TECHNICAL FIELD
The present disclosure is related to a push type switch. More particularly, 5 but not exclusively, to
an assembly of electrical terminals in a push type switch for low current circuits used in a vehicle.
BACKGROUND
A variety of electrical switches with a push-push operation are used in low current applications in
a vehicle. The primary aim of such push type switches is to switch on/off flow of current in an
10 electrical circuit. The actuating assemblies used for such switches commonly have a housing, a
spring and a pusher which is slide-ably mounted in a frame, such that the depression/recovery in
pusher position is used to switch on/off the electrical circuit. Push type switches employed in
vehicles may be used as air conditioning switch of an HVAC (heating, ventilation and air
conditioning) control panel, air recirculation switch, defog switch etc.,
15
Conventionally, the housing of the push type switch is of box shaped. Wherein, metallic electrical
terminals are insert moulded in a wall of the box shaped housing. Insert moulding is an extension
of the plastic injection moulding process, wherein the insert made of metal is placed into a customdesigned
tool steel mould or cavity. A plastic resin is then injected around the insert and cooled to
20 obtain the required housing. When the terminals are insert moulded with the housing at an angle
of 90°, friction between the metal insert and tool steel causes burrs and flashes in the part obtained.
Moreover, due to excess friction on the metal inserts, the plating over the metal terminals are
damaged.
25 Another problem with the conventional housing of the push type switch is to provide a draft angle
inside the wall of housing. The purpose of draft is to allow easy ejection and release of part from
the mould upon tool opening. However, due to the shape of housing the draft angle is very difficult
to manufacture. Furthermore, due to various disadvantages of insert moulding of the metal inserts
into housing, a need exists for a push type switch that addresses one or more above discussed
30 disadvantages and other associated problems with the conventional push switches, ensuring
enhanced manufacturability, operability and reduced cost.
3
SUMMARY
The one or more shortcomings of the prior art are overcome by compact push type switch as
claimed and additional advantages are provided through the provision of push type switch as
5 claimed in the present disclosure.
In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure compact push type switch comprising a
housing, a pusher, a resilient member, an insulator, a contact strip, and a plurality of terminals.
The housing defining an inner chamber and having an opening formed on a side wall of the
10 housing. The pusher slidably disposed within the inner chamber of the housing. The resilient
member interposed between the pusher and the housing for urging pusher away from the housing.
The insulator disposed at the opening of the housing and having provision to retain a plurality of
terminals such that the terminals are selectively exposed towards the inner chamber. The contact
strip is mounted on the pusher and having a plurality of contact points adapted to individually
15 engage the plurality of terminals to form an electrical connection, such that upon manual
depression of the pusher, a switching function is effectuated by selective engagement of contact
strip with at least two of the electrical terminals, exposed towards the inner chamber; and wherein,
the insulator is adapted to be detachably mounted to the housing.
In an embodiment, the opening is formed by a depression in the side wall of the housing, upon
20 which the insulator is press fitted.
In an embodiment, the insulator comprises a wall portion having provision to detachably retain a
plurality of terminals, two opposed arms extending outwardly from the wall portion for engaging
said insulator with opposed side walls of the housing.
In an embodiment, the insulator is provided with projections adjacent to exposed terminals for
25 releasably locking the pusher at a predetermined position with respect to the housing.
In an embodiment, the plurality of terminals is insert molded into the insulator.
In an embodiment, the contact strip is removably mounted to the pusher by mounting means, such
as crush ribs and receiving boss, slot and notch or like, provided on the pusher and contact strip.
4
In an embodiment, the compact push type switch further comprises a cover removably arranged
on the housing, said cover having an opening defined therethrough to movably receive the pusher.
In an embodiment, the compact push type switch further comprises latching holes and latching
protrusions, mating with the latching hole, being formed on the cover and the housing respectively,
5 for removably securing the cover to the housing.
In an embodiment, the compact push type switch further comprises a pushbutton knob is integrally
formed over the pusher.
In an embodiment, the pusher includes guides for slidably operating the pusher within guide
openings formed in the inner chamber of housing.
10 Additional features and advantages are realized through the techniques of the present disclosure.
Other embodiments and aspects of the disclosure are described in detail herein and are considered
a part of the claimed disclosure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
15
The novel features and characteristic of the disclosure are set forth in the appended claims. The
disclosure itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages
thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative
embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying figures. One or more embodiments
20 are now described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying figures wherein
like reference numerals represent like elements and in which:
Figure 1 illustrates an exploded view of the push type switch in accordance with an embodiment.
Figure 2 illustrates a perspective view of the push type switch in accordance with an embodiment.
25
Figure 3 illustrates the top view of the push type switch in accordance with an embodiment.
Figure 4 illustrates a side view of pusher in accordance with an embodiment.
5
Figure 5 illustrates a sectional view of the push type switch along the line A-A of Figure 3.
Figure 6 illustrates a sectional view of the push type switch along the line B-B of Figure 4.
Figure 7 illustrates a sectional view 5 of the push type switch along the line C-C of Figure 4.
Figure 8 illustrates a perspective view of an insulator with insert moulded terminals in accordance
with an embodiment.
10 Figure 9 illustrates an exploded view of push type switch according to an embodiment.
Figure 10 illustrates a perspective view of push type switch in accordance with an embodiment.
Figure 11 illustrates a perspective view of an insulator with insert moulded terminals in
15 accordance with an embodiment.
Figure 12 illustrates a perspective view of a push type switch in accordance with another
embodiment of the present disclosure.
20 Figure 13 illustrates an exploded view of a push type switch in accordance with another
embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 14 illustrates a front perspective view of an insulator with insert moulded terminals in
accordance with another embodiment.
25
Figure 15 illustrates a back perspective view of an insulator with insert moulded terminals in
accordance with another embodiment.
Figure 16 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the push type switch in accordance with another
30 embodiment across the line D-D.
6
Figure 17 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the push type switch in accordance with another
embodiment across the line E-E.
Figure 18 illustrates a top perspective view of the housing fitted with insulators in accordance with
5 another embodiment.
Figure 19 illustrates an exploded view of the housing with the insulators in accordance with
another embodiment.
10 The figures depict embodiments of the disclosure for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in
the art will readily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the
structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles
of the disclosure described herein.
15 DETAILED DESCRIPTION
In the present document, the word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example,
instance, or illustration." Any embodiment or implementation of the present subject matter
described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous
20 over other embodiments.
While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific
embodiment thereof has been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in
detail below. It should be understood, however that it is not intended to limit the disclosure to the
25 forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and
alternative falling within the spirit and the scope of the disclosure.
The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a nonexclusive
inclusion, such that a setup, device or method that comprises a list of components or
30 steps does not include only those components or steps but may include other components or steps
not expressly listed or inherent to such setup or device or method. In other words, one or more
7
elements in a system or apparatus proceeded by “comprises… a” does not, without more
constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the system or
apparatus.
In the following detailed description of 5 the embodiments of the disclosure, reference is made to
the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration
specific embodiments in which the disclosure may be practiced. These embodiments are described
in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the disclosure, and it is to be
understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that changes may be made without
10 departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The following description is, therefore, not to
be taken in a limiting sense.
As shown in Figure 1 to Figure 5, a compact push type switch 100 (interchangeably referred to a
switch) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure comprises a housing 10, a pusher
15 20, a resilient member 30, an insulator 40, a plurality of terminals 50, and a contact strip 60.
The housing 10 is utilized for accommodating the pusher 20 together with the resilient member
30. The housing 10 is substantially box shaped defining an inner chamber and having an opening
11 formed on a side wall of the housing 10. The housing 10 has guide openings 12 along two
opposite side walls. The side walls of the housing 10 are provided with a slight draft angle for easy
20 ejection during molding process.
The pusher 20 slidably disposed within the inner chamber of the housing 10. The pusher 20 is
substantially a rectangular column which acts as an operational shaft for the working of the switch
100. In an embodiment a push button knob 85 is integrally formed over the pusher 20 such that
the button 85 can be pushed by an operator. The pusher includes guides 21 for slidably operating
25 the pusher 20 within guide openings 12 formed in the inner chamber of housing 10. The surface
in between the guides 21 is in a shape of convex rib 23 which extends from the bottom of the
pusher to up to the height of the guides 21. The guide openings 12 and the convex rib 13 allow the
pusher 20 to be disposed slid-ably through the housing 10. The bottom face of the pusher 20 has a
cylindrical cavity 13 extending upwardly from the bottom surface of the pusher 20 to
30 accommodate the resilient member 30. A helical compression spring can be utilized as the resilient
8
member 30 to act as a return spring for urging the pusher 20 outwardly away from the housing 10.
The resilient member 30 may be made of a coiled metal wire.
The contact strip 60 is a metal sheet, pressed into V shape, with a base portion 64 and a bent
portion. The base portion is utilized for mounting the contact strip 60 to the lower end of one side
of the pusher 20, whereas the bent portion has a plurality 5 of contact points, say three contact points
61, 62, 63 disposed apart from each other and extending away from the base portion 64. The
contact strip 60 acts as a conductive element to pass low current electricity to different terminals
as explained later. The contact strip 60 is removably mounted to the pusher 20 by mounting means,
such as crush ribs and receiving boss, slot and notch or like, provided on the pusher 20 and contact
10 strip 60.
As shown in Figure 8, the insulator 40 is disposed at the opening 11 of the housing and having
provision to retain the plurality of electrical terminals 50 such that the terminals are selectively
exposed towards the inner chamber. The insulator may be mounted removably in the housing. The
insulator 40 is substantially rectangular wall shaped. The insulator 40 includes a thin wall 41, a
15 shoulder 42, a tapered portion 43 and legs 44. The thin wall 41 forms the upper portion of the
insulator 40. The shoulder is disposed towards the lower end of the thin wall 41. The tapered
portion 43 is disposed towards the bottom of the shoulder 42 and the tapered portion 43 projects
outwardly from the insulator 40 on one side of the insulator 40. Further, the lower portion of the
insulator has three legs 44 extending from the bottom of the shoulder 42 towards the bottom of
20 tapered portion 43. The legs 44 are configured to accommodate the plurality of electrical terminals
50, say terminals 51, 52, and 53 which are insert molded or press fitted or manually fitted into the
insulator 40. The upper end of the terminals 51, 52, 53 are disposed in slits 45 on the thin wall
such that the terminals 51, 52 and 53 are selectively exposed towards the side on which the tapered
portion 43 is present. The terminals 51,52, and 53 may be made of any know electrical conducting
25 material and are insert molded or press fitted or manually fitted into the insulator made of any
known polymeric or insulator material.
The housing 10 further has a depressed side wall 13 over which the shoulder 42 of the insulator
40 is placed. As shown in Figure 6, the internal surface of depressed side wall 13 has a plurality
of crushing ribs 19 with help of which the insulator 40 is press fitted in the housing 60. The
9
crushing ribs 19 are undrafted sharp wedges extending from the inner surface of the housing 10,
which get deformed and create a tight fit when the insulator 40 is press fitted in to the housing 10.
As the crushing ribs 19 are present only on a small surface area of the housing 10, their lack of
draft angle creates resistance to ejection of insulator 40 and reduces risk of damage to the housing
10 during press fitting. Similarly, a plurality of 5 crushing ribs 46 are present on the side of the
insulator 40 that engages the side wall 13. As clearly depicted in Figure 6, 91, 92, 93, and 94
represent various over-lapping dimensions made by the crushing ribs 19 and 46 with respect to the
housing 10 and the insulator 40, in assembled condition.
In an embodiment, the switch 100 further comprises of a cover 80. The cover 80 removably
10 arranged on the housing 10. The cover 80 is a rectangular box member having an open bottom end
and an opening 81 which acts as a guide chamber for to-and-fro movement of the pusher 20. The
cover 80 further includes a plurality of latch holes 82 to detachably/removable affix the cover 80
with mating latching protrusions 15 provided on the housing 10. The cover 80 acts as a medium
to restrict entry of foreign particles into the switch 100 during its working after assembled
15 condition. The housing 10 may include a stopper 16 extending outwardly from the outer surface
of the housing 10 to restrict downward travel of the cover 80 over the housing 10. As shown in
Figures 5 and 7, the housing 10 may further have a spring guiding protrusion 17 extending
vertically from the inner bottom surface of the housing 10. The spring guiding protrusion 17 may
be of truncated cone shape. The cover 80, the pusher 20 and the housing 10 may be made of any
20 suitable known material.
The switch 100 may be assembled as follows. The insulator 40 made by insert molding the
terminals 50 is press fitted into the internal side of depressed side wall 13, such that the shoulder
42 of the insulator 40 abuts on the depressed side wall 13. Then the pusher 20 is placed inside the
housing 10 such that the bottom end of the resilient member 30 rests over the spring guiding
25 protrusion 17, whereas the top end of spring is placed inside the cylindrical cavity 22. The guide
ways 12 maintain a three-point line contact with the guides 21 as shown in Figure 7. The threepoint
line contact facilitates reduction in friction and provides smoother operational feel during
sliding of pusher 20 into the housing 10. Finally, the cover 80 may be fixed over the pusher 20 and
the housing 10 by mating the latching holes 82 with the latch protrusions 15.
10
Figure 9 to 11 illustrate another embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 11 the
insulator 70 may have a rectangular wall 71 with two arms 72 extending orthogonally from two
opposing sides of the rectangular wall. The two arms 72 may have rectangular locking holes 73.
The rectangular wall 71 is configured to accommodate the terminals 51, 52, and 53 which may be
insert molded into the insulator 70. The rectangular wall 71 includes 5 a plurality of slits 74 to expose
the terminals 51, 52 and 53 towards the side from which the arms 72 extend. The housing 10 may
include an engaging protuberance 18 mate able with the locking holes 73 of the insulator 70. Also,
instead of depressed side wall 13 the housing may have an open side 14 which can be enclosed by
the rectangular wall 71 when the insulator 70 is detachably fixed to the engaging protuberance 18
10 of the housing 10.
In assembled condition, the slits 45 and 74 allow the electrical terminals 51, 52, 53 to get in contact
with the three contact points 61, 62, 63 of the contact strip 60, respectively. The slits 45 and 74 are
designed in such a way that various positions of the pusher establish a contact between a
predetermined selective pair of electrical terminals 51, 52, 53 and corresponding pair of contact
15 points 61, 62, 63, thus enabling effectuating a switching function. The various positions of the
pusher 20 can be established by any push type switch mechanism (not shown in the Figures) known
in the art.
Figures 12-19 illustrate a push type switch 200 in accordance with yet another embodiment of the
present disclosure. In the third embodiment as disclosed, there are two insulators 110 with
20 electrical terminals 112 along with two contact strips 114 mounted on the pusher instead of one as
compared to the previous embodiment. The design of the housing, the pusher and the cover are
adapted accordingly to accommodate additional components. In the third embodiment the cover is
now adapted for being snap locked on the housing for ease of assembly. Further, the insulators are
provided with guiding ribs 116 for guiding insertion during mounting of the insulator in the
25 housing. The housing is provided with corresponding grooves to match with the guiding ribs. The
housing has been provided with crushing ribs for precise fitment of the insulator in the housing.
Necessary clearance may be provided between the housing and the insulator for easy fitment of
the insulator in the housing during assembly.
11
There are several advantages associated with use of two insulators and two contact strips. Firstly,
placing the contact strip on both sides results in balancing and cancelling out of the forces exerted
by the contact strip on the pusher. Further, this arrangement considerably increases life of the push
type switch by reducing wear and tear. Furthermore, said two insulators and two contact strips
5 arrangement is advantageous:
1. For reducing the malfunctioning effect of switching with one insulator and contact strip
by using both insulator and contact strip for switching of a single function.
2. Can switch two functions at a time.
10 As shown in Figure 19, plurality of crushing ribs 190 has been provided in cover inner-top face
(not shown in drawings) to restrict movement in Z-Z direction. These crushing ribs enable
movement restriction of insulator sub-assembly in Y-Y direction to establish the precise
positioning of insulator with respect to the housing. Further, plurality of crushing ribs 191 are
provided for restricting movement in X-X direction.
15 It is to be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art would design push type switch in any
shape, dimension and configuration to steering lock assembly without deviating from the scope of
the present disclosure. Also, various modifications and variations may be made without departing
from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, it is intended that the present disclosure covers
such modifications and variations provided they come within the ambit of the appended claims
20 and their equivalents.
Equivalents:
With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill
25 in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is
appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations may be
expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity.
It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in
the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms
12
(e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term
“having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as
“includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a
specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly
recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no 5 such intent is present. For example,
as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory
phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such
phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite
articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to
10 inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory
phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or
“an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true
for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations.
In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those
15 skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least
the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically
means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where
a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction
is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system
20 having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone,
B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C
together, etc.). In those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.”
is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would
understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” would include but
25 not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together,
B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within
the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms,
whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the
possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the
30 phrase “A or B” will be understood to include the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”
13
While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and
embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments
disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true
scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.

WE CLAIM:
1. A compact push type switch comprising:
a housing defining an inner chamber and having an opening formed on a side wall
5 of the housing;
a pusher slidably disposed within the inner chamber of the housing;
a resilient member interposed between the pusher and the housing for urging pusher
away from the housing;
an insulator disposed at the opening of the housing and having provision to retain
10 a plurality of terminals such that the terminals are selectively exposed towards the
inner chamber; and
a contact strip mounted on the pusher and having a plurality of contact points
adapted to individually engage the plurality of terminals to form an electrical
connection, such that upon manual depression of the pusher, a switching function
15 is effectuated by selective engagement of contact strip with at least two of the
electrical terminals, exposed towards the inner chamber; and wherein, the insulator
is adapted to be detachably mounted to the housing.
2. The compact push type switch as claimed in claim 1, wherein the opening is formed by a
20 depression in the side wall of the housing, upon which the insulator is press fitted.
3. The compact push type switch as claimed in claim 1, wherein the insulator comprises a
wall portion having provision to detachably retain a plurality of terminals, two opposed
arms extending outwardly from the wall portion for engaging said insulator with opposed
25 side walls of the housing.
4. The compact push type switch as claimed in claim 1, wherein the insulator is provided with
projections adjacent to exposed terminals for releasably locking the pusher at a
predetermined position with respect to the housing.
30
5. The compact push type switch as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of terminals is
insert molded into the insulator.
15
6. The compact push type switch as claimed in claim 1, wherein the contact strip is removably
mounted to the pusher by mounting means, such as crush ribs and receiving boss, slot and
5 notch or like, provided on the pusher and contact strip.
7. The compact push type switch as claimed in claim 1, further comprises a cover removably
arranged on the housing, said cover having an opening defined therethrough to movably
receive the pusher.
10
8. The compact push type switch as claimed in claim 1 and claim 7, further comprises latching
slots and latching protrusions, mating with the latching slots, being formed on the cover
and the housing respectively, for removably securing the cover to the housing.
15 9. The compact push type switch as claimed in claim 1, wherein a pushbutton knob is
integrally formed over the pusher.
10. The compact push type switch as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pusher includes guides
for slidably operating the pusher within guide openings formed in the inner chamber of
20 housing.