Abstract:
An electric switch of mechanical structure and functioning, and with electric contacts by means of membranes, suitable for optionally arranging seven different control signals by means of other such contact positions selectively induced by a single button means, four of these positions are differentiated when a slight rolling movement is carried out on said button means in any of four opposite directions and 90° equidistant from each other, a fifth contact position in its clockwise axial rotation, the sixth position by means of its counter-clockwise rotation, and a last contact position by means of a linear pulsating movement.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     An electric switch of mechanical structure and functioning and of electric contacts by means of membranes, suitable for optionally establishing different control signals by means of other such contact positions selectively induced on a single button means, four of these being differentiated positions when carrying out a slight rolling motion on said button means in any of four opposite directions and 90° equidistant from each other, a fifth contact position in its clockwise axial rotation, the sixth one by means of its counter-clockwise rotation, and a last contact position by means of a linear pulsating movement. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE STATE OF THE ART 
     The use of different compact, electric or electromechanical switch devices is widely known, capable of establishing on demand different signals with which to control different operations in distant, independent mechanisms or apparatuses. 
     For example, and from among a wide variety of them, electric control devices for positioning the glass plates of the outside rear-view mirrors on automobiles could be mentioned, which, by means of a single handling means, provide the optional rolling of said glass plate, pivoting from its central point in four directions, up, down, to the right and to the left, by which the user can choose and determine a suitable visual field according to his/her requirements. And there are even devices of this nature housing a fifth control, used for carrying out the folding and withdrawal of the mirror assembly, preventing it from projecting when its use is not needed, such as when the automobile is parked. 
     Another example of this type of devices could be the control lever used in computer game consoles, popularly known as “joystick”, which, by means of its rolling and with the aid of one or more buttons strategically arranged on said lever, within reach of the user&#39;s hand, permits controlling the different actions with which to participate in the development of said games. 
     Many other embodiment examples could be mentioned in which multiple switch devices such as those mentioned are used, but in the majority of the cases, they have certain limitations, either related to the fragility of the constitution thereof or to the restriction in the performances thereof. 
     DESCRIPTION 
     It is on the basis of the aforementioned, among other reasons and objects, that the invention concerning us has been proposed. In effect, the goal is to provide an electromechanical switch with a simple and efficient design, suitable for permitting the arrangement of seven different contact positions from a single common control shaft or member. Said switch is constituted by a series of heavy-duty mechanical elements cooperating together to carry out a selective and direct delivery of seven different signals coming from a single control member to a control signal generator means, capable of recognizing the nature of said signals and of emitting a corresponding and differentiated control signal for any purpose. 
     An object of the invention consists of providing said switch, in which the electronic parts are reduced just to the inclusion of contact means included in a membrane associated to a simple, integrated circuit board, the remaining parts being mechanical, providing it with a strong and resistant structure, and therefore long-lasting. 
     Another object of the invention is providing for said switch said electric contact means located in the cones fixed solidly to the membrane, and which have a contact wafer inside and in the lower part formed from a material with high conductivity, such as carbon, gold, etc., which facilitates a suitably reliable connection. 
     A further purpose of the invention consists of providing said switch, in which the return operations to the initial positions of its movable parts are carried out by means of inducing its membrane&#39;s elastic memory, preventing the inclusion of accessory parts for this purpose except, as will be seen below, for the linear pulsating shift, for which return action a spring has been used. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       In order to facilitate understanding the electric membrane switch with seven contact positions, a figure is attached to the present patent application whose purpose is to better understand the principles on which the invention concerning us is based and to better understand the description of a preferred embodiment, keeping in mind that the character of the figure is illustrative and non-limiting. 
         FIG. 1  shows a sequential exploded perspective view of the elements intervening in and constituting the switch of the invention, and in which its configuration as well as the arrangement of the parts thereof can be seen clearly. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The qualities and advantages of the invention will become evident for all those skilled persons in the art throughout the development of the following detailed description, which is carried out in relation to the attached figure, and which shows a currently preferred embodiment, from among other possible embodiments, of the switch concerning us, constituted from the descriptions of the present embodiment, which are provided with a purely illustrative and in no case limiting character. 
     With regard to the drawing,  11  designates a rectangular-shaped laminar membrane which has a central cone  12  on its upper surface solidly fixed to it, four cones  13   a  arranged in a diagonal position, each one in the direction of the corresponding corner of the membrane  11 , and four other intermediate cones  13   b  in line with each two of the previous cones  13   a ; and all of them having a contact wafer inside, not shown in the drawing, suitable for selectively establishing contact with the circuits housed on a printed circuit board  15  adjacently arranged on the lower surface of said membrane  11  and having its same extension. 
     In correspondence with each peripheral cone of the membrane, an actuator in pin form is seated which has a lower support base and has its upper end rounded, the four corner-arranged cones  14   a  provided for receiving the rotation movement impulse and the four intermediate cones  14   b  provided for receiving the rolling movement, as will be defined below. 
     The disclosed assembly is held in place by means of a base plate  16  provided with vertical cylindrical passages  18   a  and  18   b  corresponding to the arrangement of the cones  13   a  and  13   b , as well as to the actuators  14   a  and  14   b , respectively, permitting vertical shifting of the latter. A central passage  17  is arranged in the center of said base plate  16 , which has a cylindrical section on its lower end, not shown, with a dimension similar to the diameter of the opening of the central cone  12  of membrane  11  on which it is seated, and an upper, square section for the purpose indicated below. Complementarily, on each longitudinal side, said base plate  16  has recesses  19  whose purpose will also be defined below. 
     A cylindrical piston  21 , which has a transversal peripheral projection or square flange  22  on its upper part, as well as a lug  23  in upper axial projection, is housed on the square passage  15  of the base plate  16  by means of an enveloping spring  20 , such that its lower end is in contact with the upper surface of the central cone  12  of membrane  11 . Furthermore, this piston  21  can be provided with a central cavity where a LEC (light-emitting electrochemical cell) diode can be arranged for illumination. 
     A crosspiece  24  has four transversal arms  25  arranged at 90° from each other, whose ends have a linear cam surface  26   a  and  26   b , on inclined plane and in a lower position, whose said inclined or cam plane is inverted with regard to the adjacent arm&#39;s cam plane, for a purpose which will be described below; and the center of said crosspiece  24  has a passage  27  with a square, truncated pyramid section suitable for being housed on the flange  22  of the piston  21 , and for housing a rod  28  in its upper part. 
     The lower part of said cylindrical-shaped rod  28  is finished by means of a quadrangular enlargement  29  with a central cavity, not shown, by means of which it is supported and pivots on the lug  23  of the piston  21 , and it is provided with a perimetral flap  30  and with a transversal groove  31  on its upper end. 
     A laminar element in cap  32  form, having four downward pins  33  spaced 90° from each other, and having a passage  34  on its shaft by which it is introduced on the rod  28  until being seated on its flap  30 , such that said pins  33  will be supported on the intermediate actuators  14   b.    
     And a laminar body  35  element with an area similar to the areas of the membrane  11  and the printed circuit board  15  is provided with a dome-shaped bulking  36  with inner grooves  37  spaced 90° from each other, forming a lower cavity for being loosely housed on the cap  32  element, such that when the pins  33  of the cap are fitted inside of said grooves  37 , they prevent its rotation, but said looseness permits the rolling of said cap  32 , in the manner of a ball joint. A cross-shaped through cavity  41  is made on the zenith of dome  36 , being suitable for housing it on the rod  28 , and for permitting it to project and roll in the directions defined by the arms of the cross-shaped cavity  41 . 
     Four solidly fixed cylindrical columns  38  project vertically downwards from the lower surface of said body  35  element close to its corners, having a length that will define and fix the position of the integrant assembly elements when fixed by means of screws or the like to the membrane  11  and to its associated circuit board  15 . In at least two of its opposite sides and close to its edge, two laminar bands  39  project downwards, being provided with a small triangular projection on their lower part and adjacent to their lower edge, suitable for being embedded in bayonet form on the lower edge of the base plate  16  and for holding the position of the element assembly arranged between the latter and the body  34 . A small guide partition  40  centered on one of the side edges of the base element  35  projects downwards with a smaller length than the closure bands  39 , being suitable for being coupled on the side recesses  19  of the base plate  16 . 
     Lastly, a conventional control  42 , which can be cylindrical or truncated pyramid, is tightly adjusted on the upper grooved  31  end of rod  28 . 
     In this arrangement, membrane  11  is in contact by its lower part with the printed circuit board  15 , whose cones  13   a  and  13   b  support the actuators  14   a  and  14   b ; the base plate  16 , housed on said actuators, is supported on the opening of said cones, such that the ends of the actuators project above its upper surface; the piston  21  and its associated spring  20  are fitted over passage  17  of base plate  16 ; crosspiece  24  housed on flange  22  of piston  21  permits the cam  26   a  and  26   b  surfaces of its arms to be supported on the corner actuators  14   a ; the rod  28  is pivotally supported on the lug  23  of the piston  21 ; the cap  32 , housed on the rod  28 , is seated on its peripheral flap  30  and with its pins  33  supported on the ends of the intermediate actuators  14   b ; and the body element  35  is covering the assembly and fixing its position by means of its fixing by bayonet embedding to the base plate  16  and by means of screws or any other similar means, by means of its columns  38 , to the assembly formed by printed circuit board  15  and membrane  11 , the upper grooved  31  end of the rod  28  projecting from the upper part of the dome  36  of the body element  34 , upon which the control  40  is fitted. 
     Then, when a clockwise or counter-clockwise signal is given to said control  42 , the latter transmits it to crosspiece  24  through rod  28 , such that every two opposite arms  25 , since the inclined plane cam surfaces are inverted, will press or will be distanced, respectively and according to the rotation direction, making the actuators  14   a  on which they are supported shift vertically, either those in two opposite corners or those of the other two corners, those which in turn press on the cones  13   a  of the membrane  11 , making them enter into electric fluid contact with the printed circuit board, which will emit a certain control signal. When the rotation impulse pressure stops, the cones of the membrane  11  will induce the crosspiece  24  to recover its initial position. 
     When the control  42  is induced into a rolling lateral shift in any of the four directions defined by the cross-shaped passage  41  of the dome  36  of the body  35  and fixed by the guide of the pins  33  of the cap  32  through the grooves  37  of said body  35 , this movement is transmitted to the rod  28  which, pivoting on the lug  23  of the piston  21 , makes the cap  32  shift like a ball joint, such that one of its pins  33  presses on the upper end of the corresponding intermediate actuator  14   b , which acts as in the case of the rotational movement, in other words, pressing on the corresponding cone  13   b  of membrane  11  in order to make it enter into electric fluid contact with the printed circuit board, which will emit a differentiated control signal. And likewise, when the actuation on the control  42  stops, the cone will push the actuator, which in turn will press on the pin of the cap and will make it recover its initial position. And when linear pressure is carried out on said control  42 , the control transmits it to piston  21  through rod  28  which, counteracting the expansive action of spring  20 , acts directly by pressing on central cone  12  of membrane  11 , the same process being carried out as in the previous cases for the emission of a differentiated control signal, and, when said pressure stops, the elastic memory of spring  20  will make piston  21  recover its initial position and, consequently, the element assembly associated to it. 
     The invention, within its essence, can in practice be carried out in other embodiment forms only differing in details from the embodiment indicated as an example. It can be carried out in any shape and size, with the most suitable means and materials and with the most suitable accessories, the component elements can be replaced by other technically equivalent ones, for this all to remain comprised within the claims.