Index rotary switch

Claim 2

An index rotary switch comprising: a housing; stationary contact means mounted in said housing for defining alternating on positions and off positions; rotary contact means mounted in said housing solely for rotary motion for wipingly contacting said stationary contact means including means providing for constant loading between said rotary contact means and said stationary contact means; and pushbutton operated actuator means for sequentially rotating and indexing said rotary contact means with said on positions and said off positions upon successive actuations of said actuator means.

Claim 3

The index rotary switch as defined in claim 1 wherein said means providing for constant loading includes a rotary contact carrier mounted by way of thrust bearing means associated with said housing and said rotary contact carrier for preventing axial movement of said rotary contact carrier, and said rotary contact means including a preformed resilient contact element on said rotary contact carrier disposed against said stationary contact means.

Claim 4

The index rotary switch as defined in claim 1 or claim 2 further including terminal means electrically connected to said stationary contact means adapted to electrically connect to an external circuit.

Claim 5

The index rotary switch as defined in claim 3 wherein said terminal means is adapted to mount to a printed circuit board.

Claim 6

The index rotary switch as defined in claim 3 wherein said terminal means is a female plug receptacle adapted to receive a male terminal plug.

Claim 7

The index rotary switch as defined in claim 3 wherein said terminal means is a combination lug for mounting to a printed circuit board and female plug receptacle adapted to receive a male terminal plug.

Claim 8

An index rotary switch comprising: a housing; at least two stationary contact elements disposed in said housing including a plurality of substantially co-planar stationary contacts arranged to define alternating on and off positions; a rotary contact carrier journaled in said housing for rotary motion; thrust bearing means on said rotary contact carrier and said housing for preventing linear displacement of said rotary contact carrier; a rotary contact element mounted on said rotary contact carrier including at least two electrically connected resilient contact portions preformed to exert a predetermined contact pressure on said plurality of stationary contacts, said resilient contact portions angularly spaced apart such that each of said resilient contact portions wipingly contact different ones of said stationary contacts at least in said on positions; and pushbutton operated actuator means for sequentially rotating said rotary contact carrier such that said resilient contact portions alternately index with said on and said off positions upon successive actuations of said pushbutton.

Claim 9

An index rotary switch comprising: a housing; at least two stationary contact elements disposed in said housing including a plurality of substantially co-planar stationary contacts arranged to define alternating on and off positions; a rotary contact carrier journaled in said housing for rotary motion; thrust bearing means on said rotary contact carrier and said housing for preventing linear displacement of said rotary contact carrier; a rotary contact element mounted on said rotary contact carrier including at least two electrically connected resilient contact portions preformed to exert a predetermined contact pressure on said plurality of stationary contacts, said resilient contact portions angularly spaced apart such that each of said resilient contact portions wipingly contact different ones of said stationary contacts at least in said on positions; and pushbutton operated actuator means for sequentially rotating said rotary contact carrier such that said resilient contact portions alternately index with said on and said off positions upon successive actuations of said pushbutton.

Claim 10

The index rotary switch as defined in claim 7 wherein said housing comprises at least two portions including an actuator housing portion and a second portion secured together, said push­button actuator means mounted in a cylindrical passage in said actuator housing portion, said actuator housing portion including a first thrust bearing surface around one end of said cylindrical passage internally of said housing, said at least two stationary contact elements mounted in said second portion of said housing, said co-planar stationary contacts arranged in substantially circular spaced apart relationship, said second portion of each housing including a second thrust bearing surface internally of said housing, and said rotary contact carrier rotatably journaled in said second portion of said housing and axially supported between said first and second thrust bearing surfaces.

Claim 11

The index rotary switch as defined in claim 8 wherein said at least two resilient contact portions are generally elongated arms cantilevered from said rotary contact carrier and predeflected from said contact carrier a predetermined amount such that said resilient contact portions exert a constant load on said stationary contact elements when mounted between said first and second thrust bearing surfaces.

Claim 12

The index rotary switch as defined in claim 9 wherein said second thrust bearing surface is a raised substantially spheroidal projection on said second portion of said housing, said spheroidal projection received against said rotary contact carrier in a complementary shaped spheroidal shaped receptacle centrally located in one end of said rotary contact carrier.

Claim 13

The index rotary switch as defined in claim 10 wherein said elongated arms defining said at least two resilient contact portions define a circular periphery to said rotary contact element, said second portion of said housing including a cylindrical recess coaxial with said cylindrical passage in said actuator portion of said housing and said recess having a flat bottom surface, co-planar with said stationary contacts, said spheriodal projection disposed centrally on said bottom surface, said rotary contact carrier disposed in said cylindrical recess, whereby said contact arms wipingly engage said stationary contacts with constant load.

Claim 14

The index rotary switch as defined in any one of claims 7 to 11 wherein each of said at least two stationary contact elements includes terminal connections for connecting directly to an external printed circuit board.

Claim 15

The index rotary switch as defined in any one of claims 7 to 11 wherein each of said at least two stationary contact elements includes a female plug terminal receptacle.

Claim 16

The index rotary switch as defined in any one of claims 7 to 11 wherein each of said at least two stationary contact elements includes a combination female plug terminal receptacle and a printed circuit board connection.

Claim 17

An index rotary switch comprising: an electrically insulative housing; a first stationary contact element in said housing including two electrically connected co-planar angularly spaced apart contacts; a second stationary contact element in said housing including two electrically connected co-planar angularly spaced apart contacts, said second stationary contact element electrically isolated from said first stationary contact element; a third stationary contact element in said housing including three electrically connected co-planar spaced apart contacts, one of said three contacts of said third stationary contact element disposed between said two contacts of said first stationary contact element, a second of said three contacts of said third stationary contact element disposed between said two contacts of said second stationary contact element, and a third of said three contacts of said third stationary contacted element disposed between one of each of said two contacts of said first stationary contact element and said second stationary contact element, said third stationary contact element electrically isolated from said first and second stationary contact elements; a rotary contact carrier mounted for rotation in said housing between two thrust bearing means; a rotary contact element mounted to said rotary contact carrier including four contacts located at positions on said rotary contact carrier such that two of said four contacts of said rotary contact element simultaneously contact both of said two contacts of one of said first or second stationary contact elements and the two other of said four contacts of said rotary contact element simultaneously contact two of said three contacts of said third stationary contact element in each of an infinite number of on-off positions of said rotary contact carrier; and pushbutton operated actuator means for successively rotating and indexing said rotary contact carrier to each of said on-off positions upon successive actuations of said actuation means.

Claim 18

An index rotary switch comprising: an electrically insulative housing; a first stationary contact element in said housing including two electrically connected co-planar angularly spaced apart contacts; a second stationary contact element in said housing including two electrically connected co-planar angularly spaced apart contacts, said second stationary contact element electrically isolated from said first stationary contact element; a third stationary contact element in said housing including three electrically connected co-planar spaced apart contacts, one of said three contacts of said third stationary contact element disposed between said two contacts of said first stationary contact element, a second of said three contacts of said third stationary contact element disposed between said two contacts of said second stationary contact element, and a third of said three contacts of said third stationary contacted element disposed between one of each of said two contacts of said first stationary contact element and said second stationary contact element, said third stationary contact element electrically isolated from said first and second stationary contact elements; a rotary contact carrier mounted for rotation in said housing between two thrust bearing means; a rotary contact element mounted to said rotary contact carrier including four contacts located at positions on said rotary contact carrier such that two of said four contacts of said rotary contact element simultaneously contact both of said two contacts of one of said first or second stationary contact elements and the two other of said four contacts of said rotary contact element simultaneously contact two of said three contacts of said third stationary contact element in each of an infinite number of on-off positions of said rotary contact carrier; and pushbutton operated actuator means for successively rotating and indexing said rotary contact carrier to each of said on-off positions upon successive actuations of said actuation means.

Claim 19

The index rotary switch as defined in claim 15 wherein said two thrust bearing means includes two thrust bearing surfaces on said housing engaged by opposite sides of said contact carrier.

Claim 20

The index rotary switch as defined in claim 16 wherein said housing includes an internal cylindrical recess, said stationary contacts disposed in the bottom of said receptacle co-planar with said bottom, one of said thrust bearing surfaces disposed on said bottom surface, the second thrust bearing surface disposed on said housing around a cylindrical passage connecting co­axially with said cylindrical recess, said rotary contact carrier disposed in said cylindrical recess between said first and second thrust bearing surfaces with said four rotary contacts wipingly engagable with said stationary contacts.

Claim 21

The index rotary switch as defined in any one of claims 15 to 17 wherein each of said four contacts of said rotary contact element is a resilient member cantilevered from said rotary contact carrier and preformed to impose a predetermined load on said stationary contacts.

Claim 22

The index rotary switch as defined in claim 18 wherein said housing comprises; an actuator portion including said cylindrical passage, said pushbutton operated actuator means mounted in said cylindrical passage; and a stationary contact terminal portion including said cylindrical recess, said first, second and third stationary contact elements mounted in said contact terminal portion.

Claim 23

The index rotary switch as defined in claim 19 wherein each of said first, second and third stationary contact elements include a combination printed circuit board mounted terminal and female plug terminal receptacle.