirds of the height of the housing 2 and have a symmetrically trapezium-shaped cross-sectional area. In addition, the corners of the connection elements 6 and 7 are rounded or have any other shape. On account of their shape, the connection elements 6 and 7 form undercuts 10. However, the connection elements 6, 7 are embodied in a manner freely moveable to each other in the plug-in direction 17 as far as movement is stopped by the mounting stop 20.

[0037] The inner side 11 of the housing 2 has a groove 15. In this case, the groove 15 is formed centrally on the side wall 9. The insulator component 3 is formed complementarily to the groove 15 and has a projection 16 on a corresponding side surface. By means of the groove 15 and the projection 16, the insulator component 3 is positioned unambiguously or in a defined manner in the housing 2.

[0038] FIG. 5 shows a program switch arrangement 12 comprising a plurality of program switches in accordance with the second exemplary embodiment. Adjacent program switches 1 are connected to one another in a positively locking and force-locking manner by means of the exactly one male connection element 6 and by means of the exactly one female connection element 7. With regard to the further construction and the further functioning, reference is made to the first exemplary embodiment.

[0039] The method for producing a modular program switch arrangement 12 is as follows:

[0040] At least two one-pole program switches 1 are connected to one another in a positively locking manner and in a force-locking manner by means of the connection elements 6 and 7 to form a modular program switch arrangement 12. In order to connect further program switches 1, the latter are connected to at least one free connection element 6 or 7 of an outer program switch 1 in the described manner By adding further program switches 1 by means of the connection elements 6 and 7, the modular program switch arrangement 12 is individually adaptable in terms of the number of poles.