US3569655A - Roller-actuated switch-operating assembly - Google Patents

Roller-actuated switch-operating assembly Download PDF

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Publication number
US3569655A
US3569655A US881048A US3569655DA US3569655A US 3569655 A US3569655 A US 3569655A US 881048 A US881048 A US 881048A US 3569655D A US3569655D A US 3569655DA US 3569655 A US3569655 A US 3569655A
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United States
Prior art keywords
roller
actuator
toggle lever
rod members
toggle
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Expired - Lifetime
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US881048A
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English (en)
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Alexander J Jakubauskas
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Individual
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Individual
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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H23/00—Tumbler or rocker switches, i.e. switches characterised by being operated by rocking an operating member in the form of a rocker button
    • H01H23/28—Tumbler or rocker switches, i.e. switches characterised by being operated by rocking an operating member in the form of a rocker button with three operating positions

Definitions

  • Actuator assembly for actuating a plurality of pushbutton switches from a single toggle lever having a roller mounted thereon includes a pivoted rocker member having switch-button-actuating portions on its ends and a pair of opposed side flanges which are pivotally mounted to a support.
  • Each of the side flanges includes a series of five holes spaced in a curved path along its length and adapted to receive and support one or more rod or roller members which may engage the lever-mounted roller for nonteasable actuation of the switches.
  • the toggle lever By selectively mounting rods in one or more sets'of opposed holes, the toggle lever can be alternatively caused to have nonteasable maintained contact at both ends of its movement, momentary contact at both ends, or maintained contact I at one end and momentary contact at the other.
  • the assembly can be assembled so as to have a center off position if desired.
  • This invention relates to electrical switches and particularly to an actuator assembly which can be alternatively assembled so as to operate switches associated with it in a maintained action mode, a momentary action mode or a combination of both.
  • the actuator assembly includes a first movable member comprising a pivoted toggle lever having a single roller or a pair of rollers mounted at one end and spaced from the pivot in spring-biased engagement with one or more rod or rollerlike members mounted on a pivoted rocker member.
  • the rocker member includes a pair of axially spaced side flanges having a plurality of aligned holes therein, preferably five, into which rods may be selectively placed depending upon the mode of operation of the switches desired.
  • the holes are arranged generally along a curved line.
  • Actuator portions on the opposite ends of the rocker member are adapted ,to be alternatively moved into engagement with adjacently disposed pushbuttons of a plurality of switches which are mounted in a fixed position relative to the rocker member pivot point.
  • the toggle lever can provide maintained contact operation in either of its two extreme positions by placing a rod with a roller mounted on it in the center hole alone or a rod and roller in the center hole and rods in the two adjacent holes.
  • a center roller when only a center roller is used, the force available for actuating the switches is greatly reduced since the moment arm at which the force is applied is much shorter.
  • the toggle lever By removing the center rod (and roller) and having rods mounted only in the two holes adjacent the center hole, the toggle lever will operate to provide maintained contact operation in either of its extreme positions and will also have a center off position where the rocker member is held out of engagement with the switches at either of its ends.
  • FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a switch housing incorporating the improved actuator assembly in a form capable of providing two positions of maintained actuation, taken on the line 1-1 of FIG. 2 except that the working parts other than the toggle lever are left whole;
  • FIG. 2 is an end sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1 showing the toggle lever in the instantaneous position assumed as'the rollers move overcenter;
  • FIG. 3 is a side sectional view similar to FIG. 1 showing a modified form of actuator assembly wherein the toggle lever has a maintained center off position and two nonmaintained or momentary positions of actuation at its ends;
  • FIG. 4 is a side sectional view similar to FIG. 1 showing another modification of the actuator assembly wherein the toggle lever has a maintained position of actuation at one end of its movement, a momentary position of actuation at its other extreme of movement and a maintained off position at its center between the maintained and momentary positions;
  • FIG. 5 is a fragmentary side sectional view similar to FIG. 1 showing a modification of the actuator assembly of FIG. 1 in which the center roller is omitted to provide a center off position;
  • FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing the relationship between the toggle lever and its rollers and the actuator or rocker member.
  • FIG. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a modification of the toggle mounted roller shown in FIG. 6.
  • FIG. I The actuator assembly of the present invention can be seen in FIG. I wherein a switch housing indicated generally at 10 adapted to be assembled to a hole in a panel has a U-shaped metal support bracket member 12 and a bushing member 14 fastened to the bracket and adapted to receive a nut member (not shown).
  • a toggle lever 16 is pivoted by means of a pivot pin 18 within the bushing 14.
  • Mounted at the lower open end of the U-shaped bracket 12 to the bracket legs 12 are a plurality of individual miniature switches 22, 24 having pushbutton operator members 22 and 2 1' respectively.
  • the width of the individual switches 24 is not a multiple of the distance between the legs 12 of the U-shaped bracket 12 a spacer member 25 may be inserted between a pair of switches.
  • thin sheets of insulating material 26 may be provided to insulate the downwardly extending switch terminals 22", 24" from the terminals of immediately adjacent switches and from the bracket legs 12'.
  • a plurality of switches 24 may be aligned with each other at opposite ends of the bracket pairs of rods, the toggle lever can operate the switches in a 12 either within the bracket 12 or outside of it, and held to each other and to the bracket 12 by rivets or other fastening means 27.
  • rivets 28 pass through aligned holes (not shown) in the legs 12 of bracket 12 and into holes 29 (FIG.
  • a rocker or actuator member indicated generally at 30 to provide a pivot axis for the same.
  • a pair of actuator arms, 32, 34 adapted to respectively engage elongated spring members 38, 40 mounted on rods 42, 44, respectively attached to legs 12'.
  • rod members 52 can be inserted in the holes 50 as shown at 52b, 52c and 52d in FIG. 1.
  • the rod members 52 are loosely mounted in the holes 50 and are prevented from falling out by being of a length just short of the distance between the legs 12 of the bracket member 12.
  • a roller member 54 is mounted on the rod 520 for a purpose to be described later.
  • the rocker member 30 is pivoted about the axis of rivet 28 by a pair of axially aligned rollers 58 mounted by means of C- rings 59 on a shaft 60 movable axially of the lever 16 in slots 62 in the lower end of the lever.
  • the rollers 58 are pressed downwardly with a relatively large force by means of spring 64 mounted in a recess 6 in toggle lever 16.
  • the pivotal movement of toggle lever 16 during actuation is limited by stop portions 68 formed on the lower end of bushing 14.
  • the toggle lever 16 When a large roller 54 is placed on rod 52c as shown in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the toggle lever 16 will have two maintained positions of operation, namely, the one shown and another one wherein the lower end of the toggle lever 16 touches the lower left-hand stop portion 68 on the bushing 14.
  • the rocker member 30 can be pivoted to its two extreme positions by the coaction between rollers 58 and 54 alone, it has been found that such coaction alone would provide relatively little force at the ends of arms 32, 34 due to the short moment arm at the point where the force would be applied to roller 54 and would be incapable of actuating a large number of switches such as the six switches shown.
  • the rocker 3.0 is shown as including rods 52a, 52b, 52d, and 52e.
  • a metal member or band 720 is placed partially around the left-hand group of rods 52a, 52b and a similar member 72b is placed partially around the right-hand rods 52d and 52e.
  • the center holes 50c are left open. Because of the smooth surface of members 72a, 72b and their downward slope, it can be readily seen that the rollers 58 will be pushed progressively upwardly against the spring 64 as the lever 16 is momentarily moved to either of its end positions.
  • FIG. 4 shows a slightly different modification of an actuator assembly 30' wherein a metal band 720 provides a momentary action when the rollers 58 are moved to the left.
  • a metal band 720 provides a momentary action when the rollers 58 are moved to the left.
  • the rollers 58 When the rollers 58 are moved to the right to the position shown, they will pass overcenter of the rod 52d and will thus provide a maintained position of actuation of the switch buttons 24. Since there is no rod in the center hole 500, the toggle lever 16 will also have a third maintained off position in the center of its path of travel.
  • FIG. 5 illustrates a further embodiment of the invention wherein the roller 54 and the rod 520 shown in FIG. 1, are removed in order to provide an actuator assembly which has two maintained positions of actuation and a center ofi position.
  • rollers 58 of FIG. 6 only rotateover a small arc of revolution during actuation, it is unnecessary that they be mounted for 360 rotation.
  • the rollers 58 have been combined as a single roller with a hollowed out center portion which permits the limited degree of rotation required during actuation.
  • An actuator assembly for simultaneously operating with a single pivoted toggle lever a plurality of separate switch devices mounted to a common housing comprising:
  • At least one actuating arm portion at at least one end of said actuator member adapted to be selectively moved into operative engagement with a plurality of switch devices by movement of the toggle lever;
  • At least one toggle lever roller having its axis normal to the axis of said toggle lever and supported by said toggle lever for movement axially relative thereto as said toggle lever is moved between its two end extremes of movement;
  • rocking actuator member comprises a pair of opposed sidewalls having a plurality of sets of aligned holes therein spaced from each other and from the pivot axis of the actuator member, said plurality of rod members being supported by at least some of said sets of aligned holes.
  • said sidewalls of said actuator member include five sets of aligned holes, said holes being arranged along a curved path and including a center hole, a pair of intermediate holes, and a pair of outer holes.
  • An actuator assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein said actuator member has rod members mounted in a center hole and the immediately adjacent holes on either side of said center hole, the center hole having its axis normal to a line which is also normal to the pivot axis of the actuator member, said line being normal to the length of the actuator member;
  • An actuator roller mounted on the center rod member, said actuator roller being operative to engage said at least one toggle lever roller and to compress said biasing means to a greater extent than said adjacent rod members whereby to cause said toggle lever and actuator member to snap to a maintained position of actuation at either of its extreme positions of travel and in a nonteasable manner as the axis of said toggle lever is first moved past the line containing the axis of the actuator pivot and the actuator roller and then moved past the line containing the axis of the actuator pivot and one of said adjacent rod members, the adjacent rod members being positioned relative to said actuator roller and the extremes of movement of said toggle lever so as to permit substantially all of the force generated by' the compression of the biasing means by the actuator roller to be transferred to one of the adjacent rod members as the toggle lever is actuated.
  • An actuator assembly as defined in claim Z wherein said actuator member has rod members mounted only in the sets of aligned holes immediately adjacent a center set of holes, said rod members being selectively operative to engage said at least one toggle lever roller and compress said biasing means to cause said toggle lever and actuator member to snap to a maintained position of actuation at one extreme of travel and in a nonteasable manner as the axis of said toggle lever is moved from a centered off position between said rod members and past the line containing the pivot axis of the actuator and the axis of one of said rod members.
  • said actuator member has pairs of rod members mounted in adjacent sets of aligned holes at each end of the actuator member, and means carried by each of said pairs of rod members and engageable by said at least one toggle-mounted roller for providing'a smooth path for the said at least one toggle roller as it is moved to its extreme positions, said at least one toggle roller having a diameter greater than the minimum distance between the intermost rod members of each of said pa ls of rod members so as to be retained by said intermost rod members in a central off position, said at least one toggle roller being movable progressively further against said biasing means as said at least one toggle roller is moved into engagement with and along the length of said means carried by the rod members in response to force being applied to the toggle lever to move it to one of its extremes of movement, said toggle lever returning to its ofif position when said force is released.
  • said single roller is elongated and has solid circular end portions which support a shaft for mounting the roller to the toggle lever, said roller being partially hollow between said end portions for permitting a limited degree of rotation of said roller and a limited degree of movement of said mounting shaft axially of said toggle lever, said roller including a solid sector joining said circular end portions having a circular peripheral extent which is at least as great as the extent of rolling contact of the roller with the actuator member.

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  • Valve-Gear Or Valve Arrangements (AREA)
  • Registering, Tensioning, Guiding Webs, And Rollers Therefor (AREA)
  • Transmission Devices (AREA)
  • Tumbler Switches (AREA)
US881048A 1969-12-01 1969-12-01 Roller-actuated switch-operating assembly Expired - Lifetime US3569655A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US88104869A 1969-12-01 1969-12-01

Publications (1)

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US3569655A true US3569655A (en) 1971-03-09

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Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US881048A Expired - Lifetime US3569655A (en) 1969-12-01 1969-12-01 Roller-actuated switch-operating assembly

Country Status (8)

Country Link
US (1) US3569655A (fr)
JP (1) JPS519461B1 (fr)
BE (1) BE759580A (fr)
CH (1) CH524882A (fr)
DE (1) DE2057975A1 (fr)
FR (1) FR2072480A5 (fr)
GB (1) GB1326400A (fr)
NL (1) NL7017477A (fr)

Cited By (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3864535A (en) * 1973-10-09 1975-02-04 Westinghouse Electric Corp Control switch assembly
JPS5043868U (fr) * 1973-08-21 1975-05-02
DE2512490A1 (de) * 1975-03-21 1976-05-26 Finsterhoelzl Rafi Elekt Kippschalter
US4132128A (en) * 1977-10-28 1979-01-02 Eaton Corporation Actuating mechanism
US4215257A (en) * 1978-11-20 1980-07-29 Otto Engineering, Inc. Precision toggle switch
US4679452A (en) * 1983-05-17 1987-07-14 Kurt Stoll Limit sensing device
US4939329A (en) * 1987-03-20 1990-07-03 Dankert Norman H Roller activated switch
US5308942A (en) * 1992-07-02 1994-05-03 Set-O-Matic, Inc. Switch construction for coin operated machines
US6477914B1 (en) * 2000-07-24 2002-11-12 Clark Equipment Company Motion alarm
FR2915830A1 (fr) * 2007-05-03 2008-11-07 Johnson Controls Tech Co Bouton d'actionnement de touches d'une unite de commande

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP4774191B2 (ja) 2003-07-31 2011-09-14 株式会社バンダイナムコゲームス 操作レバー装置

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE580865C (de) * 1933-07-17 Langlotz & Co Fabrik Elektrote Elektrischer Kipphebelschalter
US2267203A (en) * 1941-07-25 1941-12-23 Cutler Hammer Inc Electric switch
US2506196A (en) * 1947-05-08 1950-05-02 Rotax Ltd Electric switch
US3399285A (en) * 1966-12-30 1968-08-27 Texas Instruments Inc Toggle switch mechansim

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE580865C (de) * 1933-07-17 Langlotz & Co Fabrik Elektrote Elektrischer Kipphebelschalter
US2267203A (en) * 1941-07-25 1941-12-23 Cutler Hammer Inc Electric switch
US2506196A (en) * 1947-05-08 1950-05-02 Rotax Ltd Electric switch
US3399285A (en) * 1966-12-30 1968-08-27 Texas Instruments Inc Toggle switch mechansim

Cited By (11)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS5043868U (fr) * 1973-08-21 1975-05-02
US3864535A (en) * 1973-10-09 1975-02-04 Westinghouse Electric Corp Control switch assembly
US3867598A (en) * 1973-10-09 1975-02-18 Westinghouse Electric Corp Control switch
DE2512490A1 (de) * 1975-03-21 1976-05-26 Finsterhoelzl Rafi Elekt Kippschalter
US4132128A (en) * 1977-10-28 1979-01-02 Eaton Corporation Actuating mechanism
US4215257A (en) * 1978-11-20 1980-07-29 Otto Engineering, Inc. Precision toggle switch
US4679452A (en) * 1983-05-17 1987-07-14 Kurt Stoll Limit sensing device
US4939329A (en) * 1987-03-20 1990-07-03 Dankert Norman H Roller activated switch
US5308942A (en) * 1992-07-02 1994-05-03 Set-O-Matic, Inc. Switch construction for coin operated machines
US6477914B1 (en) * 2000-07-24 2002-11-12 Clark Equipment Company Motion alarm
FR2915830A1 (fr) * 2007-05-03 2008-11-07 Johnson Controls Tech Co Bouton d'actionnement de touches d'une unite de commande

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
JPS519461B1 (fr) 1976-03-26
CH524882A (fr) 1972-06-30
FR2072480A5 (fr) 1971-09-24
DE2057975A1 (de) 1971-06-09
BE759580A (fr) 1971-04-30
GB1326400A (en) 1973-08-08
NL7017477A (fr) 1971-06-03

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