Pressure-responsive switch

Abstract

The present invention aims to provide a pressure-responsive switch that facilitates the wiring of electrical wires. [Solution] The pressure-responsive switch 1 comprises a microswitch A equipped with a lever 47, a terminal 60 connected to a contact whose conductivity switches in accordance with the displacement of the lever 47, and a case 10 housing the microswitch A. The case 10 comprises a cover 15 and a rear wall 13, a top wall 12 and a bottom wall 14. The lever 47 is located at the rear X1 within the case 10. The terminal 60 is equipped with a connection part a for connecting an electric wire 70, and the connection part a is located at the front X2 within the case 10. A notch 17 opening in the vertical direction Z is formed at the front edge X2 of the bottom wall 14, and the notch 17 and the connection part a are opposite each other in the vertical direction Z.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a pressure-responsive switch.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a pressure-responsive switch for detecting a pressure change of a refrigerant in a refrigeration cycle has been known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The pressure-responsive switch described in Patent Document 1 includes a box-shaped support case and a mechanical switch housed inside the support case. The mechanical switch has terminals. A lower side plate formed in a plate shape is provided on the bottom surface of the support case, and a circular hole penetrating in the plate thickness direction is formed at the center of the lower side plate. An electric wire connected to the terminal inside the support case is led out to the outside of the support case through the hole of the lower side plate.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the above-described pressure-responsive switch, since it is necessary to secure an operating space for a lever (switch lever) attached to the mechanical switch, when the side where the lever of the mechanical switch is provided is the rear side (back side) of the mechanical switch, the position where the terminals are arranged has to be arranged on the front side (front side) of the mechanical switch. For this reason, the connection portion between the terminal and the electric wire is located on the front side of the lower side plate in a bottom view of the pressure-responsive switch. Due to such arrangement constraints, the positions of the terminal and the connection portion of the electric wire and the hole of the lower side plate are shifted back and forth, so when wiring the electric wire, the electric wire is likely to interfere with other components. Therefore, it has been difficult to lead the electric wire to the outside, and the wiring of the electric wire has been difficult.

[0005] The present invention aims to provide a pressure-responsive switch that facilitates the wiring of electrical wires. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To solve the aforementioned problems and achieve the objective, the pressure-responsive switch of the present invention comprises a microswitch having a responsive member that displaces in response to an external force, a terminal provided on the microswitch and connected to a contact whose conductive state switches in accordance with the displacement of the responsive member, and a case housing the microswitch, wherein the case comprises a front wall and a rear wall facing each other in the front-rear direction, and a top wall and a bottom wall facing each other in the vertical direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction, the responsive member is arranged on one side in the front-rear direction within the case, and the terminal is connected to an electric wire. The microswitch is characterized by having a connection section, the connection section being located on the other side in the front-rear direction within the case, a notch opening in the vertical direction being formed at the other edge of the bottom wall in the front-rear direction, the notch and the connection section facing each other in the vertical direction, multiple terminals being provided on the microswitch, multiple connection sections being arranged in a left-right direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, and the left-right dimension of the notch being set to be larger than the left-right dimension from one end of the multiple connection sections in the left-right direction to the other end of the left-right direction.

[0007] According to this invention, the connection portion of the terminal and the notch portion of the bottom wall of the case are opposite each other in the vertical direction, so that the position of the connection portion and the position of the notch portion can be aligned when viewed from the bottom of the case. Therefore, when wiring the wires, there is no need to bend the wires to avoid interference with other components, and the wires can be easily led out from the inside to the outside of the case by pulling the wires out in the vertical direction. Thus, a pressure-sensitive switch that allows for easy wiring of wires can be provided. Furthermore, with this configuration, the left-right dimension of the notch portion is larger than the left-right dimension from one end of multiple connection portions to the other end in the left-right direction, so even when multiple terminals are provided on the microswitch and the connection portions are arranged in the left-right direction, the wires can be easily wired while avoiding the above interference.

[0008] Furthermore, it is preferable that the notch is formed in a rectangular shape when viewed from the bottom of the case. With this configuration, by forming the notch in a rectangular shape when viewed from the bottom of the case, the left-right dimension of the opening for guiding the wires to the outside does not change as much in the front-to-back direction, compared to a conventional circular hole (i.e., an arc with the same radius). Therefore, even if the position of the connection part is slightly shifted in the front-to-back direction due to tolerances, for example, it is possible to suppress the shift between the position of the connection part and the position of the notch when viewed from the bottom of the case.

[0009] Furthermore, it is preferable that multiple terminals are provided on the microswitch, and that multiple connection portions are arranged in a stepped manner with their positions offset in the vertical and horizontal directions. With such a configuration, even if multiple terminals are provided on the microswitch, the connection portions are arranged in a stepped manner with their positions offset in the vertical Z direction and the horizontal X direction, so that the wires connected to each connection portion do not overlap and interfere with each other in the vertical and horizontal directions. This makes wiring the wires even easier. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a pressure-sensitive switch that allows for easy wiring of electrical wires. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] Front view of a pressure-responsive switch according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Front view of a pressure-sensitive switch with the cover removed. [Figure 3] A perspective view of the switch components housed in the case of a pressure-sensitive switch. [Figure 4] A perspective view of the switch component as seen from the terminal block side. [Figure 5] Bottom view of a pressure-sensitive switch. [Figure 6] Cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Figure 5. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 6. In the following description, the direction in which the front and back surfaces of the case 10, described later, face each other will be referred to as the "front-to-back direction X," with one side of the front-to-back direction X being referred to as the "rear side X1" and the other side as the "front side X2." The width direction of the case 10 will be referred to as the "left-to-right direction Y," with one side of the left-to-right direction Y being referred to as the "left side Y1" and the other side as the "right side Y2." The height direction of the case 10 will be referred to as the "up-down direction Z," with one side of the up-down direction Z being referred to as the "upper side Z1" and the other side as the "lower side Z2." These definitions are for the convenience of explanation only and do not necessarily coincide with the front-to-back, left-to-right, and up-and-down directions in the actual operating state of the pressure-sensitive switch 1, nor do they limit the directions in the actual operating state of the pressure-sensitive switch 1.

[0013] The pressure-sensitive switch 1 according to this embodiment is used, for example, as a switch to detect changes in the pressure of the refrigerant in a compressor of a refrigeration cycle, or changes in the temperature of a fluid such as a refrigerant. As shown in Figure 1, the pressure-sensitive switch 1 is equipped with a case 10 that is roughly rectangular in shape. The case 10 is composed of a C-shaped main frame 11 that opens to the front X2 and a cover 15 (front wall) that closes the opening of the main frame 11, and houses various components such as a microswitch A, which will be described later, inside. The main frame 11 is formed by bending a metal plate and is equipped with a top wall 12, a rear wall 13, and a bottom wall 14. The top wall 12 is formed in the shape of a rectangular plate that extends in the front-rear direction X and the left-right direction Y. The rear wall 13 is formed in the shape of a rectangular plate and extends from the rear edge X1 of the top wall 12 to the lower Z2. The bottom wall 14 is formed in the shape of a rectangular plate, extending from the lower edge of the rear wall 13 to the front X2, and facing the top wall 12 in the vertical direction Z. The cover 15 is formed in the shape of a rectangular plate, closing the opening of the main frame 11, and facing the rear wall 13 in the front-to-back direction X. A pair of left and right windows 16 that penetrate in the front-to-back direction X are formed on the plate surface of the cover 15, and the inside of the case 10 can be seen through the windows 16.

[0014] The bottom wall 14 of the case 10 is connected to a pair of elements 20 and a pair of connecting pipes 21, each connected to the pair of elements 20. The elements 20 are equipped with a sensing member, such as a bellows or diaphragm (not shown), inside. The sensing member deforms or displaces in the vertical direction Z in response to pressure changes of the pressurized fluid introduced through the connecting pipes 21. Inside the case 10, as shown in Figure 2, a pair of left and right transmission mechanisms 30 and a pair of left and right switch components 40 are housed. The transmission mechanism 30 includes a reinforcing plate 31 formed in a C-shape by bending a metal plate material and opening to the rear side X1, and houses a transmission member 32 inside the reinforcing plate 31. An example of the transmission member 32 is an operating plate 32a, which receives the force of deformation or displacement of the above-mentioned sensing member as an external force, and rotates around the pivot axis 33 to convert the external force into an operating force, which is then transmitted to the lever 47 (responsive member) described later.

[0015] The switch component 40 is configured with multiple contacts (not shown) inside, and changes the conductivity state of the contacts in response to the aforementioned operating force. A pair of switch components 40 are provided adjacent to each other in the left-right direction Y, forming a dual-type microswitch A. As shown in Figure 3, the switch component 40 includes a box portion 41. The box portion 41 is formed in a roughly cubic shape from a material such as resin. A connecting portion 43 is formed on the lower wall 42 of the box portion 41, protruding downward Z2. The connecting portion 43 is formed in a plate shape extending in the front-rear direction X and the left-right direction Y, and is fixed to the bottom wall 14 of the case 10. A rectangular box-shaped fixing member 45 is attached to the rear surface 44 of the box portion 41. A rotating shaft 46 extending in the left-right direction Y is fixed to the side wall of the fixing member 45, and a lever 47 (responsive member) is attached to the rotating shaft 46 so as to be rotatable around the shaft. That is, the lever 47 is located at the rear X1 inside the case 10.

[0016] The lever 47 is formed in a plate shape and extends upward Z1 from the rotating shaft 46, and is inclined so that it is located on the rear side X1 as it moves from the lower end supported by the rotating shaft 46 towards the upper end. The lever 47 rotates around the rotating shaft 46 when subjected to the aforementioned operating force. That is, it is displaced around the rotating shaft 46 in response to the aforementioned external force. The rotational motion of the lever 47 is transmitted to a micro-actuator shaft (not shown) and converted into forward and backward motion in the front-rear direction X. As the micro-actuator shaft moves forward and backward, a switching mechanism (not shown) provided in the box portion 41 is activated, and the switching mechanism switches the conductive destination of multiple contacts. That is, the conductive destination of the contacts is switched in accordance with the displacement of the lever 47.

[0017] As shown in Figure 4, a terminal block 50 is formed on the front X2 portion of the box portion 41. The terminal block 50 is the part on which the terminals 60 are installed and fixed, and in this embodiment, a total of six terminal blocks are formed: three upper terminal blocks 50a arranged in the left-right direction Y, and three lower terminal blocks 50b adjacent to the lower Z2 of the upper terminal blocks 50a and rearward X1 from the upper terminal blocks 50a, also arranged in the left-right direction Y. The upper terminal block 50a includes an upper mounting surface portion 51 that is rectangular in plan view and extends along the front portion 48 of the box portion 41, an upper wall rib 52 that extends from the upper Z1 edge of the upper mounting surface portion 51 to the front X2, a pair of upper wall ribs 53 that extend from the left Y1 and right Y2 of the upper mounting surface portion 51 to the front X2, and an upper insertion hole 54 that penetrates the upper mounting surface portion 51 and communicates with the inside of the box portion 41. The lower terminal block 50b includes a rectangular lower mounting surface 55 in plan view that extends along the front surface 48 of the box portion 41 below Z2 and to the rear X1 of the upper mounting surface 51, a connecting surface 56 that extends from the upper edge Z1 of the lower mounting surface 55 to the front X2 and connects to the upper mounting surface 51 and faces downward Z2, a pair of lower wall ribs 57 that extend from the left Y1 and right Y2 of the lower mounting surface 55 to the front X2, and a lower insertion hole 58 that penetrates the lower mounting surface 55 and communicates with the inside of the box portion 41.

[0018] Thus, the terminal block 50 is located on the front side X2 within the case 10 and is formed in a stepped shape with an upper terminal block 50a and a lower terminal block 50b having misaligned positions in the vertical direction Z and the front-back direction X. A plurality of them are provided side by side in the left-right direction Y. Terminals 60 are inserted into the upper insertion holes 54 and the lower insertion holes 58. The terminal 60 is a member that is connected one-to-one to the above-described contacts, is formed in a plate shape using a conductive material, and a plurality of terminals 60 are fixed to the terminal block 50 respectively. The terminal 60 includes a main body portion 61 that is inserted into the upper insertion hole 54 or the lower insertion hole 58 and extends in the front-back direction X, and a connection portion 62 that is continuous with the main body portion 61, is bent in the left-right direction Y, and is fixed to the upper installation surface portion 51 or the lower installation surface portion 55. A female screw portion 63 that penetrates in the plate thickness direction is formed at the central portion of the connection portion 62. As shown in FIG. 5, a fastening member 64 is screwed into the female screw portion 63, and the contact portion 73 of the electric wire 70 described later is connected and fixed to the connection portion 62 of the terminal 60 via the fastening member 64. In the present embodiment, the portion of the connection portion 62 that abuts against the contact portion 73 of the electric wire 70 is defined as the connection portion a.

[0019] Since the connection portion 62 is provided on both the upper terminal block 50a and the lower terminal block 50b respectively, in the present embodiment, the connection portion a is composed of an upper connection portion a1 provided on the upper terminal block 50a side and a lower connection portion a2 provided on the lower terminal block 50b side. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the upper connection portion a1 and the lower connection portion a2 are arranged on the front side X2 (the other side in the front-back direction) within the case 10, a plurality of them are arranged side by side in the left-right direction Y, and the position of the lower connection portion a2 is shifted to the lower side Z2 and the rear side X1 with respect to the position of the upper connection portion a1, and they are arranged in a stepped shape.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 6, the electric wire 70 includes a wire part 71 composed of a core wire and a coating, and a terminal part 72 provided at an end of the wire part 71. A plate-like contact part 73 is formed at the tip of the terminal part 72. The wire part 71 of the electric wire 70 connected to the terminal 60 is led out to the outside through a notch part 17 formed in the bottom wall 14 of the case 10. The notch part 17 is a part for leading out the electric wire 70 connected and fixed to the connection part a from the inside of the case 10 to the outside, and is formed at the edge of the front side X2 of the bottom wall 14 of the case 10. As shown in FIG. 5, the notch part 17 includes a first edge part 17a extending in the left-right direction Y, and second edge parts 17b extending from both left and right ends of the first edge part 17a to the front side X2, and is formed in a substantially rectangular shape in a bottom view of the case 10, and is open in the front side X2 and the up-down direction Z.

[0021] In the notch part 17, the dimension S1 from one second edge part 17b to the other second edge part 17b (hereinafter referred to as the dimension S1 in the left-right direction Y of the notch part 17) is set to be larger than the dimension S2 in the left-right direction Y from the left end part (the end part on one side in the left-right direction Y) to the right end part (the end part on the other side in the left-right direction Y) of the plurality of connection parts a. Also, as shown in FIG. 6, the position of the first edge part 17a generally coincides with the position of the upper surface of the lower installation surface part 55 of the lower terminal block 50b described above in the up-down direction Z. As a result, the depth dimension S3 (the dimension in the front-back direction X) of the notch part 17 is substantially the same as the total S4 of the dimensions in the front-back direction X of the upper wall rib 52 of the upper terminal block 50a and the connection surface 56 of the lower terminal block 50b. Note that this is merely an example, and the position of the first edge part 17a may be set to be the rear side X1 with respect to the connection surface 56, and the depth dimension S3 of the notch part 17 may be made larger than that in the present embodiment.

[0022] With such a configuration, as shown in FIG. 6, the notch part 17 and the connection part a face each other in the up-down direction Z, and the positions of the connection part a and the notch part 17 coincide in the up-down direction Z. Therefore, when wiring the electric wire 70, the electric wire 70 can be led out from the inside of the case 10 to the outside by pulling it out from the connection part a to the lower side Z2 without bending the wire part 71 or the like.

[0023] As described above, according to the embodiment, the connection portion a of the terminal 60 and the notch 17 of the bottom wall 14 of the case 10 are opposite each other in the vertical direction Z, so that the position of the connection portion a and the position of the notch 17 can be aligned when viewed from the bottom of the case 10. Therefore, when wiring the electric wire 70, there is no need to bend the electric wire 70 to avoid interference with other components, and the electric wire portion 71 can be easily led out from the inside to the outside of the case 10 by pulling the electric wire 70 out in the vertical direction Z. Thus, a pressure-sensitive switch 1 can be provided that allows for easy wiring of the electric wire 70.

[0024] Furthermore, with the above configuration, the dimension S1 in the left-right direction Y of the notch 17 is larger than the dimension S2 in the left-right direction Y from the left end (one end in the left-right direction Y) to the right end (the other end in the left-right direction Y) of the multiple connection parts a. Therefore, even when multiple terminals 60 are provided on the microswitch A and the connection parts a are arranged in the left-right direction Y, the above interference can be avoided and the electric wires 70 can be easily wired.

[0025] Furthermore, with the above configuration, by forming the notch 17 in a rectangular shape when viewed from the bottom of the case 10, the left-right dimension Y of the opening for guiding the electric wire 70 to the outside is less likely to change in the front-back direction X compared to a conventional circular hole. Therefore, even if the position of the connection part a is slightly shifted in the front-back direction X due to tolerances, for example, it is possible to suppress the shift between the position of the connection part a and the position of the notch 17 when viewed from the bottom of the case 10.

[0026] Furthermore, according to the above embodiment, even if the microswitch A is provided with multiple terminals 60, the connection portions a are arranged in a stepped manner with their positions offset in the vertical Z direction and the front-to-back X direction. This prevents the electric wires 70 connected to each connection portion a from overlapping and interfering with each other in the vertical Z direction and the front-to-back X direction. This makes wiring the electric wires 70 even easier.

[0027] The embodiments described above are merely representative forms of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, it can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the core principles of the present invention. As long as such modifications still possess the configuration of the pressure-responsive switch 1 of the present invention, they are of course included within the scope of the present invention. For example, in this embodiment, the notch 17 was formed in a rectangular shape, but the shape of the notch 17 does not necessarily have to be rectangular, and the notch 17 can be formed in various shapes such as circular, oval, or elliptical. Also, the number and arrangement of the terminal block 50, terminal 60, and connection part a described above are merely examples, and these numbers can be changed as appropriate. That is, the connection part a does not necessarily have to be arranged in a row in the left-right direction Y, nor does it have to be arranged in a stepped manner with offset positions in the up-down direction Z and the front-back direction X.

[0028] Furthermore, although the use of the pressure-sensitive switch 1 in this embodiment has been mainly described as a pressure switch, the pressure-sensitive switch 1 can also be used as a temperature switch. That is, in this embodiment, the use as a pressure switch was described as an example in which a fluid to be detected (in this case, a refrigerant circulating in a refrigeration cycle) is introduced via a joint pipe 21 and the pressure to be detected is applied directly to a sensing member such as a bellows or diaphragm to detect a pressure change, but the use of the pressure-sensitive switch 1 is not limited to this. That is, a temperature switch can be constructed by connecting a temperature-sensing tube to the element 20 of the pressure-sensitive switch 1 in this embodiment via a capillary, and filling the closed space formed by the sensing member, capillary, and temperature-sensing tube with refrigerant. In this way, in a temperature switch using the pressure-sensitive switch 1 of this embodiment, the sensing member deforms or displaces in the vertical Z direction in response to the pressure inside the closed space which changes due to the temperature change detected by the temperature-sensing tube, and this force is transmitted to the lever 47 (responsive member), changing the conductivity state of the contacts. [Explanation of symbols]

[0029] X Anteroposterior direction Z vertical direction A microswitch a. Connection section 1. Pressure-responsive switch 10 cases 12. Ceiling Wall 13 Back wall 14 Bottom wall 15 Cover (front wall) 17 Notch 47 Lever (responsive member) 60 terminals 70 Electric wire

Claims

1. A pressure-sensitive switch comprising: a microswitch having a responsive member that displaces in response to an external force; a terminal provided on the microswitch and connected to a contact whose conductive state switches in accordance with the displacement of the responsive member; and a case housing the microswitch, The case comprises a front wall and a rear wall facing each other in the front-rear direction, and a top wall and a bottom wall facing each other in the vertical direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction. The responding member is arranged on one side in the front-rear direction within the case. The terminal is equipped with a connection section for connecting electric wires, The aforementioned connection portion is located on the other side in the front-rear direction within the case. A notch is formed at the other end of the bottom wall on the front-rear side, opening in the vertical direction. The notched portion and the connection portion are opposite each other in the vertical direction, Multiple terminals are provided on the microswitch. Multiple connection sections are provided, arranged in a left-right direction perpendicular to the vertical direction. A pressure-responsive switch characterized in that the left-right dimension of the notch is set to be larger than the left-right dimension from one end in the left-right direction to the other end in the left-right direction of a plurality of connection portions.

2. The pressure-responsive switch according to claim 1, characterized in that the notch is formed in a rectangular shape when viewed from the bottom of the case.

3. Multiple terminals are provided on the microswitch. The pressure-responsive switch according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the connection portions are arranged in a stepped manner with their positions offset in the vertical and horizontal directions.

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