key switch

Abstract

The key switch has a two-piece housing, wherein the rear wall of the housing is provided with an integrally molded locking projection for the key teeth of the key switch lock cylinder. The housing of the key switch has at least one switch insert disposed therein, which is operable by a lock cylinder secured therein. The key switch is characterized in that the housing is two-piece and comprises a front portion and a rear wall; the front portion has an integral front plate and surrounding housing side walls; the rear wall is provided with an integrally molded locking projection for the key teeth of the lock cylinder, and the front portion and rear wall are lockable to one another.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention application of applicant C. Baumgart with an application date of 2019.08.19, an invention name of “Key Switch” and an application number of 201910763687.7. Technical Field

[0002] The invention relates to a key switch having a housing in which at least one switch insert is arranged and which can be operated by a lock cylinder fastened in the housing. Background Art

[0003] Such key switches are generally known and usually have a housing made of cast metal, which is closed by a metal front plate. The lock cylinder is fixed to the front plate via latching projections molded into the housing or via an additional latching plate. In addition, a front plate is usually provided, which is fastened to the housing via screw connections. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The object of the present invention is to improve the above-mentioned key switch in such a way that it can be manufactured very cheaply and assembled in the simplest manner.

[0005] The object of the present invention is achieved by a key switch, and in particular by the housing being two-part and consisting of a front part and a rear wall, wherein a front plate is integrated into the front part and the front part has surrounding housing side walls. In addition, the rear wall is provided with an integrally molded locking projection for a key tooth of a lock cylinder, and the front part and rear wall are lockable to one another.

[0006] The key switch according to the invention differs from the known embodiments primarily in that only two components are required to complete the housing, and the front plate of the key switch is integrated into the front portion. Therefore, the housing only requires two components in total, and a separate front plate can be omitted.

[0007] In addition, according to the present invention, the latching projection is not molded into the interior of the front portion, but is molded into the rear wall. Finally, the front portion and the rear wall are mutually lockable, so that the assembly of the housing no longer requires additional fastening elements, such as bolts.

[0008] The key switch according to the invention can be manufactured very cheaply, since the housing requires only two components which can be assembled together without screw connections etc. At the same time, unauthorized opening of the key switch can be prevented, since the key teeth of the lock cylinder are blocked by the locking projections molded into the rear wall when they are in their upper vertical position.

[0009] Preferred embodiments of the present invention are presented in the description, drawings and other parts.

[0010] According to a first preferred embodiment, the front part can be made of metal, in particular zinc casting, and the rear wall can be made of plastic. This ensures that the front part, which forms the actual housing, is neither flammable nor easily damaged. At the same time, the rear wall, which closes the rear side, is made of a low-cost material that, due to its material properties, also enables a snap-on connection.

[0011] According to another preferred embodiment, the cylindrical housing of the lock cylinder can be aligned with the front plate on the front side. This not only provides an attractive appearance, but also ensures that tools for maliciously opening the key switch cannot be placed on the cylindrical housing.

[0012] According to another preferred embodiment, a spring tongue with a latching hook is integrally formed on the rear wall, which latching hook can be locked in a latching recess in the front part. In this embodiment, the front part can be easily placed on the rear wall, wherein the spring tongue is initially slightly extended until the latching hook is locked in the latching recess in the front part.

[0013] According to another preferred embodiment, latching projections can be integrally formed on the inner sides of the housing side walls, which latching projections engage in latching recesses in the rear wall. This allows a latching effect between the rear wall and the front part (e.g., in addition to the aforementioned snap-on connection), so that the front part can be first inserted into the latching recess with the latching projections, and the final locking of the two housing components can then be achieved by a tilting movement.

[0014] According to another preferred embodiment, the rear wall can have an in particular circumferential fastening strip, on which the front part can be mounted, thereby achieving a stable and easy-to-assemble connection between the two housing components.

[0015] According to another preferred embodiment, the locking recess of the rear wall can be formed in the fastening strip, more precisely above the lock cylinder.

[0016] According to another preferred embodiment, a stop bar can be provided in the region of the locking recess, which extends up to the key teeth of the lock cylinder when the key teeth are in their upper vertical position. In other words, the stop bar completely fills the space above the key teeth (except for a minimal gap to prevent contact), so that the key switch cannot be maliciously opened (e.g., by means of a screwdriver or the like).

[0017] According to another preferred embodiment, the stop strip can be molded onto the fastening strip, which facilitates simple production.

[0018] According to another preferred embodiment, a holder for at least one switch insert can be integrally formed on the rear wall. This eliminates the need for a separate carrier for the switch insert and ensures simple assembly of the electrical lines, since the switch insert is easily accessible on the rear wall.

[0019] It is particularly advantageous that the housing can be assembled without tools, since additional fastening elements such as screws or the like, which have to be produced, transported and assembled separately, are thereby omitted.

[0020] According to another preferred embodiment, the latching projection of the rear wall can be at least partially hollow. The stability of the latching projection can be improved thus, thereby particularly well preventing it from being vandalized when using plastic as the material of the rear wall.

[0021] According to another preferred embodiment, the inner side of the rear wall may have markings for the position of the key teeth, at which the front and rear walls do not lock with each other. This design of the rear wall facilitates assembly because the key positions required for assembling the front and rear walls are predetermined.

[0022] According to another preferred embodiment, the rear wall can have a molded-in reinforcement piece in the area of the locking projection, which is particularly hollow and / or has a trapezoidal cross-section. This reinforcement piece further strengthens the area around the locking projection, which in turn prevents the key switch from being opened maliciously.

[0023] According to the invention, the lock cylinder is fastened to the front part; and according to a preferred embodiment, this can be achieved by two fixing elements (such as pins or bolts) extending transversely relative to each other, which in turn increases the security against malicious opening of the key switch. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] The present invention will be described below purely by way of example based on preferred embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0025] Figure 1 It is a front perspective view of the key switch;

[0026] Figure 2 is based on Figure 1 Side view of the key switch;

[0027] Figure 3 is based on Figure 1 A perspective view of the rear wall of the key switch including two inserted switch inserts;

[0028] Figure 4 is another perspective view of the rear wall without the switch insert;

[0029] Figure 5 It is seen from the back side Figure 1 Perspective view of the front part of the and the lock cylinder located therein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] Figure 1 A front perspective view of a key switch 10 is shown, whose housing is a two-part structure consisting of a front part 12 and a rear wall 14. In the illustrated embodiment, the front part 12 is manufactured integrally from a metal casting and has an integrated front plate 16 and a surrounding housing side wall 18 integrally connected to the front plate. Two directional arrows 20 and 21 are incorporated into the front plate 16, which define the operating direction of the key switch 10.

[0031] The lock cylinder 22 is fastened in the housing, more precisely to the front part 12 (see also Figure 5 ), wherein the cylindrical housing of the lock cylinder 22 is aligned with the front plate 16 at the front side (see Figure 2 ).like Figure 2 As shown, only the lock core 23 of the lock cylinder 22 protrudes slightly from the front plate 16 , but the cylindrical housing of the lock cylinder 22 is locked flush with the front plate 16 .

[0032] exist Figure 5 The fastening of the lock cylinder 22 to the front part 12 can be seen in the figure, and it can be seen that a sleeve 24 is molded onto the inner side of the front plate 16, which partially surrounds and accommodates the lock cylinder 22 (a semi-cylinder). To fasten the lock cylinder 22 to the front part 12, two fixing elements extending transversely to each other are provided: a fixing pin 26 extending horizontally through the sleeve 24 and the lock cylinder 22, and a fixing screw 28 extending vertically from below through the sleeve 24 and the lock cylinder 22, transverse to the fixing pin 26. However, in addition to this embodiment, the lock cylinder 22 can also be fastened by only one fixing element.

[0033] In the embodiment shown, two switch inserts 30 and 32 are provided inside the key switch 10. Figure 3 ), which can be controlled by the key teeth 25 ( Figure 5 In the exemplary embodiment shown, the switch inserts 30 and 32 are two push buttons, which are each inserted into a holder 34 , 36 which is integrally molded onto the rear wall 14 .

[0034] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the rear wall 14 is substantially plate-shaped and has Figure 3 and Figure 4 On the rear side visible in the figure, a fastening strip 38 is provided, which in the illustrated embodiment is arranged circumferentially and extends perpendicularly to the main plane of the rear wall 14. The circumferential fastening strip 38 is dimensioned so that the front part 12 can rest with its open side on the rear wall 14 with virtually no gap. To compensate for tolerances, ribs 40 with beveled tops are also provided on the outer sides of the fastening strip 38, so that after the front part 12 and rear wall 14 are assembled, the two components can be joined without gap.

[0035] In order to lock or secure the front part 12 and the rear wall 14 , devices are provided above and below the lock cylinder 22 , which allow tool-free assembly of the front part and the rear wall.

[0036] Above the lock cylinder 22 ( Figure 5 ), there is a molded latching protrusion 42 on the inner side of the housing side wall 18, which is designed to engage with a latching recess 44 ( Figure 3 ), for which purpose the fastening strip 38 is widened in the region of the latching recess 44 approximately in the direction of the housing interior. For assembly, the front part 12 can be placed on the rear wall 14 as follows: first, the latching projection 42 engages in the latching recess 44, and then the front part 12 can be completely placed on the rear wall 14 by a tilting movement. In order to achieve a latching connection between the front part 12 and the rear wall 14, a spring tongue 46 is integrally formed on the bottom of the rear wall 14 in the region of the fastening strip 38, on the underside of which there is a latching hook 48, which can be latched in a latching recess 50 ( Figure 5 )middle.

[0037] During the aforementioned pivoting movement, the spring tongues 46 spring slightly inwards, while the latching hooks 48 move along the inner side of the lower housing side wall 18 until the latching hooks 48 engage in the front latching recesses 50 .

[0038] As related Figure 1 、 Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, a circular predetermined breaking point 52 is provided between the spring tongue 46 and the rear wall 14 in the region of the fastening strip 38. This predetermined breaking point can be broken (for example, with the aid of a tool) to enable cable routing. The predetermined breaking point 52 can also be integrally molded from a rubber-like material using a two-component method.

[0039] In order to prevent the key switch from being in a state of being opened when the key is pulled out, that is, when the key teeth 25 are in a state of being opened, the key switch 20 is in a state of being opened when the key is pulled out. Figure 5 In the upper vertical position shown, if the locking device is accidentally opened, an integrally molded locking projection 54 is provided on the rear wall 14, more precisely on the fastening strip 38, in the region of the locking recess 44. Figure 5 During shown in the position, the key tooth 25 acts on the locking projection 54 from the back. Thus, after the lock cylinder 22 is securely mounted on the front portion 12, the front portion and the rear wall are prevented from coming loose.

[0040] In order to improve stability, the locking protrusion 54 is configured such that its interior is partially hollow.

[0041] Especially if Figure 4As shown, a reinforcement block 56 is molded on the inner side of the rear wall 14 above the lock cylinder 22. The cross section of the reinforcement block is trapezoidal and its interior is hollow. The reinforcement block 56 is integrally connected to the locking protrusion 54 through a stop bar 58 which is also hollow inside. The stop bar 58 is molded on the inner side of the fastening strip 38 and is sized so that when the key teeth 25 are located at their Figure 5 In the upper vertical position shown in FIG, the stop bar extends as far as the key tooth 25 of the lock cylinder 22. This ensures that there is no further free space between the key tooth 25 and the stop bar 58 except for the minimum free space for contactless insertion of the key tooth, so that forced opening of the key switch in this position can be prevented.

[0042] To install the aforementioned lock cylinder, first Figure 4 The rear wall shown is fastened to a wall or the like. To introduce electrical conductors, the predetermined breaking point 52 or the predetermined breaking point 53 provided on the rear wall 14 can be pierced and the electrical conductors connected to the switch inserts 30 and 32. The switch inserts 30 and 32 then only need to be inserted into their retaining portions 34 and 36 so that they are in contact with each other. Figure 3 Position shown.

[0043] In order to subsequently place the front part 12 on the rear wall 14, the key teeth 25 of the lock cylinder 22 must first be removed from the Figure 5 The lock is turned out of the position shown so that the key tooth 25 does not collide with the locking projection 54. In order to make it easier for the installer to find this position, a mark 60 (in the form of a symbol of an open lock) is provided on the inner side of the rear wall 14, which indicates the position of the key tooth 25 and the front part 12 can be placed on the rear wall 14 in this position. In this position, the front part 12 and the rear wall 14 are not locked to each other, so that the two components can be assembled together as described above, that is, the front part 12 is placed on the rear wall 14 with its open side. Here, the locking projection 42 of the front part 12 is inserted into the locking recess 44 of the rear wall, and the housing is then flipped downwards so that the locking hook 48 can be locked in the locking recess 50 of the front part. Then, when the key tooth 25 of the lock cylinder 22 moves to Figure 5 In the position shown and with the key removed, the key teeth 25 engage the locking projection 50 from behind, so that the two housing components cannot come loose even if the latching hook 48 is pressed out of the front locking recess 50. Because the key teeth 25 engage the locking projection 54 and the stop bar 58 from behind essentially without play, the front part 12 cannot be folded away from the rear wall 14, thus providing effective protection against vandalism.

Claims

1. A key switch having a housing in which at least one switch insert (30, 32) is arranged, which can be operated by a lock cylinder (22) fastened in the housing, characterized in that The housing is two-part and consists of a front part (12) and a plate-like rear wall (14); The front part (12) has an integrated front plate (16) and surrounding housing side walls (18); The lock cylinder (22) is fixed on the inner side of the integrated front plate (16); The plate-shaped rear wall (14) is provided with an integrally molded locking protrusion (54) for the key teeth (25) of the lock cylinder (22). The front portion (12) and the rear wall (14) are locked to each other by a snap connection, and When the key teeth (25) act on the locking projection (54) from behind, even if the snap connection is released, the front part (12) and the rear wall (14) cannot be released.

2. The key switch according to claim 1, characterized in that: The front portion (12) is made of metal and the rear wall (14) is made of plastic.

3. The key switch according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cylindrical housing of the lock cylinder (22) is aligned with the front plate (16) at the front side.

4. The key switch according to claim 1, characterized in that: A spring tongue (46) with a latching hook (48) is integrally formed on the rear wall (14), said latching hook being capable of latching in a latching recess (50) of the front part (12).

5. The key switch according to claim 1, characterized in that: A latching projection is molded onto the inner side of the housing side wall (18) and engages in a latching recess (44) of the rear wall (14).

6. The key switch according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rear wall (14) has a fastening strip (38) on which the front part (12) can be mounted.

7. The key switch according to claim 6, characterized in that: The fastening strip (38) is circumferential.

8. The key switch according to claim 6, characterized in that: The locking recess (44) of the rear wall (14) is formed in the fastening strip (38) and is formed above the lock cylinder (22).

9. The key switch according to claim 8, characterized in that: In the region of the locking recess (44) of the rear wall (14) there is a stop strip (58) which extends up to the key teeth (25) of the lock cylinder (22) when the key teeth (25) are in their upper vertical position.

10. The key switch according to claim 9, characterized in that: The stop strip (58) is molded onto the fastening strip (38).

11. The key switch according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that: Retaining portions (34, 36) for the switch inserts (30, 32) are molded onto the rear wall (14).

12. The key switch according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that: The housing can be assembled without tools.

13. The key switch according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that: The locking projection (54) of the rear wall (14) is at least partially hollow.

14. The key switch according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that: The inner side of the rear wall (14) has markings (60) for the position of the key teeth (25), in which position the front part (12) and the rear wall (14) do not lock with each other.

15. The key switch according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that: The rear wall (14) has a molded-on reinforcement piece (56) in the region of a latching projection (54) of the rear wall (14).

16. The key switch according to claim 15, characterized in that: The reinforcement block is hollow and / or trapezoidal in cross section.

17. The key switch according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that: The lock cylinder (22) is fixed to the front part (12) by means of two fixing elements (26, 28) extending transversely relative to each other.

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