Patent Publication Number: US-2006011460-A1

Title: Switch structure

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to a switch, more particularly one, which includes an LED used as the light source for helping people find the switch in the dark instead of a neon lamp; because a large variety of light emitting diodes are available whose emitted lights are different colors and have different brightnesses, a suitable LED is selected in respect of the color and brightness of emitted light according to the purpose of the switch.  
      2. Brief Description of the Prior Art  
      Switches of the type are available that are equipped with lamps used for helping people see the switches in the dark. Conventionally, neon lamps are used in switches to serve such purpose.  
      However, neon lamps are prone to produce consecutive flashes under unstable electric voltage of power. And, there is no a large variety of neon lamps available that can produce lights of different colors and different brightnesses. Therefore, neon lamps are not convenient to use, and switches that are to serve different purposes can&#39;t be equipped with respective suitable neon lamps.  
     SUMMARY  
      It is a main object of the present invention to provide an improvement on a switch to overcome the above disadvantages.  
      The switch of the present invention includes switch includes a switch main body, and a circuit board. The main body includes a housing, a control pivoted to one end of the housing, and several terminals secured on the other end of the housing. The control has a holding room, and a through hole communicating with the holding room. The circuit board is secured in the holding room of the control, and electrically connected to the terminals, and has a light emitting diode, which is used for helping people see the switch in the dark, and which is held in the through hole of the control.  
      Because a large variety of light emitting diodes are available whose emitted lights are different colors and have different brightnesses, switches of the present structure, which are used for serving different purposes, can be equipped with respective suitable light emitting diodes. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The present invention will be better understood by referring to the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
       FIG. 1  is a vertical section of the switch of the present invention switched to the open position, and  
       FIG. 2  is a vertical section of the switch of the present invention switched to the closed position. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a preferred embodiment of a switch of the present invention includes a switch main body  1 , and a circuit board  2 .  
      The switch main body  1  is used together with alternating current power source, and includes first and second housing parts  11  and  13 , a control member  12 , and several terminals  14  secured to a lower portion of the second housing part  13 . The first housing part  11  is connected with the second housing part  13  at a lower portion thereof. And, a waterproof pad  131  is positioned between the first and the second housing parts  11  and  13  for preventing leakage. The control member  12  is pivoted on an upper portion of the first housing part  11  such that the switch main body  1  can be switched from a closed position to an open position, and vice versa by means of the control member  12 ; when the switch main body  1  is in the closed position, power can be supplied through the terminals  14 . Furthermore, the control member  12  has a holding room  121  therein, and a through hole  122  communicating with the holding room  121 .  
      The circuit board  2  has a light emitting diode (LED)  21  fitted thereon, and a resistor  22  with large resistance is connected with the light emitting diode  21 . The circuit board  2  is secured in the holding room  121  of the control member  12  with the light emitting diode  21  being held in the through hole  122 . Furthermore, the circuit board  2  is electrically connected to the terminals  14  of the switch main body  1  by means of a wire  23 , which is passed through the second housing part  13  before it is connected to the terminals  14 .  
      Therefore, the light emitting diode  21  can emit light, and the light can travel outside through the through hole  122  of the control member  12  to help people see the present switch in the dark. Because a large variety of light emitting diodes are available whose emitted lights are different colors and have different brightnesses, switches of the present structure, which are used for serving different purposes, can be equipped with respective suitable light emitting diodes.  
      From the above description, it can be understood that the switch of the present invention has the following advantages: 
      1. It can be equipped with a suitable light emitting diode according to the purpose thereof.     2. Light emitted from light emitting diodes won&#39;t become consecutive flashes under unstable electric voltage of power therefore the present switch is better as compared with the conventional switch, which is equipped with neon lamps, in respect of emitted light.     3. The present switch has the waterproof pad therefore leakage is prevented.