Electric Switch Profile Extensions Offset Grooves
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical switches face challenges in maintaining uniform and small gaps during assembly, achieving small switching angles, and ensuring compatibility with various switch rockers and pushbutton variants under diverse installation conditions, while also dealing with dimensional and shape deviations within permissible component tolerances.
Innovation Solution
The electrical switch design incorporates profile extensions and hollow profile attachments with functional surfaces offset in height and angle, creating a wedge-shaped gap that allows for lateral and rotational movement, enabling better compensation for deviations and facilitating easier assembly and disassembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the profile extensions are mounted rigidly in the hollow profile attachments, then the structural stability is improved, but the ability to compensate for dimensional and shape deviations is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The profile extensions are designed to be movable within the hollow profile attachments, allowing dynamic adjustment to compensate for dimensional and shape deviations. This mobility enables the connection to adapt to manufacturing tolerances while maintaining structural integrity through the interlocking mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The design allows for changes in the positional parameters of the profile extensions relative to the hollow profile attachments. By enabling lateral and rotational movement, the system can adjust its configuration to accommodate variations in manufacturing precision without compromising overall stability.
2Manufacturing precision
If the functional surfaces are designed with tight tolerances, then the manufacturing precision is improved, but the ease of assembly is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The connection is divided into multiple segments: the hollow profile attachment, the profile extension, and the wedge-shaped gap. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured with standard tolerances while the assembly of these segments provides the necessary precision through their interlocking geometry and movement capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The wedge-shaped gap acts as an intermediary element between the functional surfaces. It provides play that facilitates easier assembly by allowing the profile extensions to be inserted and positioned without requiring extremely tight tolerances, while still achieving the desired precision in the final assembled state.
3Shape
If the gap between the rocker switch and cover frame is minimized, then the aesthetic appearance is improved, but the compatibility with different switch configurations is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The clamping piece and profile extensions are designed with mobility that allows them to dynamically adjust to different switch configurations. This enables the maintenance of uniform gap dimensions across various rocker switch and pushbutton variants while preserving wallpaper compensation capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection mechanism serves multiple functions: it maintains uniform gap dimensions for aesthetic appearance, accommodates different switch configurations for versatility, and enables wallpaper compensation. The wedge-shaped gap and movable profile extensions provide the degrees of freedom needed to achieve all these objectives simultaneously.
4Strength
If the profile extensions are tightly clamped in the hollow profile attachments, then the structural strength is improved, but the ease of disassembly is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The wedge-shaped gap with play is designed to provide both strong clamping and easy disassembly. The same geometric feature that creates a resilient deformation capability for strong clamping also creates the necessary clearance for tool-assisted disassembly. The play in the connection allows a tool to be inserted and lever the profile extension out without damaging the components.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to an electrical switch comprising a switch base (1) on which mechanical switching elements (2) with projections (10) each designed as a hollow profile are mounted and a switch rocker (5) or switch button (5) with profile extensions (11) in cross-section which, in the assembly state, engage longitudinally in the hollow profile projections (10) in a force-locking manner and in their circumferential direction in a form-locking manner, wherein at least one leg (S1, S2) of the U has a groove (13) on the outside which is bounded on both sides by groove outer walls (13a, 13b) which form functional surfaces (13c, 13d) extending over a height of the profile extensions (11) in the longitudinal direction of the groove (13) for the respective contact with the complementary hollow profile projections (10).To achieve improved tolerance and ease of assembly, it is proposed that the functional surfaces (13c, 13d) of the outer groove walls (13a, 13b) are arranged vertically offset (ΔH) and/or angularly offset (Δµ) to each other.