Optical microswitch

Abstract

A light-emitting element and a light-receiving element are packaged on a support, the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element are arranged in a spaced mode to form a light path, the bottom of the light-emitting element and the bottom of the light-receiving element are electrically connected with a bottom plate, the support is installed on the bottom plate, and when an elastic piece is in an unpressed state, the movable end of the elastic piece is located above the light path. When the elastic piece is pressed to the working position, the movable end completely cuts into the light path, and the light receiving element generates signal output. Compared with the traditional scheme of separately mounting the light pair transistors, the modularized light pair transistor assembly is formed by pre-packaging the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element on the independent bracket, so that the light path position of the light pair transistor assembly is higher than the conventional mounting height, and the effective stroke of the movable end of the elastic sheet is ensured to completely cover the light path shielding area; the movable end of the elastic piece only needs a short stroke and can change a light path and trigger signal output in the pressing process, the support provides protection for standing of the light-to-tube assembly, the light through hole enables the light path of the light-to-tube assembly to be stably output, interference of an external light source is prevented, the universality of the switch is improved, the overall structure is stable and durable, and cost is low. Therefore, the switch has wide applicability and higher market competitiveness.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of micro switches, specifically to an optical micro switch. Background Technology

[0002] A microswitch is a small switch widely used in electronic devices. It is a switch in which external mechanical force is applied to an actuating spring through a transmission element, causing the fixed contact at its end to quickly connect or disconnect with the moving contact. In traditional optical microswitch designs, the photodiode assembly is usually directly mounted on a printed circuit board, and the switch is closed and opened by the mechanical movement of the spring.

[0003] However, in traditional microswitch designs, conventional phototransistor assemblies use discrete components directly soldered onto the circuit board. Their height is limited by the component package size, which results in the reed's moving end travel not being precisely matched with the optical path position. This not only requires clearance settings on the circuit board but also a large reed travel, which may cause the switch to malfunction or have insufficient sensitivity. In cases where high-precision installation is required, it is difficult to ensure consistency in the position and height of the phototransistor assembly.

[0004] If an attempt is made to optimize the design by increasing the height of the photodiode assembly, its base must be widened; otherwise, the stability of the tall photodiode assembly, lacking sufficient support and protection, will be compromised. Therefore, this application proposes an innovative solution that aims to increase the optical path height of the photodiode assembly while ensuring its structural robustness. Utility Model Content

[0005] To address the aforementioned problems, this invention aims to provide an optical microswitch that simplifies the manufacturing and installation process, solving the problem of insufficient height of the photodiode assembly in traditional designs.

[0006] To achieve this technical objective, the present invention provides an optical micro switch comprising an upper cover, a base plate, a support base, a pressing element, a spring plate mounted on the support base, and an optical pair assembly for outputting signals. The support base is mounted on the base plate, the upper cover is mounted on the support base, the top of the pressing element extends out of the upper cover, and the bottom of the pressing element rests on the spring plate. The spring plate has a fixed end and a movable end. Pressing the pressing element causes the movable end of the spring plate to move up and down, triggering the optical pair assembly to output a signal. The optical pair assembly consists of a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element, which are encapsulated on a bracket and spaced apart to form a light path. The bottoms of the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element are electrically connected to the base plate. The bracket is mounted on the base plate. When the spring plate is in an unpressed state, its movable end is above the light path. When the spring plate is pressed to the working position, the movable end is fully engaged in the light path, and the light-receiving element generates a signal output.

[0007] Preferably, the bracket includes a base portion and an upwardly extending lifting portion. The lifting portion is provided with a light-emitting mounting slot and a light-receiving mounting slot arranged side by side. The light-emitting mounting slot and the light-receiving mounting slot are provided with light-passing holes so that a light channel is formed between the two mounting slots.

[0008] Preferably, the movable end of the spring is provided with a downwardly protruding blocking part, which moves in a direction perpendicular to the light channel during the pressing stroke to change the light path state.

[0009] Preferably, the support base is provided with a limiting groove that allows the movable end to pass through. The movable end is suspended in the limiting groove. When the movable end is pressed to the lowest position of the limiting groove, the blocking part can completely block the optical path between the light pair components.

[0010] Preferably, the bottom of the base is provided with a protruding post, and the base plate is provided with a mounting hole. The bracket is fixed to the base plate by inserting the protruding post into the mounting hole.

[0011] The beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows: Compared with the traditional method of separately mounting light pairs, this utility model pre-encapsulates the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element in an independent bracket to form a modular light pair assembly. This allows the light path position of the light pair assembly to be higher than the conventional mounting height, ensuring that the effective stroke of the movable end of the spring completely covers the light path obstruction area. This allows the movable end of the spring to only require a short stroke during the pressing process and can change the light path to trigger signal output. The bracket provides protection for the upright position of the light pair assembly, and the light through hole allows the light path of the light pair assembly to output stably, preventing interference from external light sources. This enhances the versatility of the switch, and the overall structure is stable and durable, giving this switch wide applicability and higher market competitiveness. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of this utility model;

[0013] Figure 2 This is an exploded view of the present invention;

[0014] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the present invention;

[0015] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the bracket in this utility model;

[0016] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the optical pair assembly in this utility model;

[0017] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the optical pair assembly mounted on the bracket in this utility model;

[0018] Figure 7This is a schematic diagram of the bracket installed on the base plate in this utility model;

[0019] Figure 8 This is a cross-sectional view of the spring and bracket in this utility model.

[0020] In the diagram: 1. Top cover; 2. Base plate; 21. Mounting hole; 3. Support base; 31. Limiting groove; 4. Pressing part; 5. Spring piece; 51. Fixed end; 52. Movable end; 53. Blocking part; 6. Light-emitting element; 7. Light-receiving element; 8. Bracket; 81. Base part; 82. Lifting part; 83. Light-emitting mounting groove; 84. Light-receiving mounting groove; 85. Light transmission hole; 86. Protruding column. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. To provide a clear and complete description of the technical solution, the following embodiments are selected for illustration; these embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention; other embodiments obtained based on this application without creative effort are all within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0022] In the following embodiments, it should be noted that the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "inner," "outer," "top / bottom," etc., are all based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings and are only for the purpose of clearly describing this embodiment. They do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application. At the same time, the terms "first" and "second" in the embodiments are only used for descriptive purposes and do not represent an indication or implication of relative importance.

[0023] like Figures 1-8 As shown, the specific embodiment of this utility model is an optical micro switch, which mainly includes an upper cover 1, a base plate 2, a support base 3, a pressing element 4, a spring 5, and a photodiode assembly.

[0024] The top cover 1 is a protective shell covering the entire top of the switch. Space is left between it and the base plate 2 for installing all other components, ensuring that the top of the pressing element 4 can extend for pressing. The base plate 2 is used to install the fixed support 3, which supports and positions the spring piece 5. The spring piece 5 has a fixed end 51 and a movable end 52. The support 3 has a limiting groove 31 to limit the movement trajectory of the movable end 52 of the spring piece 5. When the movable end 52 is at its lowest position in the limiting groove 31, the movable end 52 can change the light path.

[0025] Specifically, the light pair assembly consists of a light-emitting element 6 and a light-receiving element 7, which are encapsulated on a bracket 8 and spaced apart. The bracket 8 includes a base portion 81 and an upwardly extending lifting portion 82. The lifting portion 82 is provided with a light-emitting mounting groove 83 and a light-receiving mounting groove 84 arranged side by side. A light channel is formed between the two mounting grooves through a light-passing hole 85. The bottoms of the light-emitting element 6 and the light-receiving element 7 are electrically connected to the base plate 2 to ensure stable signal transmission.

[0026] The bottom of the pressing member 4 acts directly on the spring sheet 5. By applying pressure, the movable end 52 of the spring sheet 5 is tilted. Specifically, the movable end 52 of the spring sheet 5 is provided with a downward protruding blocking part 53. The blocking part 53 moves in a direction perpendicular to the light channel during the pressing stroke to change the light path state.

[0027] During installation, the protrusion 86 of the bracket 8 is inserted into the mounting hole 21 of the base plate 2 and fixed by interference fit, so as to ensure stable assembly and smooth conduction of the light path between the light-emitting element 6 and the light-receiving element 7, and the light-emitting element 6 and the light-receiving element 7 are soldered to the pads of the base plate 2.

[0028] The optical microswitch in this application features a bracket 8 design that not only provides robust encapsulation of the photodiode assembly, protecting it from external interference, but also cleverly elevates the assembly to a certain height. This design effectively reduces the pressing stroke. Because the photodiode assembly is raised, the movable end 52 of the spring 5 only needs to move a short distance during pressing to fully engage with the light path, thereby triggering signal output. This significantly reduces the required pressing stroke, making the switch operation much faster.

[0029] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present utility model and is not intended to limit the present utility model. Any minor modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present utility model should be included within the protection scope of the technical solution of the present utility model.

Claims

1. An optical micro switch, comprising an upper cover (1), a base plate (2), a support base (3), a pressing member (4), a spring (5) mounted on the support base (3), and a photodiode assembly for outputting signals, wherein the support base (3) is mounted on the base plate (2), the upper cover (1) is mounted on the support base (3), the top of the pressing member (4) extends out of the upper cover (1), and the bottom of the pressing member (4) is placed on the spring (5), the spring (5) having a fixed end (51) and a movable end (52), pressing the pressing member (4) causes the movable end (52) of the spring (5) to move up and down, triggering the photodiode assembly to output a signal, the photodiode assembly being composed of a light-emitting element (6) and a light-receiving element (7), characterized in that: The light emitting element (6) and the light receiving element (7) are packaged on a support (8), and the light emitting element (6) and the light receiving element (7) are arranged at intervals to form a light path, the bottom of the light emitting element (6) and the light receiving element (7) are electrically connected with the bottom plate (2), the support (8) is mounted on the bottom plate (2), when the spring sheet (5) is in an unpressed state, the movable end (52) thereof is located above the light path, when the spring sheet (5) is pressed to a working position, the movable end (52) is completely cut into the light path, and the light receiving element (7) generates a signal output.

2. The optical microswitch according to claim 1, wherein: The support (8) comprises a base portion (81) and an upwardly extending lifting portion (82), the lifting portion (82) is provided with side-by-side arranged light emitting mounting grooves (83) and light receiving mounting grooves (84), and the light emitting mounting grooves (83) and the light receiving mounting grooves (84) are provided with light through holes (85) to form a light passage between the two mounting grooves.

3. The optical microswitch according to claim 2, wherein: The movable end (52) of the spring sheet (5) is provided with a downwardly protruding shielding portion (53), the shielding portion (53) moves in a direction perpendicular to the light passage in a pressing stroke to change the light path state.

4. The optical microswitch according to claim 3, wherein: The support seat (3) is provided with a limiting groove (31) through which the movable end (52) passes, the movable end (52) is suspended in the limiting groove (31), and when the movable end (52) is pressed to the lowest position of the limiting groove (31), the shielding portion (53) can completely block the light path between the light path tube assemblies.

5. The optical microswitch of claim 2, wherein: The bottom of the base portion (81) is provided with a convex column (86), the bottom plate (2) is provided with a mounting hole (21), and the support (8) is fixed on the bottom plate (2) by embedding the convex column (86) into the mounting hole (21).

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