Patent ID: 8760246

Claim:
A reed switch comprising: an envelope having one end and another end; a first fixed terminal piece provided at the one end of the envelope to constitute a normally open terminal, the first fixed terminal piece having one end portion inside the envelope and another end portion outside the envelope; a second fixed terminal piece spaced apart from the first fixed terminal piece and provided at the one end of the envelope to constitute a normally closed terminal, the second fixed terminal piece having one end portion inside the envelope and another end portion outside the envelope; a third fixed terminal piece provided at the other end of the envelope to constitute a common terminal, the third fixed terminal piece having one end portion inside the envelope and another end portion outside the envelope; a movable reed piece inside the envelope, the movable reed piece having a base end portion, a distal end portion, and a movable contact portion, the base end portion facing the one end portion of the third fixed terminal piece across a magnetic gap, the distal end portion being configured to come into contact with the first fixed terminal piece, the movable contact portion being further centerward than the distal end portion in a longitudinal direction of the reed switch; a first spring member having a base end portion secured to the first fixed terminal piece and a distal end portion configured to come into contact with the movable contact portion; a second spring member having a base end portion secured to the second fixed terminal piece and a distal end portion configured to come into contact with the movable contact portion, the distal end portion of the second spring member being farther from the first spring member than the base end portion of the second spring member in a state where the movable contact portion is spaced apart from the distal end portion of the first spring member and the distal end portion of the second spring member; and a third spring member having one end portion secured to the movable reed piece and another end portion secured to the third fixed terminal piece; wherein the distal end portion of the movable reed piece is configured to not come into direct contact with the second fixed terminal.