Rotor assembly for electrical switch

Claim 2

A rotor and contact assembly for a switch device formed of a nonconductive base having a circular aperture therethrough, the base also having switch contact pads disposed in an annular array on the surface thereof around the aperture, said rotor and contact assembly comprising: a disc section formed of a nonconductive material and having at least one substantially flat surface thereon; a hub extending outwardly substantially normal to said flat surface of said disc, said hub divided into at least two hub sections spaced apart from each other, each of said hub sections having the end portion thereof remote from said disc formed into the shape of a barb, the outer composite circumference around the end of said hub sections being less than the circumference of said aperture in said base and the composite circumference of said barb-shaped end portions gradually increasing to a circumference greater than that of the aperture in said base, the portion of said hub sections next adjacent said barb-shaped end portions being of a circumference less than that of said aperture in said base, said hub positioned through said aperture of said base for rotation therein with said barb-shaped end portions preventing withdrawal of said hub therefrom; means spacing said flat surface of said disc from said base; at least one electrically conductive contact member supported on said flat surface of said disc and including at least one resilient contact arm biased in a direction toward the flat surface of the base, said contact arm engaging the flat surface of said base and adapted to traverse an arcuate path into electrical contact with the switch contact pads during rotation of said disc; a shaft opening through said disc and said hub, said shaft opening separating said hub sections from each other; a rotatable shaft inserted into said shaft opening; and means preventing rotation of said shaft with respect to said disc and hub wHereby rotation of said shaft causes said disc and hub to rotate within said aperture of said base.

Claim 3

The rotor and contact assembly for a switch device defined in claim 1 in which said shaft opening through said disc and said hub sections include flatted sides therein and said shaft is formed with flatted sides conforming to the shape of said shaft opening.

Claim 4

The rotor and contact assembly defined in claim 1 in which said spacing means comprises outwardly extending shoulders formed on said hub sections adjacent said flat surface of said disc and having an outer composite circumference greater than that of said aperture in said base.

Claim 5

The rotor and contact assembly defined in claim 1 in which said disc and hub is an integral piece formed of a plastic material and the barb-shaped end portions of said hub sections have sufficient resiliency to permit them to flex inwardly on inserting of the barb-shaped end portions through said aperture in said base.

Claim 6

The rotor and contact assembly defined in claim 4 in which said shaft on insertion into said shaft opening abuts against the inner surface of said barb-shaped end portions of said hub sections to prevent said barb-shaped end portions from flexing inwardly thereby locking said hub into place within the aperture of said base.

Claim 7

An electrical switch comprising: a high-temperature-resistant, nonconductive base in the form of a thin wafer having an aperture therethrough; a plurality of switch contact pads disposed on said base in an arcuate array around said aperture; an electrical circuit network on said base including terminal means adapted to connect said electrical circuit network into an external electrical circuit and conductive connectors extending from said switch pads to respective points in said electrical circuit network; a rotor disposed in said aperture through said base, said rotor comprising: a disc section formed of a nonconductive material and having at least one substantially flat surface thereon facing said electrical circuit network on said base; a hub extending outwardly from said disc through said aperture in said base, said hub divided into a pair of spaced-apart hub sections, each of said hub sections having the end portion thereof remote from said disc formed into the shape of a barb, the outer composite circumference around the end of said hub sections being less than the circumference of said aperture in said base and said barb-shaped end portions gradually tapering so that the composite circumference thereof is greater than that of said aperture through said base; grooves formed on said hub sections adjacent said tapered barb-shaped end portions thereof, said groove adapted to receive said base therein and support said hub sections and said disc for rotation on said base with said barb-shaped end portions preventing withdrawal of said hub therefrom; at least one electrically conductive contact member supported on said surface of said disc, said contact member including a resilient switch contact arm biased against the surface of said base and adapted to engage said switch contact pads during rotation of said rotor; a shaft opening through said disc and between said hub sections; and a shaft inserted into said shaft opening for rotating said rotor and its contact with respect to said base, said shaft bearing on the inner surface of said barb-shaped end portions of said hub sections thereby locking said rotor into position within said aperture of said base.

Claim 8

An electrical switch comprising: a high-temperature-resistant, nonconductive base in the form of a thin wafer having an aperture therethrough; a plurality of switch contact pads disposed on said base in an arcuate array around said aperture; an electrical circuit network on said base including terminal means adapted to connect said electrical circuit network into an external electrical circuit and conductive connectors extending from said switch pads to respective points in said electrical circuit network; a rotor disposed in said aperture through said base, said rotor comprising: a disc section formed of a nonconductive material and having at least one substantially flat surface thereon facing said electrical circuit network on said base; a hub extending outwardly from said disc through said aperture in said base, said hub divided into a pair of spaced-apart hub sections, each of said hub sections having the end portion thereof remote from said disc formed into the shape of a barb, the outer composite circumference around the end of said hub sections being less than the circumference of said aperture in said base and said barb-shaped end portions gradually tapering so that the composite circumference thereof is greater than that of said aperture through said base; grooves formed on said hub sections adjacent said tapered barb-shaped end portions thereof, said groove adapted to receive said base therein and support said hub sections and said disc for rotation on said base with said barb-shaped end portions preventing withdrawal of said hub therefrom; at least one electrically conductive contact member supported on said surface of said disc, said contact member including a resilient switch contact arm biased against the surface of said base and adapted to engage said switch contact pads during rotation of said rotor; a shaft opening through said disc and between said hub sections; and a shaft inserted into said shaft opening for rotating said rotor and its contact with respect to said base, said shaft bearing on the inner surface of said barb-shaped end portions of said hub sections thereby locking said rotor into position within said aperture of said base.

Claim 9

The switch device defined in claim 6, in which said rotor in which said disc and hub is an integral piece of plastic material and the barb-shaped end portions of said hub sections are sufficiently resilient to permit them to flex inwardly on insertion through said aperture of said base.

Claim 10

A rotor and contact assembly for a switch device formed of a nonconductive base having a circular aperture therethrough, the base also having switch contact pads disposed in an annular array on thE surface thereof around the aperture, said rotor and contact assembly comprising: a cylindrical sleeve having a bearing section disposed within said aperture of the base and including a flanged portion of greater diameter than said aperture abutting against one surface of said base, said flanged portion having notched openings formed therein communicating with a bore in said sleeve; a disc section formed of a nonconductive material and having at least one substantially flat surface thereon; a hub extending outwardly substantially normal to said flat surface of said disc, said hub divided into at least two hub sections spaced apart from each other by a shaft opening formed through said disc and said hub, each of said hub sections having an end portion thereof remote from said disc formed into the shape of a barb, the outer composite circumference around the ends of said hub sections being less than the circumference of said bore through said sleeve and the composite circumference of said barb-shaped end portions gradually increasing to a circumference greater than that of the bore through said sleeve, the portion of said hub sections next adjacent said barb-shaped end portions being of a circumference less than that of said bore of said sleeve, said hub positioned through said bore of said sleeve with said barb-shaped end portions on said hub sections extending into said notched openings in said sleeve thereby preventing withdrawal of said hub from said sleeve; means spacing said flat surfaces of said disc from said base; at least one electrically conductive contact member supported on said flat surface of said disc and including at least one resilient contact arm biased in a direction toward the surface of the said base, said contact arm engaging the surface of said base and adapted to traverse an arcuate path into electrical contact with the switch contact pads during rotation of said rotor; a rotatable shaft inserted into said shaft opening; and means preventing rotation of said shaft with respect to said disc and hub whereby rotation of said shaft causes said rotor and contact assembly to rotate within said aperture of said base.

Claim 11

A rotor and contact assembly for a switch device formed of a nonconductive base having a circular aperture therethrough, the base also having switch contact pads disposed in an annular array on thE surface thereof around the aperture, said rotor and contact assembly comprising: a cylindrical sleeve having a bearing section disposed within said aperture of the base and including a flanged portion of greater diameter than said aperture abutting against one surface of said base, said flanged portion having notched openings formed therein communicating with a bore in said sleeve; a disc section formed of a nonconductive material and having at least one substantially flat surface thereon; a hub extending outwardly substantially normal to said flat surface of said disc, said hub divided into at least two hub sections spaced apart from each other by a shaft opening formed through said disc and said hub, each of said hub sections having an end portion thereof remote from said disc formed into the shape of a barb, the outer composite circumference around the ends of said hub sections being less than the circumference of said bore through said sleeve and the composite circumference of said barb-shaped end portions gradually increasing to a circumference greater than that of the bore through said sleeve, the portion of said hub sections next adjacent said barb-shaped end portions being of a circumference less than that of said bore of said sleeve, said hub positioned through said bore of said sleeve with said barb-shaped end portions on said hub sections extending into said notched openings in said sleeve thereby preventing withdrawal of said hub from said sleeve; means spacing said flat surfaces of said disc from said base; at least one electrically conductive contact member supported on said flat surface of said disc and including at least one resilient contact arm biased in a direction toward the surface of the said base, said contact arm engaging the surface of said base and adapted to traverse an arcuate path into electrical contact with the switch contact pads during rotation of said rotor; a rotatable shaft inserted into said shaft opening; and means preventing rotation of said shaft with respect to said disc and hub whereby rotation of said shaft causes said rotor and contact assembly to rotate within said aperture of said base.

Claim 12

The rotor and contact assembly defined in claim 8 in which said shaft opening through said disc and said hub sections includes flatted sides therein and said shaft is formed with flatted sides conforming to the shape of said shaft opening.

Claim 13

The rotor and contact assembly defined in claim 8 in which said rotor and said sleeve are formed of a plastic material and the barb-shaped end portions of said hub sections of said rotor have sufficient resiliency to flex inwardly on insertion of said barb-shaped end portions through said sleeve.

Claim 14

The rotor and contact assembly defined in claim 8 in which the notched openings in said flange of said sleeve are of a width adapted to provide a close fit with said barb-shaped end portions on said hub sections thereby eliminating rotational movement of said barb-shaped end portions with respect to said sleeve.

Claim 15

The rotor and contact assembly defined in claim 8 in which said sleeve is provided with a disc attached thereto and spaced from the surface of said base opposite from that surface of said base faced by said disc attached to said hub, and said disc on said sleeve includes a second electrically conductive contact member having at least one resilient contact arm biased against the surface of said base and adapted to traverse an arcuate path into electrical contact with switch contact pads formed on the surface of said base.

Claim 16

A rotor and contact assembly for a switch device formed of a nonconductive base having a circular aperture therethrough, the base also having switch contact pads disposed in an annular array on opposite surfaces thereof around the aperture, said rotor and contact assembly comprising: a cylindrical sleeve having a circular bore therethrough and including a bearing section disposed within said aperture of said base, said sLeeve including an annular flanged section abutting against a surface of said base, said sleeve including notched openings spaced from the bearing section and communicating with said bore through said sleeve, said sleeve also including an outwardly extending disc integral with said sleeve and spaced from the surface of said base; a hub member positioned within said bore of said sleeve and including a disc attached thereto and spaced from the surface of said base opposite from said surface faced by said disc on said sleeve, said hub divided into two hub sections spaced apart from each other by a shaft opening formed through said disc and said hub, each of said hub sections having the end portions thereof remote from said disc formed into the shape of a barb, the outer composite diameter around the ends of said hub sections being less than the bore of said sleeve and the composite diameter of said barb-shaped end portions gradually increasing to a diameter greater than the bore diameter of said sleeve, the portions of said hub sections next adjacent said barb-shaped end portions being of a diameter substantially the same as the bore through said sleeve, said hub positioned within said bore with said barb-shaped end portions extending into said notches formed in said sleeve so that said barb-shaped end portions prevent withdrawal of said hub therefrom; a pair of electrically conductive contact members, each of said contact members supported on the inner surfaces of said respective discs and including contact arms biased against the opposite surfaces of said base, said contact arms each adapted to traverse an arcuate path into electrical contact with the switch contact pads on opposite sides of said base during rotation of said rotor; and a rotatable shaft positioned through said shaft opening in said hub and said disc, said rotatable shaft having flatted sides abutting the inner surfaces of said hub sections thereby preventing said barb-shaped end portions of said hub sections from flexing inwardly and thereby locking said barb-shaped end portions into place within said sleeve to cause said hub and sleeve to rotate during rotation of said rotatable shaft.

Claim 17

A rotor and contact assembly for a switch device formed of a nonconductive base having a circular aperture therethrough, the base also having switch contact pads disposed in an annular array on opposite surfaces thereof around the aperture, said rotor and contact assembly comprising: a cylindrical sleeve having a circular bore therethrough and including a bearing section disposed within said aperture of said base, said sLeeve including an annular flanged section abutting against a surface of said base, said sleeve including notched openings spaced from the bearing section and communicating with said bore through said sleeve, said sleeve also including an outwardly extending disc integral with said sleeve and spaced from the surface of said base; a hub member positioned within said bore of said sleeve and including a disc attached thereto and spaced from the surface of said base opposite from said surface faced by said disc on said sleeve, said hub divided into two hub sections spaced apart from each other by a shaft opening formed through said disc and said hub, each of said hub sections having the end portions thereof remote from said disc formed into the shape of a barb, the outer composite diameter around the ends of said hub sections being less than the bore of said sleeve and the composite diameter of said barb-shaped end portions gradually increasing to a diameter greater than the bore diameter of said sleeve, the portions of said hub sections next adjacent said barb-shaped end portions being of a diameter substantially the same as the bore through said sleeve, said hub positioned within said bore with said barb-shaped end portions extending into said notches formed in said sleeve so that said barb-shaped end portions prevent withdrawal of said hub therefrom; a pair of electrically conductive contact members, each of said contact members supported on the inner surfaces of said respective discs and including contact arms biased against the opposite surfaces of said base, said contact arms each adapted to traverse an arcuate path into electrical contact with the switch contact pads on opposite sides of said base during rotation of said rotor; and a rotatable shaft positioned through said shaft opening in said hub and said disc, said rotatable shaft having flatted sides abutting the inner surfaces of said hub sections thereby preventing said barb-shaped end portions of said hub sections from flexing inwardly and thereby locking said barb-shaped end portions into place within said sleeve to cause said hub and sleeve to rotate during rotation of said rotatable shaft.