Miniature electrical switching unit

Claim 1

A miniature switching unit comprising: a housing; fixed contact means disposed within said housing; and movable contact means disposed within said housing; wherein said fixed contact means comprises a first fixed contact piece fixed to a first terminal and a second fixed contact piece fixed to a second terminal, each of said first and second fixed contact pieces being made of springy wire members and including parallel portions having equal inner distances between said parallel portions, wherein said parallel portions of said first fixed contact piece being arranged within said housing a vertical distance above said parallel portions of said second fixed contact piece, and said movable contact means comprises a movable contact piece in the form of a rod having a thickness slightly larger than said inner distances between said parallel portions of the first and second fixed contact pieces, and said movable contact piece including an intermediate insulator having an axial length shorter than said vertical distance between the parallel portions of the first and second fixed contact pieces, an upper conductor axially concentrically and integrally connected to an upper end of the intermediate insulator and a forward conductor axially concentrically and integrally connected to a lower end of the intermediate insulator and having an axial length longer than the vertical distance between the parallel portions of the first and second fixed contact pieces, and said movable contact piece being held in a housing so as to be positioned in and contacting the parallel portions of the first and second fixed contact pieces and movable in a manner such that the intermediate insulator moves across any one of the first and second fixed contact pieces, which are arranged one above the other.