Abstract:
Such a control ( 10 ) firstly has a control housing ( 11 ) with a control rocker switch ( 21 ) which is mounted on the control housing in such a way that it can be rocked and at least two electrical wires in the interior of the housing, which protrude from the control housing ( 11 ) and are attached to an electrical drive of one lock. An electrical switch which in turn has a switch housing with a ductile snap disc ( 40 ), which interacts with at least two rest contacts as articulated contact when a switch actuator deforms the snap disc, is normally a part of this control. The rest contacts are connected to the wires in the control housing ( 11 ). In order to manufacture an economical and space-saving device, it is proposed that the control housing ( 11 ) is also used as the switch housing and that the control rocker switch ( 21 ) is also utilized as the switch actuator. That way the rest contacts of the switch and the wires are formed from one part in the control housing ( 21 ) and make up a grill insert in the control housing ( 21 ). The control housing ( 21 ) has a support bearing ( 37 ) in the area of the grill insert, at which the snap disc ( 40 ) is supported with its bearing points.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention concerns a control of the type specified in the introductory clause of Claim  1 , as described in DE 102 02 371 B4. 
     In the previously known control disclosed by DE 102 02 371 B4, the control housing is equipped with a manually operated control rocker, which is rotatably supported in the control housing. A microswitch is located inside the control housing. The microswitch has a housing with a deformable snap disk, which produces a moving contact in the microswitch. At least two rest contacts are then provided in the switch housing, which are connected with the lines in the control housing. The control rocker acts on a switch actuator in the microswitch, thereby deforming the snap disk. In its rest position, the snap disk assumes a shape that is arched on one side. The switch actuator causes the snap disk to deform and move into a flat position or a position with the disk arched in the opposite direction. As a result, the microswitch moves from a noncontacting rest position into a contacting operating position. This control has numerous individual parts that take up a great deal of space. 
     DE 102 41 220 C1 discloses a snap disk, which can generate not only the digital signal according to the aforesaid rest position and operating position but also an analog signal. To this end, a cup-shaped region with two surfaces on the snap disk is proposed. 
     DE 198 23 894 C1 discloses an arched snap disk with at least two bearing points for a support bearing. At least one of the support elements is used as a fastening element for the snap disk. For this purpose, the fastening element is joined by webs with one of the bearing points. 
     DE 10 2004 040 395 A1 discloses an electric pushbutton switch, which has an arched snap disk in the switch housing below a pressure surface. The switch housing comprises a base, on which the push button is supported via an elastic bellows. The bellows is embraced by a cover with a hole, from which the push button projects. The cover has attachments, which support the base from below after the housing has been assembled. A control with a control rocker is not provided here. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,438,304 discloses an electric pushbutton switch, which likewise has an arched snap disk in a switch housing. The switch housing is closed by an overlying plate, by which a mechanical actuating element acts on the snap disk and thus triggers the switch. However, a disadvantage of this type of pushbutton switch is that the housing is unprotected from dust and liquid due to the overlying plate. 
     JP 5[1993]-041,141 discloses an electric pushbutton switch, which combines two snap disks in a switch housing, such that the snap disks are jointly actuated by a pushbutton switch cap. This switch is also not protected from the penetration of liquids and dust. Only the actuating element is put in place in such a way that it covers the base. However, since the actuating element must be operated and in the rest position stays in the unoperated state, it does not seal the base and does not provide protection against the penetration of dust and moisture. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,837,411 discloses an electric pushbutton switch composed of a base and an operating member. In this patent, a rocker function is provided, where the operating member has an oblong design and can be operated on both sides, so that two different pushbutton functions are realized. Here again, however, the device fails to provide protection against the penetration of dust and moisture. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The objective of the invention is to develop a compact, inexpensive control of the type specified in the introductory clause of Claim  1 . This is achieved by the measures listed in Claim  1 , which have the following special significance. 
     In the invention, the control housing directly has the function of a switch housing, because it directly possesses the support bearing for bearing points of the snap disk. The control rocker then acts at the same time as a switch actuator. The invention then proposes to form the rest contacts of the switch and the electric lines in the control housing as a single piece and to mount them as insert grids inside the housing. Linear strands, which are possibly bent at an angle, are adequate for the insert grid to function as rest contacts beneath the snap disk. The outer end sections of these linear, current-carrying strands then serve as land contacts for electrical couplings to be connected to the control housing. After production of the control housing with integrated insert grid, it is then only necessary to mount the snap disk on the support bearing and then to set the control rocker on the control housing. There are only a few parts that are easy to handle and can be assembled quickly and compactly. 
     Additional measures and advantages of the invention are specified in the dependent claims and the description which follows and are illustrated in the drawings, which show several embodiments of the invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1   a  shows a cross section through the control of the invention when the control rocker is in its rest position. 
         FIG. 1   b  shows the same cross section through the control after the control rocker has been moved into its contacting operating position. 
         FIG. 2  shows a perspective view of the shell-like control housing with its internals before it is connected with the control rocker, which functions as a cover. 
         FIG. 3  shows a combined insert of  FIG. 2  to be placed in the housing interior during the production of the control housing by injection molding. 
         FIG. 4  shows a first stamped grid, which is located inside the combined insert of  FIG. 3 , so that when actuation occurs, it can cooperate with a snap disk that can already be seen in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 5  shows a perspective rear view of the associated control rocker for the control housing of  FIG. 2 , wherein the position of the stamped grid according to  FIG. 4  is illustrated in its mounted state. 
         FIG. 6  shows a second embodiment of a control housing in a perspective view analogous to  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 7  shows the rear view of a control rocker for the control housing of  FIG. 6 . 
         FIGS. 8   a  and  8   b  show two different designs for an insert grid in the control housing, which is inserted in the housing interior before or after the production of the control housing by injection molding and cooperates with a snap disk. 
         FIG. 9   a  shows a perspective view of another embodiment of an insert grid without a snap disk. 
         FIG. 9   b  shows the insert grid illustrated in  FIG. 9   a  after a snap disk has been put in place. 
         FIG. 10  shows another embodiment of an insert grid with a snap disk that cooperates with it in a view analogous to  FIG. 9   b.    
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The control  10  shown in  FIGS. 1   a  and  1   b  is mounted in the area of a trunk lid or hatch of a motor vehicle and is used for opening the trunk lid or hatch. The control  10  is used for electric actuation of a lock, which operates between the trunk lid or hatch and the body of the vehicle. The control  10  consists of a shell-like lower control housing  11  and a control rocker  21 , which serves as a cover for the shell  11 . 
     As  FIG. 5  shows, the control rocker  21  is produced by a so-called multicomponent injection molding technique. It consists of a hard component  20 , which forms both the central area  23 , which is seen in  FIG. 1   a  and serves as a manual handle, and the swivel bearing parts  24  in the rear side of the control rocker  21 , as shown in  FIG. 5 . The swivel bearing parts  24  comprise two bearing blocks that project from the underside. The other component of the injection molded control rocker  21  is a soft component  22 , which forms a peripheral elastomeric edge region  25 , as shown in  FIGS. 1   a  and  5 . In addition, in a central strip  26 , this soft component  22  controls the underside of the central area  23  and also forms from this material a special actuating striker on the underside of the control rocker  21 , as shown in  FIGS. 1   a  and  5 . 
     The edge region  25  formed from the soft component  22  surrounds the central area  23  on the frame side. During the assembly of the control  10 , the elastomeric frame is placed on a peripheral shell edge  15  of the control housing  11  shown in  FIG. 2  and welded with it. The welding can be carried out especially by laser welding. For this purpose, as  FIG. 1   a  shows, the edge region  25  of the control rocker  21  and the shell edge  15  of the control housing  11  have wave-like labyrinthine profiles that complement each other. 
     The interior  55  of the control housing  11  has two cooperating swivel bearing parts  14 , which engage the swivel bearing parts  24  of the control rocker  21  during the aforesaid assembly. In the present case, these cooperating bearing parts  14  consist of two bearing shells, which receive a web on the aforesaid bearing block  24  of the swivel bearing parts  24 . 
     As  FIG. 2  shows, a combined insert  30  is integrated in the housing interior  12 . One of the components of the combined insert  30  is an insert grid  31 . 1  that consists of two linear metal conductors  32 . 1 ,  33 . 1 , which can be bent at an angle. The two conductors  32 . 1 ,  33 . 1  are precoated with an electrically insulating compound, e.g., by extrusion coating. The resulting structure  50  has alternate thick and thin hatching in  FIG. 1   a . In particular, the prefabricated combined insert  30  is correctly positioned in an injection mold, in which the control housing  11  is then produced. In the finished product, rear end sections  34  of the insert grid  31 . 1  then extend from the control housing  11 , as  FIG. 1   a  shows. In the vicinity of these rear end sections  34 , a sleeve  12  is also formed from the housing material. This sleeve  12 , in conjunction with the rear end sections  34 , then has the function of an electric plug. Front end sections  35 . 1 ,  36 . 1  of the two conductors  32 . 1 ,  33 . 1  are located at the other end. They cooperate with a snap disk  40  in a way that will be described in detail below. 
     As seen in a top view, the snap disk  40  has the shape of a four-pointed star, whose four points serve as bearing points  41 . The snap disk  40  is provided with an arch  43 , which is curved convexly towards the upper side  42  of the disk. This convex arch  43  is indicated by a dot-dash line in  FIG. 4  and can also be seen in  FIG. 1 . A small dent  44  may be formed in the center of the convex arch  43 , which contributes to the stability of the arch  43  in the rest position. The bearing points  41  located at the points of the star are joined with each other by a curved disk edge  45 . This gives rise to the star-like structure with the four bearing points  41 . 
     At the inner end of the combined insert  30 , there is a flat support bearing  37  for the snap disk  40 . Two clips  38  are located on opposite sides of the support bearing  37 . Each clip  38  has two openings  39  for receiving the tapering bearing points  41  of the snap disk  40 . At the two other opposite locations of the support bearing  37 , guide elements  48  can be provided, such as the webs  48  shown in  FIG. 3 . These webs  48  guide the snap disk as it is being placed on the base of the support bearing  37 . As  FIG. 3  shows, the end faces of the two front end sections  35 . 1 ,  36 . 1  of the conductors also open in the base of the support bearing  37 . They lie bare opposite the concavely arched underside  46  of the snap disk  40 , as shown in  FIG. 4 . 
     After completion of the assembly consisting of the control housing  11  and the combined insert  30 , as mentioned above, it only remains to place the prefabricated snap disk  40  on the support bearing  37 . The control rocker  21  is then joined with it in the manner that has already been described, as shown in  FIG. 1   a . It should be noted that in the rest position illustrated in  FIG. 1   a , the actuating striker  27  does not exert pressure on the convex arch  43  of the snap disk  40 . However, as  FIG. 1   a  shows, the actuating striker  27  can have a profile piece  28  that serves to secure the position of the unactuated snap disk  40  on the base  37  on the housing side. The profile piece  28  ensures that the snap disk cannot fall off the support bearing  37 . The elastomeric soft component  22  of the control rocker  21  ensures that the unactuated handle  23  is normally held in an “off” position of the control  11 , which is illustrated by the auxiliary line  23 . 1  in  FIG. 1   a . In this unactuated position of the handle  23 , the snap disk  40  is then positioned in its noncontacting rest position relative to the insert grid  31 . 1 . 
       FIG. 1   a  indicates the position of a swivel bearing  13  between the control rocker  21  and the control housing  11 , which results from the described engagement position between the swivel bearing part  24  on the control side and the cooperating swivel bearing part  14  on the housing side. If the handle  23  is operated in the direction of the force arrow  29  in  FIG. 1   b , it causes deformation of the elastomeric material  22 , which, as noted earlier, normally works to hold the handle  23  in its “off” position  23 . 1 , as shown in  FIG. 1   a . The actuation  29  causes the handle  23  to move into its other position, in which its actuating striker  27  deforms the snap disk  40 . This actuated switching position is indicated by the auxiliary line  23 . 2  in  FIG. 1   b . The convexity  43  of the disk, which was described earlier and is shown in  FIG. 1   a , becomes flattened, or the disk may now even be convex in the opposite direction. With respect to  FIG. 4 , this means that the snap disk  40 , which consists of electrically conducive material, short-circuits the front end sections  35 . 1 ,  36 . 1  of the insert grid  31 . 1  in  FIG. 4 . The aforesaid position  23 . 2  of  FIG. 1   b  is thus the “on” position, in which an electric circuit is closed with respect to the actuator of the lock (not shown). 
       FIGS. 6 and 7  show an alternative design of a control housing  11 ′ and a control rocker  21 ′. In this case, a stamped grid (not shown here) is integrated in an electric component carrier  16 , which serves as an insert in the housing mold during the injection molding of the shell-like control housing  11 ′. At its inner end, the electric component carrier  16  has a shell-like receptacle  17 , which is used for the insertion of a snap disk  40 . This receptacle  17  also has locking means or positioning webs  18  for ensuring that the snap disk  40  is properly seated after it has been inserted. 
     In the housing  11 ′, the cooperating swivel bearing parts  14  are positioned basically in the middle with respect to the broad dimension of the control housing  11 ′, which serves to realize a central position of the swivel bearing  13  described in connection with  FIGS. 1   a  and  1   b . This results from the fact that the associated control rocker  21 ′ of  FIG. 7  also has a central arrangement of its swivel bearing parts  24 . In this case, the hard component  20  occupies the entire central area on the underside of the control rocker  21 ′ and then also forms the actuating striker  27 ′ there. The control housing  11 ′ is produced with the control rocker  21 ′ by laser welding between the frame-like rocker edge region  25  and the shell edge  15  of the control housing  11 ′. 
       FIG. 8   a  shows a second embodiment of an insert grid  32 . 2 , which consists of two grid rods  32 . 2  and  33 . 2 . After the control housing (not shown here) has been produced, the grid rods  32 . 2 ,  33 . 2  are inserted in well-defined locations inside the housing. This can be accomplished by pushing them through the wall of the housing, which can also be suitably weakened in these well-defined places. In the process, the associated front end sections  35 . 2 ,  36 . 2  arrive in a region of the housing in which the support bearing for the bearing points of the snap disk  40 , which is only indicated in  FIG. 8   a , is located. The two grid rods  32 . 2 ,  33 . 2  have, e.g., a circular cross section, as shown in  FIG. 8   a.    
     In a view that is analogous to  FIG. 8   a ,  FIG. 8   b  shows an alternative design of an insert grid  31 . 3  of this type. It is sufficient here merely to discuss the differences between this design and the design of  FIG. 8   a.    
     One difference is that the two grid rods  32 . 3 ,  33 . 3  have a flat cross section, e.g., a rectangular cross section. Another difference is that the associated front end sections  35 . 3 ,  36 . 3  have profilings  19  at the ends of the rods. In the present case, these profilings consist of a cutting edge  49 , which clears its own path through the wall of the housing when the grid rods  32 . 3 ,  33 . 3  are pressed into the associated control housing during their assembly. The grid rods  32 . 3 ,  33 . 3  are elongated like the blade of a dagger. Naturally, instead of a subsequent insertion movement, the grid rods  32 . 2  to  33 . 3  could also be placed as an insert into the mold that is used for the injection molding of the control housing. 
       FIG. 9   a  shows another embodiment of an insert grid  31 . 4 . One of the grid rods  32 . 4  has an inner section  47 , which is wound into a more or less U-shaped structure and forms four support bearings  50 . 4  for the four bearing points  41  of the snap disk  40 , which are shown in  FIG. 9   b . The other grid rod  33 . 4  extends into the winding interior  51  of the inner section  47  and supports the snap disk  40  from below in its arched region, as shown in  FIG. 5   b . The wound inner section  47  has upwardly projecting tongues  52 . 4  in the corner regions of its winding. When the snap disk  40  is being put in place, these tongues  52 . 4  serve first to guide its tapering bearing points  41 , as shown in  FIG. 9   b . However, the tongues  52 . 4  then also serve to secure the position of the snap disk  40 , because they can be bent over the disk bearing points  41 , as indicated by the bending arrow  53  in  FIG. 9   b . The position of the snap disk  40 , secured by the bent tongues  52 . 4 , is then fixed on the insert grid  31 . 4  on the inside of the control housing (not shown here). The rear end sections  34  of the two grid rods  32 . 4 ,  33 . 4  that extend from the housing can be recessed, as shown in  FIGS. 9   a ,  9   b.    
       FIG. 10  shows an insert grid  31 . 5  similar to the insert grid of  FIGS. 9   a ,  9   b , and to this extent the description of the preceding embodiment also applies here. It will be sufficient merely to discuss the differences. 
     One of the grid rods  32 . 5  of the insert grid  31 . 5  likewise has a flat profile, while the other grid rod  33 . 5  has a circular cross section. The two rear end sections  34  of the two grid rods  32 . 5 ,  33 . 5 , which are part of a future electric plug on the control housing, are recessed into the same shape and have an almost square cross section. The grid rod  32 . 5  with the flat profile has a flat inner section  57  that is bent at an angle and wound into the shape of an octagon. Upwardly projecting tongues  52 . 4  are again present on three of the octagonal sides of the inner section  57 . Four support bearings  50 . 5  for the tapering bearing points  41  of a snap disk  40 , which is illustrated with dot-dash lines in  FIG. 10 , lie in the gaps  54  between the tongues  52 . 4 . For this reason, the tongues  52 . 4  do not act at the bearing points  4  but rather in the arched region at three of the four curved disk edges  45  of the snap disk  40 . 
     LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS 
     
         
           10  control of the invention 
           11  control housing, shell 
           11 ′ control housing, shell ( FIG. 6 ) 
           12  sleeve for  34  ( FIG. 1   a ) 
           13  swivel bearing between  21 ,  11  ( FIGS. 1   a ,  1   b ) 
           14  cooperating swivel bearing part on  11 , bearing shell 
           15  shell edge of  11   
           16  electric component carrier ( FIG. 6 ) 
           17  receptacle in  16  for  40  ( FIG. 6 ) 
           18  positioning web in  17  for  40  ( FIG. 6 ) 
           19  profiling on  32 . 3 ,  33 . 3 , cutting edge ( FIG. 8   b ) 
           20  hard component of  21   
           21  cover-like control rocker for  11   
           21 ′ alternative control rocker ( FIG. 7 ) 
           22  soft component of  21   
           23  handle, central area of  21  made of  20  ( FIGS. 1   a  to  2 ) 
           23 . 1  unactuated switching position of  23  ( FIG. 1   a ) 
           23 . 2  actuated switching position of  23  ( FIG. 1   b ) 
           24  swivel bearing part of  21  made of  20 , bearing block ( FIG. 2 ) 
           25  peripheral edge region of  22 , frame ( FIG. 2 ) 
           26  central strip ( FIGS. 1   a ,  2 ) 
           27  actuating striker in  26  made of  22  ( FIG. 2 ) 
           27 ′ actuating striker made of  20  ( FIG. 7 ) 
           28  profile piece on  27   
           29  force arrow of the actuation of  21  ( FIG. 1   b ) 
           30  combined insert ( FIG. 3 ) 
           31 . 1  insert grid ( FIGS. 2 ,  4 ) 
           31 . 2  insert grid ( FIG. 8   a ) 
           31 . 3  insert grid ( FIG. 8   b ) 
           31 . 4  insert grid ( FIGS. 9   a ,  9   b ) 
           31 . 5  insert grid ( FIG. 10 ) 
           32 . 1  conductor ( FIG. 4 ) 
           32 . 2  grid rod ( FIG. 8   a ) 
           32 . 3  grid rod ( FIG. 8   b ) 
           32 . 4  grid rod ( FIGS. 9   a ,  9   b ) 
           32 . 5  grid rod ( FIG. 10 ) 
           33 . 1  conductor ( FIG. 4 ) 
           33 . 2  grid rod ( FIG. 8   a ) 
           33 . 3  grid rod ( FIG. 8   b ) 
           33 . 4  grid rod ( FIGS. 9   a ,  9   b ) 
           33 . 5  grid rod ( FIG. 10 ) 
           34  rear end sections of  32 . 1 ;  32 . 2 ;  32 . 3 ;  33 . 3 ;  32 . 4 ;  33 . 4 ;  32 . 5 ;  33 . 5   
           35 . 1  front end section of  32 . 1  ( FIG. 4 ) 
           35 . 2  front end section of  32 . 2  ( FIG. 8   a ) 
           35 . 3  front end section of  32 . 3  ( FIG. 8   b ) 
           36 . 1  front end section of  33 . 1  ( FIG. 4 ) 
           36 . 2  front end section of  33 . 2  ( FIG. 8   a ) 
           36 . 3  front end section of  33 . 3  ( FIG. 8   b ) 
           37  support bearing for  40  in  30 , base for  40  ( FIG. 3 ) 
           38  clip at  37 , elastically deformable element ( FIG. 3 ) 
           39  opening at  38  ( FIG. 3 ) 
           40  snap disk with outline of four-pointed star 
           41  narrowed bearing points on  40   
           42  convex upper side of snap disk  40   
           43  convex arch of  40  ( FIGS. 1   a ,  4 ) 
           44  central dent in  40  ( FIG. 4 ) 
           45  curved disk edge of  40  between  41  ( FIG. 4 ) 
           46  concavely arched underside of  40  ( FIG. 4 ) 
           47  inner section of  32 . 4  wound into a U-shaped structure ( FIG. 9 ) 
           48  guide element for  40 , web ( FIG. 3 ) 
           49  cutting edge at  19  ( FIG. 8   b ) 
           50 . 4  support bearing for  40  ( FIG. 9   a ) 
           50 . 5  support bearing for  40  ( FIG. 10 ) 
           51  winding interior of  47  ( FIG. 9   a ) 
           52 . 4  tongue (FIG.  9 °) 
           52 . 5  tongue ( FIG. 10 ) 
           53  bending arrow for  52 . 4  ( FIG. 9   b ) 
           54  gap between  52 . 4  ( FIG. 10 ) 
           55  housing interior of  11  ( FIG. 2 ) 
           57  inner section of  32 . 5  wound into the shape of an octagon ( FIG. 10 )