Switching device with front panel illumination

Abstract

The invention relates to a switching device (1) comprising a control button (60), a cover element (50) surrounding the control button (60), a light source (81), and a light guide (70) made of transparent material and attached to the control button. According to the invention, the light guide has a mirror-polished inner face that forms a reflective surface for the light emitted by the light source and a convex, textured outer exit face (73) capable of collecting the light reflected by said reflective surface and diffusing it outwards towards a front portion (56) of the cover element. The control button has a rear face (61B) that overhangs said front portion of the cover element and forms a reflective surface adapted to reflect a portion of the light exiting the light guide and diffuse it onto said front portion of the cover element.

Description

Title of the invention: Switching device equipped with front-facing lighting

[0001] The present invention relates to a switching device which includes a control button, a cover element which surrounds the control button, a light source and a light guide made of transparent material and attached to the control button.

[0002] The invention finds a particularly advantageous application in the realization of a switch or a two-way switch having an indicator function which makes it possible to locate the device in twilight or darkness.

[0003] A switch as defined above is already known from document EP1944784 in which the output face of the light guide extends to touch the peripheral edge of the control button to directly illuminate the floor below the switch or the ceiling above said switch.

[0004] Compared to the aforementioned prior art, the object of the present invention is to propose a switching device which provides indirect lighting of a large area of ​​a front part of the device by obtaining a diffuse lighting effect around the control button.

[0005] More particularly, the present invention proposes a switching device as defined in the introduction, in which the light guide has a mirror-polished inner face which forms a reflecting surface for the luminous flux emitted by the light source and a granite-textured convex outer output face capable of recovering the luminous flux reflected by said reflecting surface and scattering it outwards towards a front part of the cover element, and in which the control button has a rear face which overhangs said front part of the cover element and which forms a reflective surface adapted to reflect a part of the luminous flux exiting the light guide to diffuse it onto said front part of the cover element.

[0006] Other features of the switching device according to the invention are as follows:

[0007] - the light guide is a hollow parallelepiped block, open at the rear whose reflective surface has four planes, namely two parallel longitudinal planes, a background plane facing the rear opening of said block through which the luminous flux emitted by the light source enters said block and a lateral end plane facing a curved wall of said block whose external face forms said external exit face of said light guide;

[0008] - said external exit face of the light guide is a portion of surface cylindrical;

[0009] - said external outlet face of the light guide has a surface finish or a texture of 21VDI corresponding to an arithmetic mean roughness Ra of 1.1 pm;

[0010] - the light guide is attached to a rear part of the control button;

[0011] - the control key includes a support wall for a user's finger whose a portion of the rear face forms said reflector surface and a mounting wall extending from the rear face of the support wall, perpendicular to it, two parallel portions of this mounting wall and a portion of the support wall delimiting a housing in which the light guide is mounted so that its external exit face is turned towards an inner edge of the cover element bordering said front portion of the latter;

[0012] - two windows are provided in the two parallel parts of said mounting wall from the control button, each window having an edge for the hooking of a tooth provided protruding on a longitudinal external face of the light guide;

[0013] - a centering pin is provided on the rear face of the support wall which engages in an opening at the bottom, provided in a front face of the light guide to center and hold said light guide in said housing;

[0014] - said illuminated front part of the cover element is a hollow part of which the The bottom is a concave surface facing the control key; and

[0015] - a base made of insulating material is provided which contains electrical elements of switching, this base having a front opening covered by the cover element, the cover element comprising a central opening through which the control button is mounted on a rocker driver housed in said base, the light guide being placed in the central opening of the cover element with its outer exit face adjoining a part of an inner edge of the cover element which delimits said central opening and which borders said front part of the cover element and the light source comprises a light-emitting diode mounted in the base under the front opening thereof, opposite the light guide.

[0016] The following description with regard to the attached drawings, given by way of non-limiting examples, will make it clear what the invention consists of and how it can be carried out.

[0017] On the attached drawings:

[0018] [Fig-1] is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of the switching device according to the invention,

[0019] [Fig.2] is an assembled view of [Fig.1],

[0020] [Fig.3] is a front view along arrow F of [Fig.2],

[0021] [Fig.4] is a cross-sectional view along plane AA of [Fig.3],

[0022] [Fig.5] is a magnifying view of detail B of [Fig.4],

[0023] [Fig.6] is an exploded perspective view of the device's control button switching of the [Fig.3],

[0024] [Fig.7] is an assembled perspective view of [Fig.6], and

[0025] [Fig.8] is a view similar to that of [Fig.4] showing the path of the rays luminous emitted by the light source of the switching device of the [Fig.l].

[0026] In the following description, the terms front and rear will be defined with respect to the user's perspective, the front of an element of the invention being oriented towards the user while the rear of that element is oriented away from the user. Similarly, the terms inside or internal and outside or external will be defined with respect to the center of the device according to the invention, the inside or internal side of an element of the invention being oriented towards the center of the device while the outside or external side of that element is oriented away from that center.

[0027] Figures 1 to 4 show a switching device 1 according to the invention, adapted to be snapped into the central opening of a switchgear support not shown, a finishing plate also not shown to be attached to the front face of the switchgear support around said switching device 1.

[0028] The device support is quite conventional and is not part of the invention. It will not be described in detail here. Essentially, it is in the form of a flat frame delimited by an outer edge and an inner rim. It has a square or rectangular outer contour. The inner rim defines a central opening with a square or rectangular contour. The device support has four through-holes, one in each arm of the frame, which are keyhole-shaped and are used to screw the device support to a flush-mounting box (not shown). The device support also has snap-in slots for teeth provided on the rear face of the cover plate.

[0029] Like the switchgear support, the finishing plate is also not part of the invention. It is mounted on the switchgear support, around the switching device 1, to complete the finish of the electrical assembly. It covers the front face of the switchgear support, extending beyond its outer edge to rest against the receiving wall (not shown). It may have a square, rectangular, or circular outer contour. It has a central opening whose edge follows a contour adapted to that of the switching device 1, as will be explained later.

[0030] The switching device 1 is here a single-station device which comprises: - a base 10, - a switching mechanism 20, 40 housed in the base 10, - a control button 60 for the switching mechanism, - a cover element 50 attached to a front face 15A of the base 10 and having an inner edge 52 surrounding a rear part 62 of the control button 60, - a luminous flux emission device 80 disposed in the base 10 under the control button 60, and - a light guide 70 made of transparent material and attached to the control button 60.

[0031] The base 10 is made of insulating material. The base 10 is a single piece preferably made by molding a rigid plastic material.

[0032] It comprises a bottom wall 14, a side wall 11, 12 and a front opening 13 (see [Fig.1]).

[0033] The bottom wall 14 and the side wall 11,12 delimit an interior volume which, at the front, opens onto the front opening 13.

[0034] The side wall 11, 12 of the base 10 here has two parts 11, 12, joined by a shoulder, namely a front part 11 of larger dimensions and a rear part 12 of smaller dimensions so that at the rear, the internal volume of the base 10 is narrowed.

[0035] The front 11 and rear 12 parts of the side wall of the base 10 follow rectangular contours and the front opening 13 of this base 10 is also rectangular in shape.

[0036] The front 11 and rear 12 portions of the side wall of the base 10 each have two parallel longitudinal external faces 11A, 12A and two parallel lateral external faces 11B, 12B. The longitudinal external faces 11A, 12A of the front 11 and rear 12 portions extend in parallel planes, as do the lateral external faces 11B, 12B of these portions.

[0037] At the front, the front part 11 of the side wall of the base 10 has a projecting external rim 15 on its outer face which runs along the front opening 13 of the base 10. This external rim 15 has an opposing front face 15A and rear face 15B.

[0038] The base 10 of the switching device 1 includes latching means allowing the base 10 to be hooked onto the switchgear support when said base 10 is inserted through the central opening of said switchgear support. These latching means comprise two tabs cut into the two opposite lateral faces of the front portion 11 of the side wall of the base 10 and each provided with a hooking tooth 16 which, below said outer rim 15, projects onto the corresponding lateral outer face 1 IB of said side wall of the base 10. The inner rim of the The device support snaps into place between the rear face 15B of the outer rim 15B and the hooking teeth 16 of the base 10.

[0039] As shown in Figures 1 and 5, the switching mechanism includes a tilting driver 40 and an electrical assembly 20 comprising electrical switching elements, one element of which is actuated by said driver 40.

[0040] The trainer 40 is a one-piece element made of insulating material mounted to tilt on an insulating structural part 30 fixedly mounted in the base 10.

[0041] As shown in Figures 1, 4, and 5, the structural part 30 is also a single-piece molded rigid plastic component. It has a base 31 with a generally rectangular outline, two longitudinal edges 31A, and two lateral edges 31B. The base 31 has a wide rectangular central opening 36. Along each of its longitudinal edges 31A, the base 31 has two tabs 35 that extend perpendicularly from the front face of the base 31. Each tab 35 has a tooth 35A on its outer face (facing outwards from the structural part), near its free end. One of the lateral edges 31B of the base 31 has a recess with a rounded bottom. This recess defines a lateral opening 33 which passes through the base 31 of the structural part 30. Finally, the front face of the base 31 has along the two longitudinal edges of the central opening 36, two parallel triangular walls 32, 34.The two triangular walls 32, 34 extend forwards, perpendicular to the front face of the base 31. Each wall 32, 34 has a vertex, opposite its base which is integral with said base 31, pierced by an opening 32A, 34A having a contour with a wedge-shaped part.

[0042] The base 31 of the structural part 30 has dimensions identical, except for the clearance, to the dimensions of the section of the front part of the internal volume of the base 10. It is brought into this front part of the internal volume of the base 10 to rest on internal parts of the base 10 which retain it towards the rear in the base 10 in such a way that the pierced vertices of said openings 32A, 34A of said triangular walls 32, 34 of the structural part 30 emerge outside the base 10 through said front opening 13 of said base 10.

[0043] The structural part 30 is held forward in the base 10 by means of the teeth 35A of its tabs 35 which are engaged in windows 17 provided in the two parallel longitudinal faces of the front part 11 of the side wall of the base 10 just below said outer edge 15 (see Figures 1 and 2). Said teeth 35A are locked against a longitudinal edge of these windows 17.

[0044] The two triangular walls 32, 34 of the structural part 30 form a pivoting mounting bracket for the driver 40

[0045] As shown in [Fig. 1], the trainer 40 comprises a platform 45, a central shaft 41 which extends towards the rear of the platform 45 perpendicularly to it- The shaft 41 opens onto the front face of the platform 45, forming a conduit open at both ends that passes through said platform 45. The drive 40 has two parallel mounting walls 46 that extend forward from two edges of the platform 45, on either side of the central opening of the shaft 41, perpendicular to said platform 45. Each mounting wall 46 has a wedge-shaped trunnion 47 projecting from its outer face facing outwards from said drive 40. Two mounting blocks 43 are provided on the front face of the platform 45 of the drive 40. Each mounting block 43 has two projecting teeth 44 on two opposing longitudinal faces for attaching the control button 60 to the drive 40, as will be explained in more detail later. Finally, the platform 45 has on each end, on either side of the mounting blocks 43, a lateral opening 48.

[0046] As shown in Figures 4, 5, and 8, the driver 40 is mounted on the structural part 30 such that its platform 45 is positioned opposite the front face of the base 31 of said structural part 30, between the two triangular walls 32, 34 thereof. The central shaft 41 of the driver 40 passes through the central opening 36 of said base 31 to extend partially to the rear thereof. The wedge-shaped trunnions 47 of the mounting walls 46 of the driver 40 fit into the angled portions of the openings 32A, 34A of the triangular walls 32, 34 of the structural part 30 to achieve a pivoting or tilting mounting. When the trainer 40 is mounted on the structural part 30 the mounting blocks 43 of the trainer 40 are accessible at the front of the structural part 30 and one of the side openings 48 of the platform 45 is positioned opposite the side opening 33 of the base 31 of the structural part 30.

[0047] As shown in figures 4, 5 and 8, the shaft 41 of the trainer 40 houses a stud 42, one end 42A of which catches a tilting part BMI of a movable brush BM bearing against a clevis C, and another end 42B of which is threaded into a spring R housed in said shaft 4L. The spring R extends forward beyond the shaft 41 through the opening of the shaft on the front face of the platform 45 of the trainer 40 in order to bear against a rear wall of the control button 60.

[0048] The driver 40 is adapted to move said movable brush BM provided with a contact CM, between a closed position in which said contact CM is in contact with a fixed contact CF and an open position in which said contact CM is away from said fixed contact CF.

[0049] In addition, the electrical assembly 20 includes two electrical connection terminals 21, 22. These are two screw terminals 21B, 22B, connected to the clevis C and to the fixed contact CF. One of the terminals 22 carries the clevis C and the other terminal 21 carries the fixed contact CF (see Figures 1, 4 and 8). The terminals 21, 22 are located in two compartments 12C in the rear part of the inner volume of the base 10. The The heads of the screws 21B, 22B of said terminals 21, 22 are accessible from the outside via openings 19 provided in the bottom wall 14 of the base 10 (see [Fig.4]) for screwing or unscrewing said screws 21B, 22B. In addition, there are provided in the rear part 12 of the side wall of the base 10, two openings 18 leading onto an external longitudinal face 12A of this rear part 12 for inserting the bare cores CD of the electrical conductors into the housings 21A, 22A of the terminals 21, 22 (see figures 1, 2 and 4).

[0050] The luminous flux emission device 80 comprises a light source 81 powered by a housing 82 from which two electrical supply wires 83 originate (see [Fig.1]).

[0051] The light source 81 is here a light-emitting diode of the bullet diode type.

[0052] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the device for emitting a luminous flux 80 is reported in the inner volume of the base 10, along a lateral face of the side wall 11, 12 of the base 10, in such a way that the light source 81 is placed in the lateral opening 33 of the base 31 of the structural part 30, opposite a lateral opening 48 of the platform 45 of the trainer 40. The light source 81 extends in the height of said base 10 so as to emit a luminous flux in the direction of the front opening 13 of it.

[0053] The housing 82 of the light-emitting device 80 is locked in the base 10 by arrangements of the latter so that a rear part of this housing, from which the electrical supply wires 83 emerge, extends outside the base 10 along a lateral face 12B of the rear part 12 of the side wall of the base 10 (see figures 2, 4 and 5).

[0054] As shown in Figures 2, 4 and 5, the cover element 50 of the switching device 1 is a single insulating piece attached to the base 10 to cover the front opening 13 of the latter.

[0055] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the cover element 50 includes a closing plate 51 which here has a rectangular outer edge with rounded corners. This closing plate 51 partially closes the front opening 13 of the base 10 and, lengthwise, extends beyond the base 10. The closing plate 51 has a central opening 52A delimited by an inner edge 52 which, here, follows an oblong contour (see [Fig. 1]).

[0056] The closure plate 51 has on its rear face 50B two sets of three studs 53, one set of studs 53 being arranged along one longitudinal side of the outer edge of said closure plate 51 and the other set of studs 53 being arranged along the other longitudinal side of the outer edge of the closure plate 51. The studs 53 of a set are regularly spaced from each other. Each stud extends in width between the outer edge and the inner edge of the closure plate 51. When the cover element 50 is mounted on the base 10, part of the free edge of the studs 53 rests on the front face 15A of the outer rim 15 of the base 10 (see figures 2, 4 and 5) to retain the cover element 50 backwards on the base 10.

[0057] The closing plate 51 also has on its rear face 50B four mounting lugs 54 provided at their free end with a hooking tooth 54A. The mounting lugs 54 extend perpendicularly to said rear face 50B of the closing plate 51 beyond the studs 53 so that the hooking teeth 54A protrude from the rear of said studs 53. These hooking teeth 54A hook onto a longitudinal edge of the windows 17 of the base 10 to retain the cover element 50 mounted on the base 10 in a forward direction.

[0058] The closing plate 51 has a projecting front face 50A, a small wall 55 that runs alongside the central opening 52A of said closing plate. This small wall 55 follows an oblong path. It has a front face 56, one inner edge of which is the inner edge 52 delimiting the central opening 52A. This front face 56 is advantageously slightly concave or slightly recessed.

[0059] The central opening of the finishing plate is here an oblong opening. The finishing plate is attached to the equipment support so that it covers the front face 50A of the closing plate 51 of the cover element 50, and the central opening exposes the front face 56 of the wall 55 of said cover element 50. The edge of said central opening of the finishing plate runs as close as possible to the outer side of the wall 55 of the cover element 50.

[0060] Pressing a finger on the control key 60 allows the driver 40 to be tilted, which moves the movable brush BM.

[0061] As shown in Figures 1, 6, 7 and 8, the control button 60 has a generally flat contact surface 61 for a user's finger, with an outer contour 61D, here oblong. The contact surface 61 has a front face 61A, here having two planes connected by a very slightly concave central portion for finger support and, opposite, a flat rear face 61B facing the base 10 of the switching device 1.

[0062] The control button 60 includes a mounting wall 62 extending perpendicularly from the rear face 61B of the support wall 61. This mounting wall 62, located in a central region of the rear face 61B of the support wall 61, follows a generally oblong contour with two parallel longitudinal portions 62A, a curved end portion, and, opposite this curved end portion, a wall interruption extending between two end edges 62D of said longitudinal portions 62A (see [Fig. 6]). The rear face 61B of the support wall 61 includes in its center another wall 63, separate from the mounting wall. 62. This other wall 63 is located between the two longitudinal sections 62A of the mounting wall 62, equidistant from them. This other wall 63 is parallel to the two longitudinal sections 62A of the mounting wall 62. It has a length and height less than the length and height of said longitudinal sections 62A (see Figures 4 and 6).

[0063] As shown in Figures 1, 6 and 7, the two longitudinal parts 62A of the mounting wall 62 of the control button 60 each have two windows 62B in which the teeth 44 of the mounting blocks 43 of the driver 40 hook to secure the control button 60 to the driver 40 of the switching mechanism of the switching device 1.

[0064] The support wall 61, the mounting wall 62 and the other wall 63 of the control button 60 are advantageously made in one piece by molding from a thermoplastic polymer such as ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene).

[0065] When the control button 60 is hooked or clicked onto the driver 40, the front end of the spring R of the switching mechanism is in contact with the edge of the other central wall 63 of the control button 60 (see figures 4 and 5).

[0066] Advantageously, the light guide 70 is a one-piece unit made of transparent polycarbonate which has a mirror-polished inner face which forms a reflective surface 74 for the luminous flux emitted by the light source and a convex, granite-textured outer exit face 73.

[0067] As shown in Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8, the light guide 70 is a hollow parallelepiped block, open at the rear, whose reflecting surface 74 has four planes, namely two parallel longitudinal planes, a bottom plane facing the rear opening of said block and an end lateral plane facing a curved wall of said block, the external face of which forms said external exit face 73 of said light guide 70.

[0068] Here, preferably, said external exit face 73 of the light guide 70 is a cylindrical surface portion. Said external exit face 73 of the light guide 70 has, for example, a surface finish or texture of 21VDI corresponding to an arithmetic mean roughness Ra of 1.1 pm.

[0069] In addition, the front face 75 of the block forming the light guide 70 has in its center a blind-bottomed opening 76.

[0070] The light guide 70 is attached to a rear part of the control button 60.

[0071] For its attachment to the control button 60, the block constituting the light guide 70 has two teeth 72 projecting from its two longitudinal external faces 71 (see [Fig.6]).

[0072] Correspondingly, two windows 62C are provided in two end portions of the two parallel longitudinal sections 62A of the mounting wall 62 that adjoin said end edges 62D. These two end portions of the mounting wall 62 and a portion of the support wall 61 of the control button 60 define, at the rear of the support wall 61, a recess for receiving said light guide 70. This recess is open at the rear and laterally due to the interruption in the wall of said mounting wall 62 of the control button 60. A centering pin 64 is also provided, carried by the rear face 61B of the support wall 61 of the control button 60. This centering pin 64 is located in the center of the bottom of the recess for receiving the light guide 70 (see Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7).

[0073] The light guide 70 is mounted in said housing delimited at the rear of the support wall 61 of the control button 60 in such a way that its teeth 72 hook onto an edge of the windows 62C of the mounting wall 62 of the control button 60 and that the centering pin 64 carried by the rear face 61B of the support wall 61 of the control button 60 engages in the blind-bottomed opening 76 of the front face 75 of the light guide 70 which is pressed against the rear face 61B of the support wall 61 (see figures 5 and 7).

[0074] Once mounted on the control button 60, the light guide 70 is open at the rear. The curved wall of the light guide 70 closes the wall interruption extending between the two end edges 62D of said longitudinal portions 62A of said mounting wall 62 to establish wall continuity between said longitudinal portions 62A of this mounting wall 62. The convex, textured outer face 73 of said light guide 70 is then oriented outwards from the control button 60 (see [Fig. 7]).

[0075] Advantageously, as shown more particularly in [Fig.7], the support wall 61 of the control button 60 has a part 61C, called the reflector part, which extends cantilevered from the outer exit face 73 of the light guide 70. In other words, the outer exit face 73 of the light guide 70 is recessed from the outer contour 61D of the support wall 61 of the control button 60.

[0076] As shown in Figures 2, 4, and 5, the central opening 52A of the closing plate 51 of the cover element 50 is traversed by the mounting wall 62 of the control button 60, which is hooked or snapped onto the driver 40 of the switching mechanism. The cross-section of this central opening 52A is adapted so that the mounting wall 62 of the control button 60 is located as close as possible to the inner edge 52 of the cover element 40 that defines this central opening 52A. Said inner edge 52 closely surrounds said mounting wall 62. The support wall 61 of the control button 60 closes the central opening 52A of the cover element 50 and extends over the front face 56 of the wall 55 of said element. cover 50. The light guide 70, attached to the mounting wall 62 of the control button 60, is placed in the central opening 52A of the cover element 50. The outer face 73 of the light guide 70 is adjacent to a portion of the inner edge 52 that borders a portion, referred to as the illuminated portion, of the front face 56 of the cover element 50 (see [Fig. 2]). This outer face 73 is oriented towards this portion of the inner edge 52. The rear opening of the light guide 70 faces the light-emitting diode 81 of the light-emitting device 80, through the corresponding lateral opening 48 of the driver 40 and the lateral opening 33 of the structural part 30 that houses said light-emitting diode 81 (see [Fig. 5]).

[0077] The luminous flux emitted by the light-emitting diode 81 enters the light guide 70 through its rear opening, it is reflected on the mirror-polished inner face 74 of the light guide 70. The convex, granite-textured outer exit face 73 of the light guide 70 recovers the reflected luminous flux and directs it outwards from the switching device 1 towards the illuminated part of the front face 56 of the cover element 50.

[0078] Advantageously, according to the invention, the reflector part 61C of the support wall 61 of the control button 60 has a rear face 61B which, in a tilted position of the control button 60 (shown in Figures 4, 5 and 8), overhangs the illuminated part of the front face 56 of the cover element 40 which adjoins said inner edge 52. The rear face 61B of said reflector part 61C of the control button 60 forms a reflective surface adapted to reflect a part of the luminous flux exiting the light guide 70 to diffuse it onto said illuminated part of the front face 56 of the wall 55 of the cover element 40.

[0079] More particularly, here, in a tilting position of the control button 60, shown in [Fig.8], a part of the support wall 61 of the control button 60, located on the left in the figure, is lowered onto the front face of the cover element 50, while the reflector part 61C of the support wall 61 of the control button 60 located on the right in the figure is raised above the illuminated part of the cover element 50 and the external exit face 73 of the light guide 70 rises to the right of said inner edge 52 of the cover element 50 so that the luminous flux emitted by the light source 81 along said main exit direction X meets on its path the reflecting surface 74 of the light guide 70 which directs the luminous flux along the direction XI towards the convex granite external exit face 73 of the light guide 70.This external exit face 73 of the light guide 70 splits the luminous flux into many light rays X' 1, part of which is reflected by the rear face 61B of the reflector part 61C of the wall. press 61 of the control key 60 to diffuse it onto the illuminated part of the front face 56 of the cover element 50.

[0080] Thanks to this arrangement, a large area of ​​the front face 56 of the cover element 50 located at the right of the control button 60 is illuminated with a diffuse lighting effect.

[0081] Preferably, said illuminated part of the front face 56 of the cover element 50 is a recessed part whose bottom is a concave surface oriented towards the control button 60. The illuminated part belongs to a concave groove 56 which adjoins the entire inner edge 52 of the cover element 50.

[0082] This recessed part advantageously allows the luminous flux transmitted by the rear face 61B of the support wall 61 of the control button 60 to be concentrated and the illumination of this area of ​​the front face of the cover element 50 to be increased.

[0083] The invention is not limited to the detailed description and various other modifications may be made to it.

[0084] The shape of the control key can be changed.

Claims

Demands

1. Switching device (1) comprising a control button (60), a cover element (50) surrounding the control button (60), a light source (81) and a light guide (70) made of transparent material and attached to the control button (60), characterized in that the light guide (70) has a mirror-polished inner face which forms a reflecting surface (74) for the luminous flux emitted by the light source (81) and a convex, textured outer exit face (73) capable of recovering the luminous flux reflected by said reflecting surface and scattering it outwards towards a front portion (56) of the cover element (50),and in that the control button (60) has a rear face (61B) which overhangs said front part (56) of the cover element (50) and which forms a reflective surface adapted to reflect a portion of the luminous flux exiting the light guide to diffuse it onto said front part (56) of the cover element (50).

2. Switching apparatus (1) according to claim 1, wherein the light guide (70) is a hollow parallelepiped block, open at the rear, the reflecting surface (74) of which has four planes, namely two parallel longitudinal planes, a bottom plane facing the rear opening of said block through which the luminous flux emitted by the light source enters said block, and an end lateral plane facing a curved wall of said block, the external face (73) of which forms said external exit face of said light guide (70).

3. Switching device (1) according to any one of claims 1 and 2, wherein said external output face (73) of the light guide (70) is a cylindrical surface portion.

4. Switching device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said external output face (73) of the light guide (70) has a surface finish or texture of 21VDI corresponding to an arithmetic mean roughness Ra of 1.1 pm.

5. Switching device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the light guide (70) is hooked onto a rear part (62) of the control button (60).

6. Switching device (1) according to the preceding claim, in which the control button comprises a user finger support wall (61) of which a portion of the rear face (61B) forms said reflector surface and a mounting wall (62) extending from the rear face of the support wall (61), perpendicularly thereto, two parallel portions (62A) of this mounting wall (62) and a portion of the support wall (61) delimiting a housing in which the light guide (70) is mounted such that its external exit face (73) is turned towards an inner edge (52) of the cover element (50) bordering said front portion (56) of the latter.

7. Switching device (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein two windows (62C) are provided in the two parallel parts (62A) of said mounting wall (62) of the control button (60), each window (62C) having an edge for hooking a tooth (72) provided projecting on a longitudinal external face (71) of the light guide (70).

8. Switching device (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein a centering pin (64) is provided on the rear face (61B) of the support wall (61) engaging in a blind-bottomed opening (76) provided in a front face (75) of the light guide (70) to center and hold said light guide (70) in said housing.

9. Switching device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said illuminated front part (56) of the cover element is a hollow part having a bottom that is a concave surface oriented towards the control button (60).

10. A switching device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a base (10) made of insulating material is provided, containing electrical switching elements, said base (10) having a front opening (13) covered by the cover element (50), wherein the cover element (50) comprises a central opening (52A) through which the control button (60) is mounted on a pivoting drive (40) housed in said base (10), the light guide (70) being placed in the central opening (52A) of the cover element (50) with its external exit face (73) adjoining a portion of an inner edge (52) of the cover element (50) which delimits said central opening (52A) and which borders said front part (56) of the cover element (50) and in which the light source comprises a light-emitting diode (81) mounted in the base under the front opening (13) thereof, facing the light guide (70).

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