The present disclosure relates to the field of test set-ups for switches.
DEFINITION
As used in the present disclosure, the following terms are generally intended to have the meaning as set forth below, except to the extent that the context in which they are used indicate otherwise.
The term "Flexible Hose" as used in the following specification refers to a tube or a pipe, which carries the working fluid.
BACKGROUND
Automobiles are provided with head lights, instrument lights and other lights which are operated by a main switch accessible to the driver of the automobile. The switch is operated manually. Generally, for testing the switches, an operator has to check the reliability of the switches by operating the switches manually. The regular testing method is not always viable, since the testing method heavily relies on the human operator. As a result, the degree of quality and the turnaround time required for conventional testing of the switches varies for each switch being tested. The manual testing of the switches is, therefore, non-economical.
There is therefore, a need of a test set-up for testing of switches, which alleviates the aforementioned drawbacks.
OBJECTS
Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfies are as follows.
An object of present disclosure is to provide a test set-up for testing of electrical rotary switches.

Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a test set-up having capabilities for testing the electrical rotary switch at all different switching positions thereof.
Other objects and advantages of the present disclosure will be more apparent from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying figure, which are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
SUMMARY
The present disclosure relates to a test set-up for testing a rotary switch. The rotary switch has at least one rotatable lever, wherein the rotation of the rotatable lever facilitates at least one switching operation of the rotary switch. The test set¬up comprises a support structure. A power source is selectively coupled to a load via the rotary switch. At least one actuating cylinder is mounted on the support structure. The actuating cylinder is coupled to the at least one rotatable lever to facilitate the rotation of the rotatable lever during the extension and retraction strokes of the at least one actuating cylinder. A control valve is connected via flexible hose to at least one actuating cylinder for facilitating the extension and retraction strokes thereof.
In an embodiment, the test set-up further comprises a control unit for controlling the operation of the control valve. The control unit comprises a first timer configured to generate a first trigger signal at each pre-determined time interval from a plurality of pre-determined time intervals for facilitating the extension stroke of the actuating cylinder in incremental steps, thereby rotating the rotatable lever at pre-determined angles, wherein each of the pre-determined angles corresponds to each of the incremental steps. The control unit further comprises a second timer configured to generate a second trigger signal at each pre-determined time interval from a plurality of pre-determined time intervals for facilitating the retraction stroke of the actuating cylinder in incremental steps, thereby rotating the rotatable lever at pre-determined angles, wherein each of the pre-determined angles corresponds to each of the incremental steps.

In an embodiment, each of the pre-determined angles is 30°. In another embodiment, the rotary switch is a parking and headlamp switch configured in four angular switching positions including OFF position, parking position, low beam position, and high beam position, wherein the switching positions are angularly displaced at 30° with respect to each other.
In an embodiment, each of the pre-determined angles is 45°. In another embodiment, the rotary switch is a turn indicator switch configured in three angular switching positions including OFF position, left turn position and right turn position provided on either side of the OFF position, wherein the switching positions are angularly displaced at 45° with respect to each other.
In an embodiment, the control valve is a direction control valve.
In an embodiment, the actuating cylinder is at least one of a hydraulic cylinder and a pneumatic cylinder.
In an embodiment, the test set-up further comprises a first actuating cylinder and a second actuating cylinder, wherein the first actuating cylinder is configured to displace the rotatable lever by the pre-determined angles of 30°. The first actuating cylinder has a stroke length of 200mm, wherein the incremental steps in the extension and retraction strokes of the first actuating cylinder are of 60mm.
In an embodiment, the second actuating cylinder is configured to displace the rotatable lever by the pre-determined angles of 45°. The second actuating cylinder has a stroke length of 150mm, wherein the incremental steps in the extension and retraction strokes of the second actuating cylinder are of 50mm.
In an embodiment, the support structure has an L-shaped configuration defined by a first L-bracket connected to a second L-bracket. A free end of the second L-bracket is connected to a rear frame of a dashboard on which the rotary switch is mounted, and the actuating cylinder is mounted at a free end of the first L-bracket.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWING
A test set-up for testing a rotary switch, of the present disclosure, will now be described with the help of the accompanying drawing, in which:
Fig. 1 illustrates a top view of the rotary switch;
Fig. 2A illustrates an isometric view of the test set-up for testing a rotary switch, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Fig. 2B through Fig. 2E illustrate the front views of the test set-up of Fig. 2A, wherein the rotary switch is moved in different switching positions.
Fig. 3 A illustrates an isometric view of the test set-up for testing a rotary switch, in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure;
Fig. 3B through Fig. 3C illustrate the front views of the test set-up of Fig. 3A, wherein the rotary switch is moved in different switching positions.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Fig. 1 illustrates a top view of a rotary switch 102. Fig. 2A illustrates an isometric view of the test set-up 100 for testing a rotary switch 102. Fig. 2B through Fig. 2D illustrate the front views of the test set-up 100, wherein the rotary switch 102 is moved in different switching positions. Reference is directed to Fig. 1 through Fig. 2D hereinafter. The test set-up 100 is designed for testing the rotary switch 102 that includes at least one rotatable lever 102A, 102B, wherein the rotation of the rotatable lever 102A, 102B facilitates at least one switching operation of the rotary switch 102. More specifically, the rotary switch 102 illustrated in Fig. 1 is for controlling a headlamp, parking lights, and turn indicators of a tractor. The rotatable lever 102A is used to control the parking lights and the headlamp. Therefore, the rotatable lever 102A has four switching positions, viz., OFF position, parking position, low beam position, and high beam position, wherein the switching positions are angularly spaced apart at an angle of 30°. The lever

102B is configured for controlling the turn indicators of the tractor and has three
switching positions, viz., OFF position, left turn position, and right turn position,
wherein the switching positions are angularly displaced at 45o with respect to each
other. The test set-up 100 is configured to test the switch 102 at all the
5 aforementioned switching positions of the switch 102.
The test set-up 100 comprises a support structure 104. In an embodiment, the
support structure 104 has an L-shaped configuration defined by a first L-bracket
104A connected to a second L-bracket 104B. A free end of the second L-bracket
104B is connected to a rear frame of a dashboard 106 on which the rotary switch
10 102 is mounted, and an actuating cylinder 108 is mounted at a free end of the first
L-bracket 104A. The first and second L-brackets 104A, 104B have an array of apertures configured thereon for facilitating the mounting of the actuating cylinder 108 at different locations thereon.
A power source (not shown in figures) is selectively coupled to a load 110 via the
15 rotary switch 102. At least one actuating cylinder 108 is mounted on the support
structure 104. The actuating cylinder 108 is coupled to the at least one rotatable
lever 102A, 102B to facilitate the rotation of the rotatable lever 102A, 102B
during the extension and retraction strokes of the at least one actuating cylinder
108. A control valve 112 is connected via flexible hose to at least one actuating
20 cylinder 108 for facilitating the extension and retraction strokes thereof.
More specifically, the load 110 can be a headlamp or turn indicators. The rotatable
levers 102A, 102B of the switch 102 are configured to restrict or allow the supply
of power to the load 110. In the present invention, for the rotatable lever 102A,
the load 110 is a headlamp and a parking lamp, while the load 110 for the
25 rotatable lever 102B are turn indicators. The actuating cylinder 108 has a
connector 108A configured to interface with the rotatable lever 102A, 102B for displacing the rotatable lever 102A, 102B based on the extension and retraction strokes of the actuating cylinder. Based on the rotation of the rotatable lever 102A, 102B via the actuating cylinder 108, the load 110 is given the power supply
6

or the power supply is cut off. The switching of the load 110, i.e., headlamp, parking lamps, instrument cluster lights and the turn indicators is based on the actuation of the rotary switch 102 facilitates the testing of the rotary switch 102.
In an embodiment, the test set-up 100 further comprises a control unit 114 for
5 controlling the operation of the control valve 112. The control unit 114 comprises
a first timer configured to generate a first trigger signal at each pre-determined time interval from a plurality of pre-determined time intervals for facilitating the extension stroke of the actuating cylinder in incremental steps, thereby rotating the rotatable lever at pre-determined angles, wherein each of the pre-determined
10 angles corresponds to each of the incremental steps. The control unit 114 further
comprises a second timer configured to generate a second trigger signal at each pre-determined time interval from a plurality of pre-determined time intervals for facilitating the retraction stroke of the actuating cylinder in incremental steps, thereby rotating the rotatable lever at pre-determined angles, wherein each of the
15 pre-determined angles corresponds to each of the incremental steps.
More specifically, the control unit 114 controls the control valve 112 for providing selective supply of a working fluid to the actuating cylinder 108 via the control valve 112. In an embodiment, the control valve 112 is a direction control valve. In an embodiment, the actuating cylinder 108 can be a pneumatic cylinder
20 or a hydraulic cylinder. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 2A, the actuating
cylinder 108 is a pneumatic cylinder that gets the supply of compressed air from a compressed air source 116. The compressed air source 116 can include a compressor and a filtering means for filtering the compressed air being supplied to the actuating cylinder 108. Depending upon the timer signals from the control
25 unit, the control valve 112 can switch the supply of the compressed air to the
actuating cylinder 108 to facilitate either the extension stroke or the retraction stroke of the actuating cylinder.
For the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 2A through Fig. 2D, each of the pre-determined angles is 30o. More specifically, in Fig. 2A through Fig. 2D, the
7

rotatable lever 102A is a parking and headlamp switch that is shown to be in the
four angular switching positions including OFF position, parking position, low
beam position, and high beam position, wherein the switching positions are
angularly displaced at 30o with respect to each other. Furthermore, as shown in
5 Fig. 2A through Fig. 2D, the test set-up 100 comprises the first actuating cylinder
108, wherein the first actuating cylinder 108 is configured to displace the rotatable lever 102A by the pre-determined angles of 30o. The first actuating cylinder 108 has a stroke length of 200mm, wherein the incremental steps in the extension and retraction strokes of the first actuating cylinder 108 are of 60mm.
10 For the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 3A through Fig. 3C, the test set-up 100 is
the same as that illustrated in Fig. 2A through Fig. 2D, with the only difference being that in the test set-up 100 illustrated in Fig. 3A through Fig. 3C, the rotatable lever 102B is being tested instead of the rotatable lever 102A. Also, the load 110 is changed to turn indicator lights in the test set-up 100 illustrated in Fig.
15 3A through Fig. 3C. All of the other elements in of the test set-up 100 illustrated
in Fig. 3A through Fig. 3C are the same as that disclosed with reference to Fig. 2A through Fig. 2D and are not explained again for the sake of brevity.
For the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 3A through Fig. 3C, each of the pre-determined angles is 45o. More specifically, in Fig. 3A through Fig. 3C, the rotary
20 lever 102B is a turn indicator switch configured in three angular switching
positions including OFF position, left turn position, and right turn position provided on either side of the OFF position, wherein the switching positions are angularly displaced at 45o with respect to each other. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 3A through Fig. 3C, the second actuating cylinder 108 is configured to
25 displace the rotatable lever 102B by the pre-determined angles of 45o. The second
actuating cylinder 108 has a stroke length of 150mm, wherein the incremental steps in the extension and retraction strokes of the second actuating cylinder are of 50mm.
8

TECHNICAL ADVANCEMENTS
The present disclosure described herein above has several technical advantages including, but not limited to, a test set-up:
• for testing of rotary switches; and
5 • having capabilities for testing the rotary switch at all different switching
positions thereof.
The disclosure has been described with reference to the accompanying embodiments which do not limit the scope and ambit of the disclosure. The description provided is purely by way of example and illustration.
10 The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained with reference to the non-limiting embodiments in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways
15 in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
The foregoing description of the specific embodiments so fully revealed the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current
20 knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the
25 purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.
9

Throughout this specification the word "comprise", or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps.
The use of the expression "at least" or "at least one" suggests the use of one or more elements or ingredients or quantities, as the use may be in the embodiment of the disclosure to achieve one or more of the desired objects or results.
Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles or the like that has been included in this specification is solely for the purpose of providing a context for the disclosure. It is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters form a part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the disclosure as it existed anywhere before the priority date of this application.
The numerical values mentioned for the various physical parameters, dimensions or quantities are only approximations and it is envisaged that the values higher/lower than the numerical values assigned to the parameters, dimensions or quantities fall within the scope of the disclosure, unless there is a statement in the specification specific to the contrary.
While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the components and component parts of the preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated that many embodiments can be made and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the disclosure. These and other changes in the preferred embodiment as well as other embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein, whereby it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the disclosure and not as a limitation.

WE CLAIM:
A test set-up for testing a switch, said switch having at least one rotatable lever, the angular displacement of said rotatable lever facilitating at least one switching operation of said switch, said test set-up comprising:
a support structure;
a power source coupled to a load via said switch;
at least one actuating cylinder mounted on said support structure; and
a control valve connected via flexible hose to said at least one actuating cylinder for facilitating the extension and retraction strokes thereof;
said actuating cylinder coupled to said at least one rotatable lever via a connector to facilitate the angular displacement of said rotatable lever in multiple switching positions during the extension and retraction strokes of said at least one actuating cylinder to perform testing of said switch.
The test set-up as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a control unit for controlling the operation of said control valve, wherein said control unit comprises:
a first timer configured to generate a first trigger signal at each pre-determined time interval from a plurality of pre-determined time intervals for facilitating the extension stroke of said actuating cylinder in incremental steps, thereby rotating said rotatable lever at pre-determined angles, wherein each of said pre-determined angles corresponds to each of said incremental steps; and
a second timer configured to generate a second trigger signal at each pre-determined time interval from a plurality of pre-determined time intervals for facilitating the retraction stroke of said actuating cylinder in incremental steps, thereby rotating said rotatable lever at pre-determined angles, wherein each of said pre-determined angles corresponds to each of said incremental steps.
The test set-up as claimed in claim 2, wherein each of said pre-determined angles is 30°.

The test set-up as claimed in claim 3, wherein said switch is a parking and headlamp switch configured in four angular switching positions including OFF position, parking position, low beam position, and high beam position, wherein said switching positions are angularly displaced at 30° with respect to each other.
The test set-up as claimed in claim 2, wherein each of said pre-determined angles is 45°.
The test set-up as claimed in claim 5, wherein said switch is a turn indicator switch configured in three angular switching positions including OFF position, left turn position and right turn position provided on either side of said OFF position, wherein said switching positions are angularly displaced at 45° with respect to each other.
The test set-up as claimed in claim 1, wherein said control valve is a direction control valve.
The test set-up as claimed in claim 1, wherein said actuating cylinder is at least one of a hydraulic cylinder and a pneumatic cylinder.
The test set-up as claimed in claims 2 and 3, further comprising a first actuating cylinder and a second actuating cylinder, wherein said first actuating cylinder is configured to displace said rotatable lever by said pre-determined angles of 30°.
The test set-up as claimed in claims 9 and 5, wherein said second actuating cylinder is configured to displace said rotatable lever by said pre-determined angles of 45°.
The test set-up as claimed in claims 9 and 2, wherein said first actuating cylinder has a stroke length of 200mm, wherein said incremental steps in the extension and retraction strokes of the first actuating cylinder are of 60mm.

The test set-up as claimed in claims 10 and 2, wherein said second actuating cylinder has a stroke length of 150mm, wherein said incremental steps in the extension and retraction strokes of the second actuating cylinder are of 50mm.
The test set-up as claimed in claim 1, wherein said support structure has an L-shaped configuration defined by a first L-bracket connected to a second L-bracket.
The test set-up as claimed in claim 13, wherein a free end of said second L-bracket is connected to a rear frame of a dashboard on which the said switch is mounted, and the said actuating cylinder is mounted at a free end of said first L-bracket.