Switch apparatus

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates a switch assembly structure in which a first switch element and a second switch element are adapted to be selectively operated by a single operating knob.

2. Related Art

FIG. 3

shows a schematic plan view of a power seat switch in a vehicle. This power seat switch is composed of a first switch device

1

on the right side and a second switch device

2

on the left side. A cover

4

corresponding to the first switch device

1

and a cover

5

corresponding to the second switch device

2

are mounted on a common switch body

3

.

The first switch device

1

is so constructed as to operate a reclining switch for adjusting a reclined angle of a back of a seat and a head restraint switch for adjusting a height of a head restraint provided on a top of the seat back. In the cover

4

of the first switch device

1

is formed a guide hole

4

a

in a shape of a cross and a cut-out

4

b

so as to be adjacent to each other as shown in

FIG. 4. A

projection

3

a

provided on a switch body

3

is inserted into the cut-out

4

b

and projects upward from the cover

4

.

A plate

6

is fixed to the switch body

3

underneath the cover

4

. The plate

6

is provided with a guide hole

6

a

in a shape of a cross, and an elongated guide hole

6

b

so as to be adjacent to each other. A knob holder

7

is slidably mounted on the plate

6

. The knob holder

7

has a projection

7

a

which is adapted to be inserted into the guide hole

4

a

on its upper face, and two projections

7

b

and

7

c

which are adapted to be inserted into the guide holes

6

a

and

6

b

respectively on its lower face. Two holders

8

,

9

are disposed underneath the plate

6

at positions below the guide holes

6

a

and

6

b

, respectively. Into recesses

8

a

and

9

a

formed in the holders

8

and

9

respectively, the corresponding projections

7

b

and

7

c

are adapted to be inserted. The recess

8

a

of the holder

8

into which one of the projections

7

b

is inserted extends in a direction of an arrow A

1

, while the recess

9

a

of the holder

9

into which the other projection

7

c

is inserted extends in a direction of an arrow A

2

which intersects the direction A

1

.

A coil spring

10

, a bifurcated member

11

, and a pair of contact blades

12

are disposed below each of the holders

8

,

9

. The switch body

3

is provided with fixed contacts (not shown) corresponding to the contact blades

12

respectively. A pair of the contact blades

12

corresponding to the holder

9

and the mating fixed contacts constitutes the reclining switch

13

as a switch element, while a pair of the contact blades

12

corresponding to the holder

8

and the mating fixed contacts will constitute the head restraint switch

14

as a switch element.

A single operating knob

15

is fitted to the above described projection

3

a

and the projection

7

a

of the knob holder

7

. A guide part

16

consisting of a pair of ribs

16

a

, and an engaging tubular part

17

are provided on a back face of the operating knob

15

. The projection

3

a

is inserted into the guide part

16

, and the projection

7

a

is inserted into the engaging tubular part

17

.

In the above described structure, when the knob holder

7

is operated to move in the direction of the arrow A

1

in

FIG. 3

by operating the operating knob

15

, the holder

9

moves in the same direction, and the reclining switch

13

is actuated with this movement. On this occasion, since the holder

8

will not be moved, the head restraint switch

14

will not be actuated.

When the knob holder

7

is operated to move in the direction of the arrow A

2

in

FIG. 3

by operating the operating knob

15

, the holder

8

moves in the same direction, and the head restraint switch

14

is actuated with this movement. On this occasion, since the holder

9

will not be moved, the reclining switch

13

will not be actuated.

On the other hand, the second switch device

2

on the left side has a front vertical switch

18

for adjusting a front part of the seat in a vertical direction, a slide switch

19

for adjusting back and forth positions of the seat, and a rear vertical switch

20

for adjusting a rear part of the seat in a vertical direction. These three switches

18

19

, and

20

are adapted to be operated by a single operating knob

21

. These three switches

18

,

19

and

20

are of a same fundamental structure. As shown in

FIG. 5

, each of the switches

18

,

19

and

20

is composed of a movable member

22

provided with a projection

22

a

, and a coil spring

10

, a bifurcated member

11

, a pair of contact blades

12

and fixed contacts (not shown) on the switch body

3

which are similar to those elements provided in the switches

13

,

14

.

The aforesaid cover

5

is provided with three guide holes

5

a

,

5

b

and

5

c

into which the projections

22

a

of the movable members

22

are inserted respectively. In these three guide holes

5

a

to

5

c

, the center guide hole

5

b

extends in a direction of an arrow B

1

in FIG.

3

. The projection

22

a

of the corresponding movable member

22

is inserted into the guide hole

5

b

. The left and right guide holes

5

a

and

5

c

extend in a direction of an arrow B

2

in

FIG. 3

, and the projections

22

a

of the corresponding movable members

22

are respectively inserted into the guide holes

5

a

and

5

c.

In the above described structure, when the operating knob

21

of the second switch device

2

is operated in the direction of the arrow B

1

, the movable member

22

in the center part moves in the same direction, and the slide switch

19

is actuated with this movement. On this occasion, the left and the right movable members

22

do not move, and both the front and the rear vertical switches

18

,

20

are not actuated.

When a left part of the operating knob

21

in

FIG. 3

is operated in the direction of the arrow B

2

, the left side movable member

22

moves in the same direction, and the front vertical switch

18

is actuated. On this occasion, the center and the right hand movable members

22

in

FIG. 3

do not move, and both the slide switch

19

and the rear vertical switch

20

is not actuated.

When a right part of the operating knob

21

in

FIG. 3

is operated in the direction of the arrow B

2

, the right side movable member

22

moves in the same direction, and the rear vertical switch

20

is actuated. On this occasion, the center and the left hand movable members

22

in

FIG. 3

do not move, and both the slide switch

19

and the front vertical switch

18

are not actuated.

When the entire operating knob

21

is operated in the direction of the arrow B

2

in

FIG. 3

, both the left hand and the right hand movable members

22

synchronously move in the same direction, and both the front and the rear vertical switches

18

,

20

are actuated. On this occasion, the center movable member

22

does not move, and the slide switch

19

is not actuated.

In this case, the above described first switch device is so constructed that the single operating knob

15

can selectively actuate either of the reclining switch

13

and the head restraint switch

14

. On this occasion, these two switches

13

and

14

are prevented from being simultaneously actuated by the two projections

7

b

,

7

c

provided on the lower face of the knob holder

7

and the two guide holes

6

a

,

6

c

of the plate

6

.

However, a cost for the switch assembly of this structure is high, because it requires a number of components such as the knob holder

7

, the plate

6

and the two holders

8

,

9

in addition to the operating knob

15

and the cover

4

, and a number of assembling steps accordingly. Moreover, the knob holder

7

, the plate

6

and the holders

8

,

9

cannot be used commonly as the components for the second switch device

2

, and must be manufactured for exclusive use. It is a further drawback that a large space is required in a direction of a depth.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been made in view of the above described circumstances. The object is to provide a switch assembly of a structure in which two switch elements can be selectively actuated by operating a single operating knob, and the number of the components can be decreased, and the space in a direction of the depth can be minimized.

In order to achieve the above described object, there is provided, according to the invention, a switch assembly which comprises;

a switch body,

a cover mounted on the switch body, and including a first guide hole extending in a first direction and a second guide hole extending in a second direction intersecting the first direction,

an intermediate projection provided between the first guide hole and the second guide hole projecting in a direction opposite to the switch body,

a first movable member disposed between the switch body and the cover, and including a first projection adapted to be inserted into the first guide hole, the first movable member being movable along the first guide hole by way of the first projection,

a second movable member disposed between the switch body and the cover, and including a second projection adapted to be inserted into the second guide hole, the second movable member being movable along the second guide hole by way of the second projection,

a first switch element adapted to be actuated based on a movement of the first movable member,

a second switch element adapted to be actuated based on a movement of the second movable member,

an operating knob placed on the intermediate projection, and the first and second projections,

a first guide part provided on the operating knob so as to receive the intermediate projection and adapted to guide movements of the operating knob in the first and second directions,

a second guide part provided on the operating knob so as to receive the first projection and adapted to move the first movable member along the first guide hole in the first direction by way of the first projection when the operating knob is operated in the first direction, and adapted to guide the movement of the operating knob in the second direction with respect to the first projection when the operating knob is operated to move in the second direction, and

a third guide part provided on the operating knob so as to receive the second projection and adapted to move the second movable member along the second guide hole in the first direction by way of the second projection when the operating knob is operated in the second direction, and adapted to guide the movement of the operating knob in the first direction with respect to the second projection when the operating knob is operated to move in the first direction.

In the above described structure, when the second guide part of the operating knob is operated in the first direction, the first movable member is moved in the first direction along the first guide hole by way of the first projection by means of the second guide part, and the first switch element is actuated accordingly. When the third guide part of the operating knob is operated in the second direction, the second movable member is moved in the second direction along the second guide hole by way of the second projection by means of the third guide part, and the second switch element is actuated accordingly.

In this case, the two switch elements is prevented from being synchronously operated by means of the first guide part of the operating knob. Although this structure requires the first and the second movable members as the movable members to be operated by the operating knob, the exclusive knob holders, the plate, and the two holders which have been required in the conventional structure are not necessary, thus enabling the number of the components to be reduced. Moreover, because the number of the components is reduced in the direction of the depth, the space in the direction of the depth can be minimized.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1

is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment according to the invention.

FIG. 2

is a plan view of a power seat switch assembly.

FIG. 3

is a view corresponding to

FIG. 2

showing a conventional structure.

FIG. 4

is a view corresponding to

FIG. 1

showing a conventional structure.

FIG. 5

is an exploded perspective view of a part of a second switch device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Now, referring to

FIGS. 1 and 2

, the invention will be described by way of an embodiment in which the invention is applied to a power seat switch assembly in a vehicle. In the description, those parts which are same as in the conventional case will be denoted with the same reference numerals to omit their explanation, and different parts only will be described.

In a first switch device

31

, a cover

32

is integrally formed with the cover

5

of the second switch device

2

. The cover

32

is provided with a first guide hole

32

a

which extends in the direction of the arrow A

1

in this case, and a second guide hole

32

b

which extends in the direction of the arrow A

2

in this case. An intermediate projection

33

is provided on an upper face of the cover

32

between the first guide hole

32

a

and the second guide hole

32

b

projecting upward (in a direction opposite to the switch body

3

).

Below the cover

32

, there are provided a first movable member

34

having a first projection

34

a

adapted to be inserted into the first guide hole

32

a

, and a second movable member

35

having a second projection

35

a

adapted to be inserted into the second guide hole

32

b

. Coil springs

10

, bifurcated members

11

, and pairs of contact blades

12

are provided at positions corresponding to these first and second movable members

34

and

35

. In this case, the first and the second movable members

34

and

35

are of the same structure as the movable members

22

which are employed in the second switch device

2

.

The switch body

3

is provided with fixed contacts (not shown) corresponding to the contact blades

12

respectively. A pair of the contact blades

12

corresponding to the first movable member

34

and the mating fixed contacts constitute the reclining switch

13

as the first switch element. A pair of the contact blades

12

corresponding to the movable member

35

and the mating fixed contacts constitute the head restraint switch

14

as the second switch element.

A single operating knob

36

is mounted on the intermediate projection

33

, and the first and the second projections

34

a

and

35

a

. As shown in

FIG. 1

, a first guide part

37

substantially in a shape of a cross composed of four L-shaped ribs

37

a

substantially at a center part, a second guide part

38

composed of a pair of ribs

38

a

extending in the direction of the arrow A

2

(the second direction) at a position corresponding to the first projection

34

a

, and a third guide part

39

composed of a pair of ribs

39

a

extending in the direction of the arrow A

1

(the first direction) at a position corresponding to the second projection

35

a

are provided on a back face of the operating knob

36

. The intermediate projection

33

is inserted into the first guide part

37

so as to be movable relatively in the direction of the arrow A

1

and in the direction of the arrow A

2

. The first projection

34

a

is inserted into the second guide part

38

so as to be movable relatively in the direction of the arrow A

2

. The second projection

35

a

is inserted into the third guide part

39

so as to be movable relatively in the direction of the arrow A

1

.

The second switch device

2

is of the same structure as the conventional case, and the explanation is omitted.

In the above described structure, when the operating knob

36

in the first switch device

31

is operated in the direction of the arrow A

1

, the first movable member

34

is moved by means of the rib

38

a

of the second guide part

38

along the first guide hole

32

a in the direction of the arrow A

1

through the first projection

34

a

. Accordingly, the reclining switch

13

is actuated. On this occasion, the second movable member

35

does not move, and the head restraint switch

14

is not actuated.

On the other hand, when the operating knob

36

is operated in the direction of the arrow A

2

, the second movable member

35

is moved by means of the rib

39

a

of the third guide part

39

along the second guide hole

32

b

in the direction of the arrow A

2

through the second projection

35

a

. Accordingly, the head restraint switch

14

is actuated. On this occasion, the first movable member

34

does not move, and the reclining switch

13

is not actuated.

In the above described structure, the first movable member

34

and the second movable member

35

are prevented from being operated to move in their operative directions at the same time by means of the intermediate projection

33

and the first guide part

37

of the operating knob

36

. Therefore, a simultaneously actuation of the reclining switch

13

and the head restraint switch

14

is prevented.

According to the above described embodiment, although the first movable member

34

and the second movable member

35

are necessary as the movable members to be operated by the operating knob

36

, the exclusive knob holder

7

. However, the plate

6

and the two holders

8

,

9

which have been required in the conventional case are not necessary. Therefore, the number of the components can be reduced and accordingly, the number of the assembling steps is reduced resulting in a decrease of the cost. Moreover, because the movable members

22

which are employed in the second switch device

2

can be employed as the first movable member

34

and the second movable member

35

in this embodiment, a common use of the components is possible to reduce the cost more. Further, because the number of the components in the direction of the depth is decreased, the space in the direction of the depth can be minimized.

As apparent from the foregoing description, the switch assembly according to the invention is so constructed that the two switch elements can be selectively actuated by the single operating knob, the number of the components can be reduced, and the number of the assembling steps are reduced resulting in a decrease of the cost. Further, because the number of the components in the direction of the depth is decreased, the space in the direction of the depth can be minimized.