Snap-action switch for feedback

Abstract

The snap-action switch of the present disclosure may include a housing having a plurality of protrusions extending inwardly, a plunger disposed on the housing, a first elastic member coupled to the plunger to provide a force against the plunger, a cam located in the housing and movable by the plunger, a rotor located in the housing and associated with the cam, and a second elastic member coupled to the rotor to provide a force against the rotor. When the cam moves to a first position, the rotor may rotate so that the lower surface of the cam engages with the upper surface of the rotor, and when the cam moves to a second position, the rotor may continue to rotate so that the upper surface of the rotor engages with the lower surface of at least one of the plurality of protrusions of the housing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to snap action switches for generating feedback. Background Art

[0002] A snap-action switch is a switching device that can be turned on and off quickly. Only a small amount of pressure or force is required to operate such a device. "Snap action" occurs due to the rapid movement of a spring-assisted moving contact from one position to another, which is independent of the actuator speed. Typically, conventional snap-action switches are reed-based. Because reed-based snap-action switches are operated by very little pressure or force, the reed in such snap-action switches can only provide very little feedback. Therefore, there is a need for improved snap-action switch construction. Summary of the invention

[0003] The present disclosure provides a snap-action switch for generating feedback when pressed, and a method for generating feedback by the snap-action switch. In some embodiments, the snap-action switch may include a housing having a plurality of protrusions extending inwardly, a plunger disposed on the housing, a first elastic member coupled to the plunger to provide a force against the plunger, a cam located in the housing and movable by the plunger, a rotor located in the housing and associated with the cam, and a second elastic member coupled to the rotor to provide a force against the rotor. When the cam moves to a first position, the rotor may rotate so that the lower surface of the cam engages with the upper surface of the rotor, and when the cam moves to a second position, the rotor may continue to rotate so that the upper surface of the rotor engages with the lower surface of at least one of the plurality of protrusions of the housing.

[0004] In another aspect, a snap-action switch for generating feedback when pressed may include a housing having a plurality of protrusions extending inwardly, a plunger disposed on the housing, a sealing ring coupled to the housing and the plunger, a cam located within the housing and movable by the plunger, a rotor located within the housing and associated with the cam, a first elastic member coupled to the rotor to provide a force opposing the rotor, and a second elastic member coupled to the cam to provide a force opposing the cam. When the cam moves to a first position, the rotor may rotate to engage a lower surface of the cam with an upper surface of the rotor, and when the cam moves to a second position, the rotor may continue to rotate to engage an upper surface of the rotor with a lower surface of at least one of the plurality of protrusions of the housing.

[0005] In addition, in another aspect, a method of generating feedback by a snap-action switch may include moving a cam from a first position to a second position to rotate the rotor so that the upper surface of the rotor engages with the lower surface of at least one of a plurality of protrusions of the housing, and resetting the cam from the second position back to the first position to rotate the rotor so that the lower surface of the cam engages with the upper surface of the rotor. In one aspect, when the cam moves to the second position, a first electrical contact member coupled to the cam is in electrical contact with a second electrical contact member coupled to the housing. In another aspect, when the cam moves to a third position between the first position and the second position, the first electrical contact member coupled to the cam is in electrical contact with the second electrical contact member coupled to the housing. In yet another aspect, when the cam moves to a fourth position, the first electrical contact member coupled to the cam is in electrical contact with the second electrical contact member coupled to the housing, and wherein the second position is between the first position and the fourth position.

[0006] The above-mentioned aspects and other aspects of the present disclosure are described in more detail below. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] In order to facilitate the understanding of the above-mentioned features of the present disclosure, reference may be made to embodiments, some of which are shown in the accompanying drawings, for a more specific description of the disclosure briefly summarized above. However, the accompanying drawings only illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be understood that the present disclosure may allow for other equivalent embodiments, and therefore, the accompanying drawings should not be considered to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0008] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a snap-action switch according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0009] Figure 2 Show Figure 1 Schematic stereogram of a snap-action switch.

[0010] Figure 3 Show Figure 1 Another schematic stereogram of a snap-action switch.

[0011] Figure 4 A schematic perspective view of a snap-action switch according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0012] Figure 5 A schematic perspective view of a snap-action switch according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0013] Figure 6 Show Figure 5 Schematic stereogram of a snap-action switch.

[0014] Figure 7 is a flow chart of a method for generating feedback through a snap-action switch according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0015] To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical components that are common to the figures.For clarity, the various embodiments shown in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale and are illustrative illustrations. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0017] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a snap-action switch 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 1 As shown in , the snap-action switch 100 may include a housing 106, a plunger 102, and a first elastic member 104. Figure 2 The schematic perspective view of the snap-action switch 100 may further include a cam 108 , a rotor 110 , a second elastic component 112 , and a spring 114 .

[0018] In the illustrated embodiment, the housing 106 may be a hollow cylinder having a surrounding inner wall forming an inner region. The inner wall of the housing may have a plurality of protrusions (not shown) extending inwardly, and each of the plurality of protrusions has an inclined lower surface. The number of protrusions provided on the inner wall of the housing 106 may be varied. In addition, a hole is formed at the top of the housing, and the hole is in communication with the inner region, so that the lower end of the plunger 102 can pass through the hole and be accommodated in the inner region. In some embodiments, the hole is designed to have a smaller diameter than the inner wall of the housing, so that at least a portion of the top wall remains surrounding the inner region of the housing.

[0019] The plunger 102 may be disposed on the housing 106 and configured to couple with the cam 108 by extending the lower end through a hole in the top of the housing 106 and into the interior area of ​​the housing 106. The plunger 102 may be moved between a first position as a released state and a second position as a compressed state. In some embodiments, the plunger 102 may act as a button of a switch.

[0020] The cam 108 is positioned within the housing 106 and can be moved by the plunger 102. The cam 108 is configured to have a plurality of protrusions 122 that correspond to the plurality of protrusions of the housing 106. For example, the plurality of protrusions 122 of the cam 108 can interact with the plurality of protrusions of the housing 106. Therefore, the movement of the cam 108 will be limited by the protrusions on the inner wall of the housing 106, and will move linearly along the central axis of the housing 106. Each of the plurality of protrusions 122 has an inclined lower surface to engage with the rotor 110 (as described in more detail below).

[0021] The diameter of the cam 108 can exceed the diameter of the hole in the top of the housing 106 so that the cam 108 can be fixed in the interior area of ​​the housing 106 and will not be easily disengaged. It should be understood that although this embodiment shows eight protrusions 122 being provided on the cam 108, other numbers or shapes of protrusions are also contemplated.

[0022] The rotor 110 is positioned within the housing 106 and is associated with the cam 108. In the illustrated embodiment, the rotor 110 is annular and has a plurality of teeth 124 extending upwardly from the periphery of the rotor 110. The plurality of teeth 124 are disposed around the periphery of the rotor 110. Each of the plurality of teeth 124 has an inclined upper surface, and the inclined upper surface of each of the plurality of teeth 124 can engage with the inclined lower surface of each of the plurality of protrusions 122 of the cam 108 when the plunger 102 is in the first position. It should be understood that while this embodiment shows eight teeth 124 disposed on the rotor 110, other numbers or shapes of teeth are also contemplated.

[0023] In the illustrated embodiment, the first elastic member 104 may be dome-shaped. Figure 2 As shown in FIG. 1 , one end of the first elastic member 104 is coupled to the plunger 102, and the other end of the first elastic member 104 is coupled to the top surface of the housing 106. The first elastic member 104 is elastic to provide a force against the plunger 102, thereby pushing the plunger 102 from the second position to the first position.

[0024] In the illustrated embodiment, one end of the second elastic member 112 is coupled to the lower surface of the rotor 110, and the other end of the second elastic member 112 is coupled to the bottom 126 of the housing 106 within the inner region. In some embodiments, the rotor 110 may include a washer 128 coupled to the bottom surface of the rotor 110. The second elastic member 112 may provide a force against the rotor 110. In one embodiment, the second elastic member 112 is formed of a spring disposed between the rotor 110 and the housing 106.

[0025] refer to Figure 3 One end of the spring 114 is coupled to the lower end 122 of the cam 108, and the other end of the spring 114 is coupled to the bottom 126 of the housing 106. The spring 114 can provide a force against the cam 108.

[0026] When the plunger 102 is pressed, the cam 108 moves downward from the first position to the second position. Since the lower surface of each of the multiple protrusions 122 of the cam 108 can engage with the upper surface of each of the multiple teeth 124 of the rotor 110, the rotor 110 is also moved downward to the second position by the cam 108. In some embodiments, when the inclined lower surface of each of the multiple protrusions 122 of the cam 108 is aligned with the inclined lower surface of each of the multiple protrusions of the housing 106, the inclined upper surface of each of the multiple teeth 124 of the rotor 110-which engages with the inclined lower surface of each of the multiple protrusions 122 of the cam 108-can slide through the second elastic member 112 to engage with the inclined lower surface of each of the multiple protrusions of the housing 106 to rotate the rotor 110 by an angle. At this time, a sound is emitted and feedback is provided to the user. At the same time, when the rotor 110 rotates, the user will no longer feel the restoring force provided by the second elastic member 112.

[0027] When the plunger 102 is released from the second position, the cam 108 will move upward by the spring 114, and then the plunger 102 will move upward by the cam 108 and the first elastic member 104. At this time, the inclined lower surface of each of the plurality of protrusions 122 of the cam 108 and the inclined lower surface of each of the plurality of protrusions of the housing 106 will no longer be aligned with each other. In some embodiments, when the inclined lower surface of each of the plurality of protrusions 122 of the cam 108 is aligned with the inclined lower surface of each of the plurality of protrusions of the housing 106 again, the inclined upper surface of each of the plurality of teeth 124 of the rotor 110, which is engaged with the inclined lower surface of each of the plurality of protrusions of the housing 106, can slide to engage with the inclined lower surface of each of the plurality of protrusions 122 of the cam 108, thereby rotating the rotor by an angle. At this time, another sound will be emitted, and the plunger 102 returns to the first position.

[0028] refer to Figure 3, the snap-action switch 100 may further include a contact strip 116 as a first electrical contact member and two terminals 118, 120 as second electrical contact members. The contact strip 116 and the two terminals 118, 120 are electrical conductors. In the illustrated embodiment, the lower end 122 of the cam 108 passes through the annular rotor 110, and the contact strip 116 is laterally disposed on the lower end 122 of the cam 108, below the rotor 110. The two terminals 118, 120 may penetrate the bottom 126 of the housing 106. Therefore, the two terminals 118, 120 are partially within the inner area of ​​the housing 106 and partially outside the housing 106. When the plunger 102 is pressed from the first position to the second position, the cam 108 is moved by the plunger 102, and then when the rotor 110 rotates, the contact strip 116 may be in electrical contact with the two terminals 118, 120 to form an electrical connection.

[0029] In some embodiments, the lower end 122 of the cam 108 can be a hollow cylinder surrounding the inner area. The lower end 122 of the cam 108 can be configured to have two elongated grooves at two sides opposite to each other. The contact strip 116 can pass through the two elongated grooves and move along the two elongated grooves relative to the lower end 122 of the cam 108. The snap-action switch 100 can also include an internal spring (not shown). The internal spring is disposed in the inner area of ​​the lower end 122 of the cam 108, and is coupled to the lower end 122 of the cam 108 and the contact strip 116 to provide a force against the contact strip 116, thereby pushing the contact strip 116 to one end of the two elongated grooves. In some embodiments, the length of the two elongated grooves is variable.

[0030] In some embodiments, the contact strip 116 can make electrical contact with the two terminals 118, 120 to form an electrical connection after the plunger 102 is moved and before the rotor 110 rotates. That is, when the cam 108 moves to a third position between the first position and the second position, the contact strip 116 can make electrical contact with the two terminals 118, 120 to form an electrical connection.

[0031] In another embodiment, after the rotor 110 rotates, the contact strip 116 can be in electrical contact with the two terminals 118, 120 to form an electrical connection. That is, when the cam 108 moves to the fourth position, the contact strip 116 can be in electrical contact with the two terminals 118, 120 to form an electrical connection. In addition, in this embodiment, the second position can be located between the first position and the fourth position.

[0032] Figure 4 FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a snap-action switch 400 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. In the embodiment shown, Figure 4 The structure of the snap-action switch 400 is similar to Figure 2 Structure of the snap-action switch 100. Figure 4 The snap-action switch 400 may include a housing, a plunger 402, a dome 404, a cam 408, a rotor 410, and an elastic member 412. In this embodiment, when the plunger 402 is released at the first position, the dome 404 can provide a force to press the plunger 402.

[0033] Figure 5 A schematic perspective view of a snap-action switch 500 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, and Figure 6 Show Figure 5 Schematic perspective view of a snap-action switch 500. In the illustrated embodiment, Figure 5 The structure of the snap-action switch 500 is similar to Figure 2 Structure of the snap-action switch 100. Figure 5 and 6 The snap-action switch 500 may include a housing, a plunger 502, a cam 508, a rotor 510, an elastic member 512, and a spring 514. In this embodiment, the spring 514 is disposed below the rotor 510 and connected between the cam 508 and the bottom 506 of the housing. Therefore, when the plunger 502 is released in the first position, the spring 514 can provide a force against the cam 508, which in turn pushes the plunger 502 upward and holds the plunger 502 in the first position. In some embodiments, the snap-action switch 500 may also include a sealing ring (not shown). In one embodiment, one end of the sealing ring is coupled to the plunger 502, and the other end of the sealing ring is coupled to the top surface of the housing. Using a sealing ring can prevent water from flowing into the internal area of ​​the housing.

[0034] Figure 7 7 is a flow chart of a method 700 for generating feedback by a snap-action switch according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In step 710, the cam is moved from a first position to a second position to rotate the rotor so that the upper surface of the rotor engages with the lower surface of at least one of the plurality of protrusions of the housing. In this step, when the rotor is rotated by the cam in the second position, the rotor can provide feedback to the user. In step 720, the cam is reset from the second position back to the first position to rotate the rotor so that the lower surface of the cam engages with the upper surface of the rotor.

[0035] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes may be made to the present disclosure without departing from the scope and spirit defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A snap-action switch for generating feedback when pressed, comprising: a housing having a plurality of protrusions extending inwardly; a plunger, the plunger being disposed on the housing; a first elastic member coupled between the housing and the plunger to provide a first force against the plunger; a first electrical contact member and a second electrical contact member; a cam positioned within the housing and movable by the plunger, wherein the first electrical contact member is disposed on the cam and the second electrical contact member is coupled to the housing; a rotor disposed in the housing and associated with the cam; and a second elastic member coupled to the rotor to provide a second force against the rotor; wherein when the cam moves from an unpressed position to a partially pressurized position, the rotor rotates so that a lower surface of the cam engages an upper surface of the rotor, and when the cam moves from the partially pressurized position to a fully pressurized position, the rotor continues to rotate so that the upper surface of the rotor engages a lower surface of at least one of the plurality of projections of the housing; and When the cam is in the unpressed position, the first electrical contact member is always spaced apart from the second electrical contact member, and in at least one of the partially pressed position and the fully pressed position, the first electrical contact member is in contact with the second electrical contact member. 2 . The snap-action switch of claim 1 , wherein the rotor comprises a plurality of teeth.

3. The snap-action switch of claim 2, wherein when the cam moves to the partially pressed position, the lower surface of the cam engages with an upper surface of at least one of the plurality of teeth of the rotor, and wherein when the cam moves to the fully pressed position, the upper surface of the at least one of the plurality of teeth of the rotor engages with the lower surface of the at least one of the plurality of protrusions of the housing. 4 . The snap-action switch of claim 1 , further comprising a spring coupled to the cam to provide a force opposing the cam. The snap-action switch according to claim 1 , wherein the second elastic member is a spring.

6. The snap-action switch of claim 1, wherein when the cam moves to the fully depressed position, the first electrical contact member is in electrical contact with the second electrical contact member.

7. The snap-action switch of claim 1, wherein the first electrical contact member is in electrical contact with the second electrical contact member when the cam moves to a third position between the partially depressed position and the fully depressed position.

8. The snap-action switch of claim 1, wherein when the upper surface of the rotor engages with the lower surface of the projection, the upper surface of the rotor disengages from the lower surface of the cam.

9. The snap-action switch according to claim 1, wherein: The second elastic member and the rotor apply the second force to the cam and the plunger when the upper surface of the rotor engages with the lower surface of the cam between the partially compressed position and the fully compressed position, and before reaching the fully compressed position or at the fully compressed position, the upper surface of the rotor disengages from the lower surface of the cam to remove the second force from the cam.

10. A snap-action switch for generating feedback when pressed, comprising: a housing having a plurality of protrusions extending inwardly; a plunger, the plunger being disposed on the housing; A sealing ring connected to the housing and the plunger; a cam positioned within the housing and movable by the plunger; a rotor disposed in the housing and associated with the cam; a first electrical contact member and a second electrical contact member, wherein the first electrical contact member is disposed on the cam and the second electrical contact member is coupled to the housing; a first elastic member coupled to the rotor to provide a force against the rotor; and a second elastic member coupled to the cam to provide a force opposing the cam; wherein when the cam moves from the unpressed position to the partially pressurized position, the rotor rotates so that the lower surface of the cam engages with the upper surface of the rotor, and when the cam moves from the partially pressurized position to the fully pressurized position, the rotor continues to rotate so that the upper surface of the rotor engages with the lower surface of at least one of the plurality of protrusions of the housing, and Wherein when the cam is in the unpressed position, the first electrical contact member is always spaced apart from the second electrical contact member, and in at least one of the partially pressed position and the fully pressed position, the first electrical contact member is in contact with the second electrical contact member.

11. The snap-action switch of claim 10, wherein the rotor comprises a plurality of teeth.

12. The snap-action switch of claim 11 , wherein when the cam moves to the partially pressed position, the lower surface of the cam engages with an upper surface of at least one of the plurality of teeth of the rotor, and wherein when the cam moves to the fully pressed position, the upper surface of the at least one of the plurality of teeth of the rotor engages with the lower surface of the at least one of the plurality of protrusions of the housing.

13. The snap-action switch according to claim 10, wherein: When the cam moves to the fully depressed position, the first electrical contact is electrically coupled to the second electrical contact.

14. The snap-action switch of claim 10, wherein the first electrical contact member is in electrical contact with the second electrical contact member when the cam moves to a third position between the partially depressed position and the fully depressed position.

15. A method for generating feedback by a snap-action switch, comprising: moving the cam from an unstressed position in which a first electrical contact member disposed on the cam is spaced apart from a second electrical contact member so that an upper surface of the rotor engages a lower surface of at least one of a plurality of protrusions of the housing and the first electrical contact member is moved to contact the second electrical contact member to rotate the rotor; and The cam is reset from the fully stressed position back to the unstressed position to rotate the rotor so that the lower surface of the cam engages the upper surface of the rotor and the first electrical contact is spaced apart from the second electrical contact.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein when the cam moves to the fully depressed position, a first electrical contact coupled to the cam makes electrical contact with a second electrical contact coupled to the housing.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the first electrical contact coupled to the cam makes electrical contact with the second electrical contact coupled to the housing when the cam moves to a partially stressed position between the unstressed position and the fully stressed position.

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