DESC:FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates to switch assemblies and more particularly, relates to a compact housing for a switch assembly, such as a soft switch.

BACKGROUND

In the realm of switch assembly designs, switch housing plays a crucial role in ensuring functionality, durability, and user experience. A switch assembly includes a housing to enclose a rocker, a contact strip, and multiple terminals. The switch assembly may vary in shape and size according to a size of the contact strip and the multiple terminals. The existing housing is predominantly made of plastic, which has both advantages and limitations. The current switch housing is having an impact on plastic and noisy sound. The noisy sound occurs due to bulky housing, a misalignment of terminals, and a shape of each contact strip. The bulky housing leads to vibrations and rattling when a switch is operated.

Moreover, poorly shaped and misaligned contact strips cause additional sound which results in increased noise levels during the operation of the switch assembly. Also, the current switch housing includes a space to place two pillars inside side by side. However, the current switch housing uses a lot of space to accommodate different components of the switch assembly. As a result, the size of the housing becomes substantially large which results in an overall bulkier structure of the switch assembly. This further increases the overall cost and material required for manufacturing the housing and the switch assembly.

Therefore, it is desirable to provide a switch assembly that can overcome the at least above-mentioned shortcomings of the existing switch assemblies.

SUMMARY

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts, in a simplified format, that are further described in the detailed description of the invention. This summary is neither intended to identify key or essential inventive concepts of the invention nor is it intended for determining the scope of the invention.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a switch assembly is disclosed. The switch assembly includes a housing having a first portion and a second portion. The first portion is adapted to receive a rocker assembly. Further, the rocker assembly includes a base plate having a first side and a second side. Further, the rocker assembly includes an operating panel positioned over the rocker assembly. The operating panel is coupled with the first side, and a plurality of terminals are coupled with the second side. The second portion of the housing includes a stepped configuration with a first step of the stepped configuration is adapted to receive the base plate and a second step of the stepped configuration is adapted to receive the plurality of terminals.

In some embodiments, the switch assembly enables a unique and compact design by reducing a size of the housing. The plurality of terminals is aligned collinearly and therefore, the housing is also provided with provisions to enclose the plurality of terminals. In some embodiments, the switch assembly enables a noise reduction structure with a smaller housing for the switch assembly, e.g., soft switches, by changing the shape of the contact strip, i.e. the base plate. In some embodiments, the smaller housing ensures a reduction in the amount of material required for manufacturing such housing and therefore, a reduction in the overall manufacturing cost.

To further clarify the advantages and features of the present invention, a more particular description of the invention will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof, which is illustrated in the appended drawings. It is appreciated that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. The invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 illustrates a side view of a switch assembly, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 2 illustrates an isometric view of the switch assembly, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 3 illustrates a top view of the switch assembly, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 4 illustrates a rear view of the switch assembly, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and
Figure 5 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the switch assembly, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Further, skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the drawings are illustrated for simplicity and may not have necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the flow charts illustrate the method in terms of the most prominent steps involved to help to improve understanding of aspects of the present invention. Furthermore, in terms of the construction of the device, one or more components of the device may have been represented in the drawings by conventional symbols, and the drawings may show only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the drawings with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having benefit of the description herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated system, and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates. Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skilled in the art to which this invention belongs. The system, methods, and examples provided herein are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting.

The term “some” as used herein is defined as “none, or one, or more than one, or all.” Accordingly, the terms “none,” “one,” “more than one,” “more than one, but not all” or “all” would all fall under the definition of “some.” The term “some embodiments” may refer to no embodiments or to one embodiment or to several embodiments or to all embodiments. Accordingly, the term “some embodiments” is defined as meaning “no embodiment, or one embodiment, or more than one embodiment, or all embodiments.”

The terminology and structure employed herein is for describing, teaching and illuminating some embodiments and their specific features and elements and does not limit, restrict or reduce the spirit and scope of the claims or their equivalents.

More specifically, any terms used herein such as but not limited to “includes,” “comprises,” “has,” “consists,” and grammatical variants thereof do NOT specify an exact limitation or restriction and certainly do NOT exclude the possible addition of one or more features or elements, unless otherwise stated, and furthermore must NOT be taken to exclude the possible removal of one or more of the listed features and elements, unless otherwise stated with the limiting language “MUST comprise” or “NEEDS TO include.”

Whether or not a certain feature or element was limited to being used only once, either way, it may still be referred to as “one or more features” or “one or more elements” or “at least one feature” or “at least one element.” Furthermore, the use of the terms “one or more” or “at least one” feature or element do NOT preclude there being none of that feature or element, unless otherwise specified by limiting language such as “there NEEDS to be one or more . . . ” or “one or more element is REQUIRED.”

Unless otherwise defined, all terms, and especially any technical and/or scientific terms, used herein may be taken to have the same meaning as commonly understood by one having ordinary skills in the art.

Reference is made herein to some “embodiments.” It should be understood that an embodiment is an example of a possible implementation of any features and/or elements presented in the attached claims. Some embodiments have been described for the purpose of illuminating one or more of the potential ways in which the specific features and/or elements of the attached claims fulfil the requirements of uniqueness, utility, and non-obviousness.

Use of the phrases and/or terms such as but not limited to “a first embodiment,” “a further embodiment,” “an alternate embodiment,” “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “multiple embodiments,” “some embodiments,” “other embodiments,” “further embodiment”, “furthermore embodiment”, “additional embodiment” or variants thereof do NOT necessarily refer to the same embodiments. Unless otherwise specified, one or more particular features and/or elements described in connection with one or more embodiments may be found in one embodiment, or may be found in more than one embodiment, or may be found in all embodiments, or may be found in no embodiments. Although one or more features and/or elements may be described herein in the context of only a single embodiment, or alternatively in the context of more than one embodiment, or further alternatively in the context of all embodiments, the features and/or elements may instead be provided separately or in any appropriate combination or not at all. Conversely, any features and/or elements described in the context of separate embodiments may alternatively be realized as existing together in the context of a single embodiment.

Any particular and all details set forth herein are used in the context of some embodiments and therefore should NOT be necessarily taken as limiting factors to the attached claims. The attached claims and their legal equivalents can be realized in the context of embodiments other than the ones used as illustrative examples in the description below.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a switch assembly is disclosed. The switch assembly includes a housing having a first portion and a second portion. The first portion is adapted to receive a rocker assembly. Further, an operating panel is operationally coupled with the rocker assembly. The operating panel is positioned over the rocker assembly above the first portion of the housing. The rocker assembly 108- includes a base plate having a first side and a second side. The operating panel is coupled with the first side, and a plurality of terminals are coupled with the second side. The second portion of the housing comprises a stepped configuration, a first step is adapted to receive the base plate, and a second step is adapted to receive the plurality of terminals that are aligned collinearly.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 illustrates a side view of a switch assembly 100, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In an embodiment, the switch assembly 100 may be a compact switch assembly with a small housing compared to conventional switch assemblies. The smaller housing may facilitate changing structure of contact strips and thereby reduction in material and hence cost.

The switch assembly 100 may include a housing 102 having a first portion 104 and a second portion 106. The housing 102 may correspond to an enclosure that may be adapted to receive a rocker assembly 108-2 of the switch assembly 100. The first portion 104 of the housing 102 may be adapted to receive the rocker assembly 108-2. The second portion 106 may include a stepped configuration with a first step 110 and a second step 112. Further, the switch assembly 100 may include an operating panel 108-1 that may be operationally coupled with the rocker assembly 108-2. The operating panel 108-1 may be positioned over the rocker assembly 108-2 above the first portion 104 of the housing 102. In some embodiments, the rocker assembly 108-2 may include a base plate 124 having a first side 128 and a second side 130, as shown in Figure 5. The operating panel 108-1 may be coupled with the first side 128.

Further, the rocker assembly 108-2 may include a plurality of terminals 136. The plurality of terminals 136 may be positioned within the housing 102 and may have an electrical connection with the second side 130 of the base plate 124 via a first electric strip 132 and a second contact strip 134. The first step 110 of the stepped configuration may be adapted to receive the base plate 124. The second step 112 may be adapted to receive the plurality of terminals 136. It may be noted that the plurality of terminals 136 may be aligned collinearly with respect to the second step 112. Further, the housing 102 may include a pair of cylindrical sections 116 towards the second step 112 of the second portion 106. The pair of cylindrical sections 116 may facilitate earthing of electrical connections to ensure the safety and proper functions of the switch assembly 100. In some embodiments, the pair of cylindrical sections 116 may be positioned adjacent to the second step 112 of the second portion 106 of the housing 102.

Figure 2 illustrates an isometric view of the switch assembly 100, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The first portion 104 of the housing 102 may correspond to a frame that may be adapted to position the rocker assembly 108-2 with the base plate 124 underneath the operating panel 108-1. The first step 110 of the stepped configuration may correspond to a rectangular-shaped structure that may be adapted to receive the base plate 124. The second step 112 of the stepped configuration may include a plurality of cylindrical housing 122. The plurality of cylindrical housing 122 may be collinearly arranged to receive the plurality of terminals 136.

In some embodiments, each of the plurality of cylindrical housings 122 may be integrated with a first hole 114. The first hole 114 may be integrated transversely to each of the plurality of cylindrical housings 122. In some embodiments, the first hole 114 integrated with each of the plurality of cylindrical housing 122 may be colinear with each other. Further, a second hole 120 may be integrated at the end of each of the plurality of cylindrical housings 122. In some embodiments, the first hole 114 may be adapted to receive an electrical wiring connection with each of the plurality of terminals 136. In some embodiments, the second hole 120 is adapted to secure the electrical wiring connection within each of the plurality of terminals 136 via a fastener 118. In some embodiments, the second hole 120 may be adapted to strategically position the fastener 118 to couple the electrical wiring connection with the plurality of terminals 136. It may be noted that the second hole 120 may have a diameter less than the first hole 114.

Figure 3 illustrates a top view of the switch assembly 100, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 4 illustrates a rear view of the switch assembly 100, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 5 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the switch assembly 100, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

In some exemplary embodiments, the housing 102 may be assembled with a switchboard, such that the operating panel may remain on one side and the second portion 106 of the housing 102 may remain on the other side of the switchboard. In some embodiments, the operating panel 108-1 may correspond to a switch that may be adapted to be pushed between an ON position and an OFF position. The rocker assembly 108-2 may include a spring mechanism 126. The spring mechanism 126 may be positioned underneath the rocker assembly 108-2. The spring mechanism 126 may be adapted to facilitate a force required to position the operating panel 108-1 between the ON position and the OFF position.

As illustrated in Figure 5, the first electrical strip 132 and the second electrical strip 134 may have an electrical connection with the second side 130 of the base plate 124. The first electrical strip 132 may be coupled to one terminal of the plurality of terminals 136 and the second electrical strip 134 may be coupled to another terminal of the plurality of terminals 136. When the operating panel 108-1 is pushed, e.g., turned ON, the first electrical strip 132 may touch the second electrical strip 134 and therefore, an electrical connection may be established. Similarly, when the operating panel 108-1 may be pushed, e.g., turned OFF, the first electrical strip 132 may be disengaged from the second electrical strip 134 and therefore, the electrical connection may be disabled.

In some embodiments, the housing 102 may be designed compactly to facilitate space for each component of the rocker assembly 108-2, e.g., the base plate 124, the plurality of terminals 136, etc. The plurality of terminals 136 may be aligned collinearly and therefore, the housing 102 may also be provided with provisions to enclose the plurality of terminals 136. In some embodiments, the switch assembly 100 may enable a noise reduction structure with a smaller housing for soft switches by changing the shape of the contact trip, i.e. the base plate 124. In some embodiments, the smaller housing ensures a reduction in raw materials and therefore, a reduction in the raw materials cost.

While specific language has been used to describe the present subject matter, any limitations arising on account thereto, are not intended. As would be apparent to a person in the art, various working modifications may be made to the method in order to implement the inventive concept as taught herein. The drawings and the foregoing description give examples of embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of the described elements may well be combined into a single functional element. Alternatively, certain elements may be split into multiple functional elements. Elements from one embodiment may be added to another embodiment.
,CLAIMS:1. A switch assembly (100) comprising:
a housing (102) having a first portion (104) and a second portion (106) opposite to the first portion (104);
a rocker assembly (108-2) disposed on the first portion (104), wherein the rocker assembly 108-2 comprises:
a base plate (124) having a first side (128) and a second side (130); and
an operating panel (108-1) positioned over the rocker assembly (108-2), wherein the operating panel (108-1) is coupled with the first side (128), and a plurality of terminals (136) are coupled with the second side (130),
wherein the second portion (106) of the housing (102) comprises a stepped configuration, a first step (110) of the stepped configuration is adapted to receive the base plate (124), and a second step (112) of the stepped configuration is adapted to receive the plurality of terminals (136).

2. The switch assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first portion (104) of the housing (102) corresponds to a frame that is adapted to position the operating panel (108) with the base plate underneath the operating panel (108).

3. The switch assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first step (110) of the stepped configuration corresponds to a rectangular-shaped structure that is adapted to receive the base plate (124).

4. The switch assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second step (112) of the stepped configuration includes a plurality of cylindrical housings (122) that are collinearly arranged to receive the plurality of terminals (136).

5. The switch assembly (100) as claimed in claim 4, wherein each of the plurality of cylindrical housings (122) is integrated with a first hole (114) that is integrated transversely to each of the plurality of cylindrical housings (122) and a second hole (120) that is integrated at end of each of the plurality of cylindrical housings (122).

6. The switch assembly (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the first hole (114) is adapted to receive an electrical wiring connection with each of the plurality of terminals (136) and the second hole (120) is adapted to secure the electrical wiring connection within each of the plurality of terminals (136) via a fastener (118).

7. The switch assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing (102) is assembled to a switchboard, such that the operating panel remains on one side and the second portion (106) of the housing remains on the other side of the switchboard.

8. The switch assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the operating panel (108-1) corresponds to a toggle switch that is adapted to be actuated between an ON position and an OFF position.

9. The switch assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of terminals (136) coupled with the second side (130) of the operating panel (108-1) are aligned collinearly with respect to the second step (112).