TECHNICAL FIELD
The present disclosure generally relates to a switch and more particularly, to a push type switch
having a plurality of locking or unlocking positions for 5 switching on/off an electronic circuit in a
vehicle.
BACKGROUND
A vehicle may include various electronic circuits to perform various functions such as switching
engine, lights, signals, etc. Various kinds of switches are used to enable an operator to manually
10 switch on or off, a circuit, as required. There have conventionally been proposed various kinds of
push switches for selectively and directly displacing from a free or unlock position to any one of
the plurality of the locking positions adapted in a multistage manner. Generally, these
conventional push switches are accompanied by disadvantages such as being complicated in
construction, not being particularly efficient in use, high manufacturing cost, assembly time,
15 assembly cost etc.
For example, U.S. Patent number 7,122,756 disclose a push switch assembly including a case
and an operational shaft, having numerous internal and external complex constructional features
and operation mechanism. As the complexity of the overall mechanism increases, there will be a
significant increase in cost. Moreover, such push switch assemblies have large number of
20 elements involved, thus the manufacturability and reliability of the assembly is reduced.
Also, the existing push switch assemblies have other subsidiary mechanisms to produce click
sounds in response to operation, thereby providing a tactile feedback to the operators. These
subsidiary mechanisms substantially increase overall complexity and size of the switch
assemblies. Accordingly, a need exists for a push type switch that addresses one or more above
25 discussed problems and other associated problems with the conventional push switches, ensuring
enhanced manufacturability, operability and reduced cost.
SUMMARY
3
The one or more shortcomings of the prior art are overcome by push type switch as claimed and
additional advantages are provided in the present disclosure.
In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure a push type switch comprises, a
housing, a pusher, a cam groove, a guide pin, a resilient means, 5 a plurality of contact terminals
and a contact member. The housing has an inner wall and defining an interior cavity therein. The
pusher has an external wall, adapted to be received in said interior cavity and slidably operable
relative to the housing, whereas the cam groove is formed on the external wall of the pusher.
Such that the cam groove has steps corresponding to different positions of the pusher. The guide
10 pin is disposed in the housing, configured to maintain constant engagement with cam groove
predetermining a position of the pusher in at least one of a first full stroke switch ON position, a
second maximum ramp switch ON position, a third full stroke switch ON position and a fourth
switch OFF position. Whereas, the resilient means, interposed between the housing and the
pusher, configured to bias the pusher away from the housing. While, the plurality of contact
15 terminals is mounted within the housing such that a portion of the plurality of contact terminals
is exposed at the interior cavity of the housing. The contact member is disposed between the
plurality of electrical terminal and the pusher, adapted to make contact and slide on the exposed
portion of the plurality of contact terminals as the pusher is operated relative to the housing,
whereby the contact member establishes a desired electrical contact based on the position of
20 pusher. Wherein, when said pusher is operated from one position to another, the guide pin trips
over the steps of the cam groove for producing a click sound in response to attainment of each
position of the pusher.
In an embodiment, the push type switch further comprises a cover removably arranged on the
housing, said cover having an opening defined therethrough to movably receive the pusher.
25
In an embodiment, the push type switch further comprises latching holes and latching
protrusions, mating with the latching hole, being formed on the cover and the housing
respectively, for removably securing the cover to the housing.
In an embodiment, a pushbutton knob is integrally formed over the pusher.
4
In an embodiment, the external wall of pusher includes guides for slidably operating the pusher
within guide opening formed on inner wall of housing.
In an embodiment, the guide pin is substantially a U-shaped resilient means having one end
retaining movable contact with cam groove, and the other end is applied against a bottom wall of
5 the housing.
In an embodiment, the guide pin is substantially a guide pin having at least one end maintains
movable contact with cam groove, and the other end is disposed in the housing. Such that the
push type switch may include a leaf spring biases one end of the guide pin toward the cam
groove.
10 In an aspect, the push type switch has two contact members.
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.
15 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
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
20 illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying figures. One or more
embodiments 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 perspective view of the push type switch assembly in accordance
25 with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 2 illustrates a perspective view of the push type switch assembly in accordance with an
embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 3 illustrates the top view of the push type switch assembly in accordance with an
embodiment of the present disclosure.
5
Figure 4 illustrates the left side view of the push type switch assembly in accordance with an
embodiment.
Figure 5, illustrates a sectional view of the push type switch assembly along the line J-J of Figure
3.
Figure 6 illustrates a sectional view of the push type 5 switch assembly along the line A-A of
Figure 3.
Figure 7 illustrates a sectional view of the push type switch assembly in 3rd position along the
line A-A of Figure 3.
Figure 8 illustrates a sectional view of the push type switch assembly in 2nd position along the
10 line K-K of Figure 4.
Figure 9 illustrates a sectional view of the push type switch assembly in 1st position along the
line L-L of Figure 4.
Figure 10 illustrates a sectional view of the push type switch assembly in 4th position along the
line M-M of Figure 4.
15 Figure 11 illustrates a sectional view of the push type switch assembly with various positions of
the guide pin with respect to position of pusher along the line J-J of Figure 4.
Figure 12 illustrates a sectional view of the push type switch assembly with various positions of
the guide pin with respect to position of pusher along the line J-J of Figure 4 showing profile
path for guide pin.
20 Figure 13 illustrates a sectional view of the push type switch assembly along the line I-I of
Figure 5, showing different feature on the profile of pusher.
Figure 14 illustrates a sectional view of the push type switch assembly along the line H-H of
Figure 5, showing different features on the profile of pusher.
Figure 15 shows a perspective view of housing with guide pin, placed in the V-shaped rib.
25 Figure 16 illustrates an exploded perspective view of the push type switch assembly in
accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 17 illustrates a perspective view of the push type switch assembly in accordance with an
embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 18 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the push type switch assembly of Figure 17.
30 Figure 19 illustrates a sectional view of the push type switch assembly along the line E-E of
Figure 18 during initial loading of lock spring and guide pin.
6
Figure 20 illustrates a sectional view of the push type switch assembly along the line E-E of
Figure 18 in 1st position of pusher.
Figure 21 illustrates a sectional view of the push type switch assembly along the line E-E of
Figure 18 in 2nd position of pusher.
Figure 22 illustrates a sectional view of the push type 5 switch assembly along the line E-E of
Figure 18 in 3rd position of pusher.
Figure 23 illustrates a sectional view of the push type switch assembly along the line E-E of
Figure 18 in 4th position of pusher.
Figure 24 illustrates an enlarged partial view of the push type switch assembly showing different
10 feature of the pusher in accordance with an embodiment.
Figure 25 illustrates an enlarged partial view of the push type switch assembly showing different
feature of the pusher in accordance with an embodiment.
Figure 26 illustrates a partial sectional view of the push type switch assembly with various
positions of guide pin with respect to position of the pusher.
15 Figure 27 illustrates an exploded view of a push type switch as yet another embodiment of the
present disclosure.
Figure 28 illustrates a perspective view of the push type switch of Figure 27.
Figure 29 illustrates a top view of the push type switch of Figure 27.
Figure 30 illustrates a front view of the push type switch of Figure 27.
20 Figure 31 illustrates a sectional view of the push type switch along line J-J of Figure 29.
Figure 32 illustrates a sectional view of the push type switch.
Figure 33 illustrates a sectional view of the push type switch.
Figure 34 illustrates a sectional view of the push type switch.
Figure 35 illustrates a sectional view of the push type switch.
25 Figure 36 illustrates a sectional view of the push type switch.
Figure 37 illustrates a sectional view of the push type switch.
Figure 38 illustrates a sectional view of the push type switch.
Figure 39 illustrates an enlarged partial view of the push type switch assembly showing different
feature of the pusher in accordance with an embodiment.
30 Figure 40 illustrates an enlarged partial view of the push type switch assembly showing different
feature of the pusher in accordance with an embodiment.
7
Figure 41 illustrates a perspective view of the push type switch in accordance with an
embodiment
Figure 42 illustrates a table depicting dimensions of the vertical stroke and step dimensions in
different positions in millimetres.
5
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.
10
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
15 described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous
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
20 detail below. It should be understood, however that it is not intended to limit the disclosure to the
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
25 non-exclusive inclusion, such that a setup, device or method that comprises a list of components
or 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 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
30 apparatus.
In the following detailed description of 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
8
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 departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The following description is,
5 therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.
As shown in Figure 1 to Figure 5, and embodiment of the push type switch is disclosed. There
are two embodiments explained in the present disclosure. One is referred to as push switch-1 100
and the another is referred to as push switch-2 200. It may be understood that there may be
10 further embodiments of the present disclosure and the disclosure is not limited to the
embodiments disclosed herein.
The push switch-1 100 comprises a housing 10, a pusher 20, a guide pin 30, a resilient means 40,
a plurality of contact terminals 50, a contact member 60, and a cover 70.
The housing 10 may be generally a rectangular box having an inner wall defining an interior
15 cavity therein. The housing 10 has an unclosed top surface for slidably receiving the pusher 20
relative to the housing 10. The pusher 20 acts as an operational shaft for working of the push
switch-1 100. The pusher 20 may be in the form of a substantially elongated box having an
external wall adapted to be received in interior cavity and slidably operable relative to the
housing 10. A push button knob 80 (interchangeably referred to as a button) is integrally formed
20 over a top portion of the pusher 20, over which a force may be applied by an operator to actuate
the push switch-1 100. A V-shaped contact member 60 is mounted at a lower end of one external
wall of the pusher 20, whereas its opposite external wall includes a cam groove profile 90
(interchangeably referred to as a cam grove) having internal stepped surfaces corresponding to
various positions of the pusher. Furthermore, the pusher 20 has a plurality of guides 21
25 protruding outwardly on the external walls adjacent to the wall on which the V shaped contact
member 60 is mounted. The guides 21 allow the pusher 20 to be disposed slidably operated
through a plurality of guide openings 11 formed on the inner wall of the housing 10.
The contact member 60 is preferably made of a pressed metal plate having a flat base 61 with
three contact points 62, 63, 64 disposed apart from each other protruding away from the flat base
30 61. The flat base 61 of the contact member 60 can be fixed to the pusher 20 by an adhesive or
9
may be welded, soldered, etc. The contact member 60 act as a conductive element to pass low
current electricity from the plurality of contact terminals 50 as explained later. A bottom face of
the pusher 20 has a provision for placing the resilient means 40. An aperture 22 is present on
lower end of one external wall a face of the pusher above the contact member 60, to fix and
confine the resilient means 40 to the pusher 20. The 5 resilient means 40 is interposed between the
housing and the pusher, configured to bias pusher 20 away from the housing 10. The resilient
means 40, can be a compression spring, made of a coiled metal wire such that the lower end is
disposed over a provision or projection on the housing 20 whereas the upper end is fixed inside
the aperture 22 of the pusher 20.
10 The guide pin 30 is of U shape, such that the top end 31 of the guide pin 30 is engaged and slideably
disposed inside the cam groove 90. Whereas, the bottom end 32 of the guide pin 30 is
pivotably disposed with the housing 10. The guide pin 30 may be made of a metal wiring pressed
into U shape. The guide pin 30 also acts as a clamp to confine the pusher 20 with the housing 10.
The plurality of contact terminal 50 extending vertically downwards are disposed within a wall
15 of the housing 10. In an embodiment, the plurality of contact terminals comprises three contact
terminals extensions 51, 52, 53, made of metallic strips to conduct and distribute low current
electricity. A portion of the contact terminals 51, 52, 53 are exposed towards the interior cavity
of the housing 10 through the terminal openings 54. The terminal openings 54 allow the contact
terminals 51, 52, 53 make selective contact with the three contact points 62, 63, 64 of the contact
20 member 60, respectively. The terminal openings 54 are adapted in such a way that various
positions of the pusher 20 can establish a contact between a predetermined pair of contact
terminals 50 to corresponding pair of contact points 62, 63, 64 and thus enabling flow of current.
The contact member 60 may act as an output source of current flow whereas the contact
terminals 51, 52, 53, may act as an input source of current flow.
25 A V-shaped tapered rib 12 extending vertically from bottom of the surface of housing 10 enables
guide pin 30 to locate in an easy manner without additional holding tool or hand support. The
guide pin 30 can be located freely on slanted face of V-shaped tapered rib 12 such that it can be
easily moved without disengaging from a provision 13. The provision 13 is a projection
extending upwardly from lower surface of the housing 10. The provision 13 has an orifice to
10
accommodate the bottom end 32 of guide pin 30. The bottom end 32 of the guide pin 30 is
pivotably disposed inside the provision 13 such that the resilient means 40 is placed over
extreme free end of the bottom end 32. The housing 10 has a spring guiding protrusion 17
vertically disposed on the lower surface of the housing 10. The spring guiding protrusion 17 may
be of truncated cone shape with a slit to allow the 5 bottom end 32 of guide pin 30 to move up and
down while in due course of working of the push switch-1 100.
The cover 70 may form the upper most part of the push switch-1 100, primarily employed
protect the push switch-1 from dust or any other undesirable foreign elements. The cover 70 may
generally be a rectangular box with an unclosed bottom. The cover 70 may have an end wall 71
10 and two opposed side walls extending downwardly from the upper surface of the cover 70. The
opposed side walls may have a plurality of latch holes 72 for removably arranging the cover 70
to the housing 10. In assembled condition, the cover 101 can be arranged on the housing 10 such
that the end wall 71 extends downwardly to the lower surface of the housing 10. A tapered face
projection 73 is disposed on the end wall 71 facing the interior cavity of the housing 10. The
15 cover 70 has an opening 74 to permit the pusher 20 to move in vertical direction.
In an embodiment, the housing 10 may have a plurality of latching protrusions 14 extending
outwardly from outer surfaces of the housing 10. The latching protrusions 14 enable the cover 70
to be fixed to the housing 10 by means of mating the plurality of latch holes 72 provided on the
cover 70. The housing 10 may also include a stopper 15 present below the latching protrusions
20 14. The stopper 15 may be rectangular, protruding from the outer surface to restrict and confine
the cover 70 on the housing after assembling all components. The housing 10 has a guide pin
passage 16 on surface adjacent to the surface over which the latching protrusions 14 are present.
The guide pin passage 16 is utilized for placing the guide pin 30 in the V-shaped tapered rib 12
such that the guide pin passage 16 can be enclosed by the end wall 71 of the cover 70 when all
25 components are assembled. The cover 70, pusher 20 and the housing 10 may be made of any
suitable known material, such as plastic, metal, etc.
The push switch-1100 is assembled by sliding the pusher 20 inside the housing 10, such that the
top end of the resilient means 40 is fixed to the aperture 22 in the pusher 20 whereas the bottom
end of the resilient means 40 resides over the spring guiding protrusion 17. Further the bottom
11
end 32 of the guide pin 30 is placed over the V-shaped tapered rib 12 and inserted into the
provision 13 in the housing 10 and the top end 21 of the guide pin 30 is engaged inside the cam
groove 90. Finally, the cover 70 is fixed over the pusher 20 and the housing 10 by mating the
latching holes 72 with the latching protrusions 14.
The working of the push switch-1 100 is described as 5 following. When a force is applied on the
button 80 by an operator, the pusher 20 gets depressed from a switch off position to a full stroke
ramp switch on condition. With the removal of force by the operator, the pusher 20 urges slightly
upward reaching a maximum ramp switch on condition and the pusher 20 gets locked in this
position. The pusher urges upward due to the action of resilient means 40. To switch off the
10 circuit the user must again apply a force on the button 80 to depress the pusher 20 downwardly to
full stroke ramp switch off condition. Further, on removal of force by the user the pusher 20
returns to initial switch off position.
The full stroke ramp switch on condition is the lowest position of achieved by the pusher 20 and
is considered as 1st position of the pusher. The maximum ramp switch on condition is considered
15 as 2nd position of the pusher. The full stroke ramp switch on condition is considered as 3rd
position. Whereas, the switch off position is considered as 4th position. The 4th position is the
upper most position achieved by the pusher 20.
When the pusher 20 reaches the 1st position a 1st click sound is generated. Similarly, when the
pusher 20 reaches the 2nd, 3rd and 4th positions 2nd, 3rd and 4th click sounds are generated
20 respectively. The click sounds are generated by jumping and tripping over of guide pin 30 over
the profile of the cam grove 90.
Referring to Figure 6, the sectional view A-A depicts position of guide pin 30 with respect to
pusher 20 when the pusher is not pressed or is in switching off condition (4th position). At the
25 4th position, the guide pin 30 engages and clamps the pusher 20 with a predetermined force. The
predetermined force by guide pin 30 is achieved by preloading and compressing a portion of the
resilient means 40 to certain height between spring and guide pin. The preloading is done to
ensure minimum requisite force for generating a click sound (1st click) caused by jumping of
guide pin 30 over the cam groove 90 when the operator applies force to depress the pusher 20
12
downwards from 4th position to 1st position. The cover’s tapered face projection 73 extending to
bottom surface of housing restricts guide pin 30 to slide away from the pusher 20. The cover’s
tapered face projection 73 enables smooth actuation of guide pin 30 for ramping up and down to
all four guide pin positions and locking with respect to pusher full stroke at any switching
position. Furthermore, 201 is height made by bottom end 32 of 5 guide pin 30, placed in between
the resilient means 40 and inner surface of housing 10 in 4th position. Whereas, 202 is angle
made by bottom end 32 of the guide pin 30 with the horizontal.
Figure 7 depicts the 3rd position of the pusher 20. Wherein, 203 is the angle made by bottom
end 32 of the guide pin 30 with the horizontal in 3rd position. Wherein, 204 is the angle made by
10 the upper surface of guide pin passage 16 with the horizontal. Referring to Figure 8 which
illustrates a sectional view K-K, of the push switch-1 100 in 2nd position condition. Wherein,
205 is the angle made by bottom end 32 of the guide pin 30 with the horizontal at 2nd position.
Figure 9 illustrates a sectional view L-L, of the push switch-1 100 in 1st position condition.
Wherein, 206 is the angle made by bottom end 32 of the guide pin 30 with the horizontal at 1st
15 position. Figure 10 illustrates a sectional view M-M, of the push switch-1 100 in 4th position
condition. Wherein, 207 is the angle made by bottom end 32 of the guide pin 30 with the
horizontal at 4th position.
Figure 11 illustrates sectional view J-J of the push switch-1 100 with various positions of guide
pin 30 with respect to position of pusher 20. Wherein, 301, 302, 303 and 304 are positions of
20 pusher in 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th positions respectively. Whereas, 305, 306, 307 and 308 are
positions at which the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th click sounds are generated respectively, when sliding
face of guide pin 30 hits the cam groove 90. The said click sound is generated by the sudden
impact achieved by the pre-and post-loaded guide pin 30 by the resilient means 40 compressed
by the pusher at various positions.
25 Figure 12, illustrates various dimensions 401 to 410 which are the angular and linear dimensions
of the cam groove 90 that has been derived from a wide range of experiments in order to achieve
requisite locking/ latching, unlatched/ unlocking at various position of guide pin 30. Figure 13
and Figure 14 represent various dimensions 501 to 507 which are the angular and linear
13
dimensions of the steps present in the interior of the cam groove 90. Whereas, Figure 15 depicts
perspective view of housing 10 with guide pin 30 places in the V-shaped rib 12 arbitrarily.
Alternate embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated in Figure 16 to Figure 23, which
depicts the exploded view of the push switch-5 2 assembly 600 comprising a housing 610, a pusher
620, a guide pin 630, a resilient means 640, a plurality of contact terminals 650, a contact
member 660, and a cover 670.The construction of the cover 670, pusher 620, and resilient means
640 are like that of cover 70, pusher 20 and resilient means 40 respectively.
The housing 610 may be generally a rectangular box having an inner wall defining an interior
10 cavity therein. The housing 610 has an unclosed top surface for slidably receiving the pusher
620 relative to the housing 610. The pusher 620 acts as an operational shaft for working of the
push switch-2 600. The pusher 620 may be in the form of a substantially elongated box having
an external wall adapted to be received in interior cavity and slidably operable relative to the
housing 610. A push button knob 680 (interchangeably referred to as a button) is integrally
15 formed over a top portion of the pusher 620, over which a force may be applied by an operator to
actuate the push switch-2 600. A V-shaped contact member 660 is mounted at a lower end of one
external wall of the pusher 620, whereas its opposite external wall includes a cam groove profile
690 (interchangeably referred to as a cam grove) having internal stepped surfaces corresponding
to various positions of the pusher 620. Furthermore, the pusher 620 has a plurality of guides 621
20 protruding outwardly on the external walls adjacent to the wall on which the contact member 660
is mounted. The guides 621 allow the pusher 620 to be disposed slidably operated through a
plurality of guide openings 611 formed on the inner wall of the housing 610.
The contact member 660 is preferably made of a pressed metal plate having a flat base 661 with
three contact points 662, 663, 664 disposed apart from each other protruding away from the flat
25 base 661. The flat base 661 of the contact member 660 can be fixed to the pusher 620 by an
adhesive or may be welded, soldered, etc. The contact member 660 act as a conductive element
to pass low current electricity from the plurality of contact terminals 650 as explained later. A
bottom face of the pusher 620 has a provision for placing the resilient means 640. An aperture
622 is present on lower end of one external wall a face of the pusher above the contact member
30 660, to fix and confine the resilient means 640 to the pusher 620. The resilient means 640 is
14
interposed between the housing and the pusher, configured to bias pusher 620 away from the
housing 610. The resilient means 640, can be a compression spring, made of a coiled metal wire
such that the lower end is disposed over a provision or projection on the housing 620 whereas the
upper end is fixed inside the aperture 622 of the pusher 610.
In an embodiment, the guide pin 630 is rivet shaped 5 element having a long circular pin portion
631 and a solid semi spherical head portion 632. The pin portion 631 is employed to engage and
slide-ably disposed inside the cam groove 690. Whereas, the head portion 632 is disposed in the
housing 610. The guide pin 630 also acts as a clamp to confine the pusher 620 with the housing
610. A leaf spring 625 is employed to keep the guide pin 630 engaged to the cam groove 690
10 with a predetermined self-resilient force. The leaf spring 625 is a stressed w shaped member with
a hole at the center to accommodate the pin portion 631 of guide pin 630. A square aperture 622
is present on the pusher 620 above the contact member 660, to fix and confine the resilient
means 640 to the pusher.
15 The plurality of contact terminals 650 extending vertically downwards are disposed within a wall
of the housing 610. In an embodiment, the plurality of contact terminals comprises three contact
terminals 651, 652, 653, made of metallic strips to conduct and distribute low current electricity.
A portion of the contact terminals 651, 652, 653 are exposed towards the interior cavity of the
housing 610 through the terminal openings 654. The terminal openings 654 allow the contact
20 terminals 651, 652, 653 make selective contact with the three contact points 662, 663, 664 of the
contact member 660, respectively. The terminal openings 654 are adapted in such a way that
various positions of the pusher 620 can establish a contact between a predetermined pair of
contact terminals 650 to corresponding pair of contact points 662, 663, 664 and thus enabling
flow of current. The contact member 660 may act as an output source of current flow whereas
25 the contact terminals 651, 652, 653, may act as an input source of current flow.
The cover 670 forms the upper most part of the assembly, primarily employed to provide a dust
free covering to the pusher assembly. The cover 670 is generally a rectangular box with an
unclosed bottom. The side walls of the cover 671 have a plurality of latch holes 672 for fixing
the cover 670 to the housing 610 such that the cover 670 forms a dust free seal for the
30 mechanism in assembled condition. A rear end 673 of the cover 670 is partially open from the
15
bottom side. The cover 670 has an opening 674 on upper surface to allow the pusher 620 to
reciprocate in vertical direction with the operation of the operator.
In an embodiment, the housing 610 may have a plurality of latching protrusions 614 extending
outwardly from outer surfaces of the housing 610. 5 The latching protrusions 614 enable the cover
670 to be fixed to the housing 610 by means of mating the plurality of latch holes 672 provided
on the cover 670. The housing 610 may also include a stopper 615 present below the latching
protrusions 614. The stopper 615 may be rectangular, protruding from the outer surface to
restrict and confine the cover 670 on the housing 610 after assembling all components. The
10 housing 610 includes an extended channel 612 on the external wall adjacent to the wall over
which the latching protrusions 642 are present. The extended channel 612 is utilized to
encompass and position the guide pin 630 with respect to the pusher 610. The housing 640, also
includes a through opening 613 as a provision to insert the leaf spring 625 within the extended
chamber 612. The housing 610 has a spring guiding protrusion 612 vertically disposed on the
15 lower surface of the housing 610. The cover 670, pusher 620 and the housing 610 may be made
of any suitable known material, such as plastic, metal, etc.
The push switch-2 600 is assembled by sliding the pusher 620 inside the housing 610, such that
the top end of the resilient means 640 is fixed to the aperture 622 in the pusher 620 whereas the
bottom end of the resilient means 640 resides over the spring guiding protrusion 616. Further the
20 pin portion 631 of the guide pin 630 is placed inserted into the extended channel 612 in the
housing 610 and engaged inside the cam groove 690. The leaf spring 625 is positioned inside the
opening 647 before inserting the guide pin 630 into the housing. Finally, the cover 670 is fixed
over the pusher 610 and the housing 640 by mating the latching holes 602 with the latching
protrusions 642.
25 Figure 19 depicts leaf spring 625 and guide pin 630 with respect to pusher at the time of initial
installation. The leaf spring 625 is initially loaded into the opening 613 with a predetermined
force. Figure 20 depicts leaf spring 625 and guide pin 630 with respect to pusher in 1st position.
701 is the angle made by the guide pin 630 with respect to initial horizontal axis. Figure 21
depicts leaf spring 625 and guide pin 630 with respect to pusher 620 in 2nd position. 702 is the
30 angle made by the guide pin 630 with respect to initial horizontal axis of the guide pin 630.
16
Figure 22 depicts lock spring 620 and guide pin 621 with respect to pusher 620 in 3rd position.
Whereas, Figure 23 depicts leaf spring 625 and guide pin 630 with respect to pusher 620 in 4th
position. 703 is the angle made by the guide pin 630 with respect to initial horizontal axis of the
guide pin 630.
Furthermore, Figure 26 depicts generation 5 of various click sounds with respect to pusher 620
positions when the guide pin 630 hits the cam profile 690 faces at various step heights as 801,
802, 803, 804, 805 and present at different angles of 806 and 807 (as showing in Figure 24 and
Figure 25). The said click sound is generated by the sudden impact achieved by the pre-and
post-loaded guide pin 630 by the resilient means 640 on the pusher 610 at various positions.
10 Wherein, 901, 902, 903 and 904 are positions of pusher in 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th positions
respectively. Whereas, 905, 906, 907 and 908 are positions at which the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th
click sounds are generated respectively.
Figures 27-41 depict a push type switch in accordance with yet another embodiment of the
present disclosure. The push type switch disclosed in Figures 27-41 is configured for having two
15 contact members along with two set of electrical terminals. The provision of two contact
members placed on either side of the pusher helps in increasing overall life of the push type
switch, as the biasing forces exerted by the contact members on either side of the pusher are
cancelled out, which in turn results in considerable reduction in wear and tear during repeated
movement of pusher. Also, it helps keeping the pusher in alignment. The housing, the pusher
20 and the cover are accordingly configured for housing the additional elements as required.
Referring to Figure 32, the cover 812 is provided with a taper along the side wall 814 that is
juxtaposed with the guide pin or the lock pin 816. The taper is such that an upper portion 826 of
the side wall is positioned at a slight distance from the lock pin so that the upper end 818 of the
lock pin 816 is provided room for movement in lateral direction while movement of pusher 822
25 between different positions. Whereas, the bottom portion 824 of the tapered side wall nearly
abuts the bottom portion of the lock pin as shown in Figure 32. The bottom portion of the tapered
side wall keeps the bottom of the lock pin in place. Accordingly, the bottom portion of the side
wall ensures that the bottom end of the lock pin never slides away from its initial position during
various positions of the pusher cam.
17
Referring to Figure 33, a top face 832 of the cover nearly abuts the top surface 834 of the lock
pin. Accordingly, movement of lock pin in vertical direction is restricted by the top face. This
mating works as the firm desired stopper at latching position. Benefits of this arrangements
include firm locking or latching of lock with respect to pusher and housing. Further locking is as
strengthened, more than 4 times as compared to any 5 other conventional switch. Figure 33 also
illustrates the span of angular movement of the long arm 844 of the lock pin.
Further, as shown in Figure 32-34, a boss 842 is provided to hold the bottom end of the lock pin
in position. The boss is provided with a taper on its inner surface to allow slight movement of the
long arm 844 of the lock pin. The taper enables room for movement of the long arm. Further, for
10 creating the taper of boss, a slot 846 is provided in the base portion of the housing 848. The slot
facilitates access to tooling for making of the taper on the inner surface of the boss.
Further, as shown in Figure 41, the base portion 712 of the housing 714 is provided with tapered
ribs 716 extending orthogonally from the base portion. The tapered ribs run along the length of
the middle portion of the lock pin 718. The tapered ribs are tapered on the face that is exposed to
15 the middle portion of the lock pin. The tapered ribs help in keeping the lock pin in alignment for
assembly of the push type switch. This arrangement improves overall ease of assembly and also
reduced time required for assembly.
Further, Figure 37 illustrates different position of the upper end of the lock pin at different click
points. Figure 38 illustrates different dimensions of the camp profile that guides movement of the
20 upper end of the lock pin during operation of the push type switch. Figures 37 and 38 also show
various steps in the cam profile for producing different click sounds.
Figure 42 illustrates the length of vertical stroke of the lock pin or pusher along with respective
step height for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th click in millimeters.
Other features of this embodiment are apparent and comprehendible in light of description of the
25 previous embodiments and hence are not discussed in detail. Also, relevant dimensions are also
marked in the respective drawings for enablement for a person skilled in the art to readily
practice or perform the invention. It is to be understood that the dimensions shown in the
drawings are shown as an example of one embodiment. A person skilled in the art may practice
18
or perform the invention with other dimensions analogous to the dimensions shown in the
drawings. All such other embodiments not specifically shown are considered within scope of this
disclosure and the invention as claimed in the claims.
For example, Figures 43-45 illustrates a range of dimensions that may be incorporated in an
embodiment of the invention. Similarly, there may 5 be other embodiments within scope of the
disclosure of the invention as claimed.
It is to be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art may design push type switch in any
shape, dimension and configuration without deviating from the scope of the present disclosure.
Also, various modifications and variations may be made without departing from the scope of the
10 present disclosure. Therefore, it is intended that the present disclosure covers such modifications
and variations provided they come within the ambit of the appended claims and their equivalents.
Equivalents:
15 With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill
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
20 the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms
(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
25 recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no 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
30 recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes
19
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
skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically 5 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
10 convention (e.g., “a system 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
15 A, B, or 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.). 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,
20 or both terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include the possibilities of
“A” or “B” or “A and B.”
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
25 scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.

WE CLAIM:
1. A push type switch comprising:
a housing having an inner wall and defining an interior cavity therein;
a pusher having an external wall, adapted to be 5 received in said interior cavity and
slidably operable relative to the housing;
a cam groove formed on the external wall of the pusher, the cam groove having
steps corresponding to different positions of the pusher;
a guide pin disposed in the housing, configured to maintain constant engagement
10 with cam groove predetermining a position of the pusher in at least one of a first
full stroke switch ON position, a second maximum ramp switch ON position, a
third full stroke switch ON position and a fourth switch OFF position;
a resilient means, interposed between the housing and the pusher, configured to
bias the pusher away from the housing;
15 a plurality of contact terminals mounted within the housing such that a portion of
the plurality of contact terminals is exposed at the interior cavity of the housing;
and
at least one contact member disposed between the plurality of electrical terminal
and the pusher, adapted to make contact and slide on the exposed portion of the
20 plurality of contact terminals as the pusher is operated relative to the housing,
whereby the contact member establishes a desired electrical contact based on the
position of pusher;
wherein when said pusher is operated from one position to another, the guide pin trips
over the steps of the cam groove for producing a click sound in response to attainment of
25 each position of the pusher.
2. The 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.
21
3. The push type switch as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, further comprises latching holes
and latching protrusions, mating with the latching hole, being formed on the cover and
the housing respectively, for removably securing the cover to the housing.
4. The push type switch as claimed in claim 5 1, wherein a pushbutton knob is integrally
formed over the pusher.
5. The push type switch as claimed in claim 1, wherein the external wall of pusher includes
guides for slidably operating the pusher within guide opening formed on inner wall of
10 housing.
6. The push type switch as claimed in claim 1, wherein the guide pin is substantially a Ushaped
resilient means having one end retaining movable contact with cam groove, and
the other end is applied against a bottom wall of the housing.
15
7. The push type switch as claimed in claim 1, wherein the guide pin is substantially a guide
pin having at least one end maintains movable contact with cam groove, and the other
end is disposed in the housing.
20 8. The push type switch as claimed in claim 1 and claim 7, wherein a leaf spring biases one
end of the guide pin toward the cam groove.
9. The push type switch as claimed in claim 1, wherein the number of contact members is
two.