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(11) | EP 1 324 460 A2 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | Electronic equipment |
| (57) A switch device has an operation member by which a two-pole contact part can be manually
turned on or off, and actuating means by which a one-pole contact part of the two-pole
contact part can be automatically turned on or off. When the two-pole contact part
is manually turned on by operating the operation member, a one-pole contact part of
the two-pole contact part can be turned off by actuating the actuating member, based
on a driving signal outputted from a control system circuit in response to an external
control signal. When the one-pole contact part is off, it can be turned on by actuating
the actuating member, based on a discharge current outputted from an electricity storage
circuit according to an external control signal. |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
[0001] The present invention relates to the structure of electronic equipment that can turn on or off power by an external control signal of a remote control device or the like, and more particularly to the structure of electronic equipment equipped with a switch device having an automatic on/off function for two poles that enables perfect disconnection from a power line at power off time.
2. Description of the Prior Art
[0002] According to a known structure of conventional electronic equipment having an automatic on/off function, the electronic equipment employs a switch device including a slide member for switching a contact part by sliding when an operation part is pushed, and an electromagnetic solenoid, coupled with the slide member, for attracting the slide member in a pushed direction.
[0003] In the switch device of the conventional electronic equipment, the slide member is moved by pushing an operation part of the slide member with a finger or the like, so that the contact part is switched to turn on a switch circuit and the slide member is locked by a lock member in a position in which the switch circuit is turned on.
[0004] When the switch circuit is turned off, the locked slide member is unlocked by pushing the operation part thereof again so that the slide member is returned by the urging force of a return spring to its initial position it was in before being pushed, to turn off the switch circuit by switching the contact part.
[0005] Aside from the above, in a case where conventional electronic equipment is electrically actuated (automatic on/off), an electromagnetic solenoid provided within a switch device is energized by an external electrical control signal of a remote control device or the like, and the slide member coupled to the electromagnetic solenoid is attracted by driving the electromagnetic solenoid, so that the contact part is switched to turn on or off the switch circuit.
[0006] In a case where the switch circuit is electrically turned off, in the lock position of the slide member in which the switch circuit is on, the electromagnetic solenoid is energized by a remote control device or the like to attract the slide member coupled to the electromagnetic solenoid again, whereby the slide member is unlocked and returned to the initial position by the urging force of the return spring, so that the contact part is switched to turn off the switch circuit.
[0007] However, with the above described structure of conventional electronic equipment, in a case where the switch is turned on or off by an electrical signal of a remote control device or the like, since the electromagnetic solenoid provided in the switch device is driven to attract the slide member, the slide member must be attracted against the urging force of the return spring and a large amount of driving power is required to attract the slide member. As a result, for perfect disconnection from the power line at power off time, a large amount of driving power is required to turn on or off the switch device having an automatic on/off function for two poles by the electromagnetic solenoid, and circuits and electricity storage elements (battery, capacitor, etc.) for driving the circuits become large in size. This has been one problem of the conventional electronic equipment.
[0008] In addition to a switch device, the use of a relay and the like is possible to disconnect a power line. In this case, however, there has been a problem in that electronic equipment becomes large in size, its circuits are complicated, and costs become higher. This has been another problem of the conventional electronic equipment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides electronic equipment having an automatic on/off function that can be switched on with a small capacity without increasing the capacity of circuits of the electronic equipment, and can be miniaturized in circuit size and is inexpensive.
[0010] To solve the above problems, as first means, the present invention includes: a primary power supply circuit; a secondary power supply circuit to which power is supplied from the primary power supply circuit; a control system circuit connected to the secondary power supply circuit; a switch device having a two-pole contact part, connected to the primary power supply circuit; and an electricity storage circuit connected between the control system circuit and the switch device. The switch device includes an operation member by which the two-pole contact part can be manually turned on or off, and actuating means by which a one-pole contact part of the two-pole contact part can be automatically turned on or off, wherein, when the two-pole contact part is manually turned on by operating the operation member, a one-pole contact part of the two-pole contact part can be turned off by actuating the actuating means, based on a driving signal outputted from the control system circuit in response to an external control signal, and when the one-pole contact part is off, it can be turned on by actuating the actuating means, based on a discharge current outputted from the electricity storage circuit according to an external control signal.
[0011] As second means, when the two-pole contact part of the switch device is manually turned off by operating the operation member, even if the actuating means are actuated based on a discharge current outputted from the electricity storage circuit according to an external control signal, the switch device is constructed so that the two-pole contact part is kept off by the operation member blocking the two-pole contact part from moving.
[0012] As third means, the operation member includes a slide member slidably provided in a housing of the switch device, and as the slide member moves, the contact parts of the two-pole contact part connect with or disconnect from each other. Moreover, the slide member is provided with a rotatable movement blocking part for blocking the two-pole contact part from moving so that a one-pole contact part of the two-pole contact part cannot be automatically turned on when the two-pole contact part is manually turned off by operating the operation member.
[0013] As fourth means, the actuating means include a latching type electromagnetic solenoid having a driving piece driven by external control signals wherein the driving piece interlocks with a one-pole contact part of the two-pole contact part.
[0014] As fifth means, external electrical control signals are control signals sent from a remote control device.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail based on the followings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing the structure of electronic equipment in one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an initial state (off) of a switch device of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the initial state (off) of the switch device partially exposed;
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a lock state (on) of the switch device; and
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state in which one pole of a contact part is turned off when an electromagnetic solenoid is driven in the locked switch device.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments of electronic equipment having an automatic on/off function of the present invention are shown in FIGS. 1 to 5. FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing the structure of electronic equipment in one embodiment of the present invention. As this type of electronic equipment, there is generally household electronic equipment such as television and video.
[0017] In FIG. 1, the reference numeral 21 designates a primary power supply circuit; 21a, a power supply terminal; 22, a power transformer; 23, a signal system and motor system power circuit; 24, a control system power circuit; 25 and 26, rectifying diodes; 27, a signal system and motor system circuit; 28, a control system circuit; 29, a capacitor as an electricity storage circuit; 30, an applied polarity inverting circuit; and 31, a switch device.
[0018] The switch device 31 is connected in series with the primary power supply circuit 21. In the diagram, a two-pole contact part formed of pairs of fixed terminals 2 and central terminals 3, described later as a switch device, is in off state.
[0019] To manually turn on the electronic equipment held in this state, the switch device 31 is manually turned on, so that a slide member 10 to be described later to serve as an operation member is pushed in and locked in a push-in position. As a result, the two-pole contact part formed of the pairs of fixed terminals 2 and central terminals 3 goes into an on-state, so that the signal system and motor system power circuit 23 is driven through the power transformer 22 and the signal system and motor system circuit 27 becomes operative, with the result that the electronic equipment is run.
[0020] To manually turn off the electronic equipment held in this state, if the switch device 31 is manually turned off by pushing in it again, the slide member 10 is returned to its initial position. As a result, the two-pole contact part formed of the pairs of fixed terminals 2 and central terminals 3 goes into an off-state, so that the signal system and motor system power circuit 23 is shut off and the signal system and motor system circuit 27 becomes inoperative, with the result that the electronic equipment is stopped.
[0021] To automatically turn off the electronic equipment manually turned on, a signal is sent to the control system circuit 28 by an external electrical control signal of a remote control device or the like, with the result that an electromagnetic solenoid 11 to be described later included in the switch device 31 is energized by the control system power circuit 24, according to a control signal from the control system circuit 28, and a driving piece 12 to be described later coupled to a driving piece 11a of the electromagnetic solenoid 11 is driven, whereby only a one-pole contact part of the two-pole contact part formed of the pairs of fixed terminals 2 and central terminals 3 of the switch device 31 is turned off. In this state, the slide member 10 to be described later to serve as an operation member provided in the switch device 31 is not moved and stays in the locked position.
[0022] In the electronic equipment held in this state, only a one-pole contact part of the two-pole contact part formed of the pairs of fixed terminals 2 and central terminals 3 goes into an off-state and the signal system and motor system power circuit 23 is shut off and the signal system and motor system circuit 27 becomes inoperative, with the result that the electronic equipment is stopped.
[0023] To automatically turn on the electronic equipment held in this state, a signal is sent to the control system circuit 28 by an external electrical control signal of a remote control device or the like, with the result that a discharge current from the capacitor 29 to serve as the electricity storage circuit is sent to the electromagnet solenoid 11 to be described later included in the switch device 31, according to a control signal from the control system circuit 28 driven by the capacitor 29 of the electricity storage circuit to serve as a backup circuit, and a driving piece 12 to be described later coupled to the driving piece 11a of the electromagnetic solenoid 11 is driven, whereby only a one-pole contact part of the two-pole contact part formed of the pairs of fixed terminals 2 and central terminals 3 of the switch 31 is turned on.
[0024] An applied current sent to the electromagnetic solenoid 11 is inverted in polarity by the applied polarity inverting circuit 30 before being sent to a coil 11d of the electromagnetic solenoid 11. Since a magnetic field generated in the coil 11d is inverted, the driving piece 12 to be described later coupled to the driving piece 11a of the electromagnetic solenoid 11 is driven in the direction opposite to that when the contact is turned off, so that it is driven in the direction that turns on a one-pole contact part of the two-pole contact part formed of the pairs of fixed terminals 2 and central terminals 3 of the switch 31 that was turned off.
[0025] In the electronic equipment held in this state, the two-pole contact part formed of the pairs of fixed terminals 2 and central terminals 3 goes into an on-state, the signal system and motor system power circuit 23 is driven, and the signal system and motor system circuit 27 becomes operative, with the result that the electronic equipment is run.
[0026] With this construction, when the electronic equipment is in a state of having been manually turned on, since a one-pole contact part of the two-pole contact part formed of the pairs of fixed terminals 2 and central terminals 3 of the switch device 31 can be automatically turned on or off by an external electrical control signal of a remote control device or the like, the electronic equipment can be easily automatically turned on or off at a distant place.
[0027] Hereinafter, one embodiment of a switch device used in electronic equipment having an automatic on/off function is described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an initial state (off) of the switch device. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the initial state (off) of the switch device partially exposed. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a lock state (on) of the switch device. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state in which one pole of the contact part is turned off because the electromagnetic solenoid is driven in the locked switch device.
[0028] In the diagrams, a housing 1 is made of an insulating material such as synthetic resin and formed in a box shape with its top face open. Within an opening of the housing 1 is formed a storing part 1a, on the inner bottom face of which fixed terminals 2 having a fixed contact 2a on their upper face, made of a conductive metal plate, and central terminals 3 adjacent to the fixed terminals 2, made of a conductive metal plate, are disposed. The fixed terminals 2 and central terminals 3 are juxtaposed in pairs, constituting a two-pole contact part.
[0029] The storing part 1a is stored with a slide member 10 to be described later, which is slidably disposed. At the tip side of the housing 1 is mounted a frame 4 constructed from a metal plate, wherein the frame 4 has a mounting leg 4a used for mounting to a circuit board or the like. At the tip side of the housing 1 is provided an axis hole for supporting one end of a lock pin 5 that engages with a lock cam 10g of the slide member 10 to be described later at another end thereof and locks the slide member 10 in a push-in position. Toward the tip from the axis hole is extended a return spring anchor 1b at which one end of a return spring (not shown) for urging the slide member 10 to be described later to a return position is anchored.
[0030] The central terminals 3 are provided with a support arm anchoring protrusion 3a for anchoring a support arm 6 to be described later and a spring anchoring protrusion 3b for anchoring an inverting coil spring 9 to be described later, and the respective one ends of the support arm 6 and the inverting coil spring 9 to be described later are anchored to the anchoring protrusions 3a and 3b, respectively. The anchors are respectively formed in circular shape in line with the line diameters of the support arm 6 and the inverting coil spring 9.
[0031] The support arm 6, which is constructed from a round wire having a conductive spring property and is formed in a substantially U-character shape, has an anchoring shaft anchored to the support arm anchoring protrusion 3a and a pair of arm pieces springily opposed to each other, elongated from the anchoring shaft. The tip side of the arm piece is engaged with an anchoring hole 7b provided on a side wall 7a of a conductor plate 7 to be described later so that the support arm 6 and the conductor plate 7 are integrally rotatable.
[0032] The conductor plate 7, constructed from a conductive metal plate, has side walls 7a provided opposite to each other at both ends thereof, and a window hole provided at the center thereof. A pair of anchoring holes 7b are provided on the side walls 7a so that the support arm 6 is rotatably engaged in the anchoring holes 7b. Within the window hole, the support arm anchoring protrusion 3a and the inverting coil spring 9 to be described later as well as the support arm 6 are loosely engaged.
[0033] A moving contact 8 is fastened to one end of the conductor plate 7. The anchoring hole 7b is formed to engage the support arm 6 at one end of the conductor plate 7 to which the moving contact 8 is fastened. One end of the inverting coil spring 9 is anchored to the other end of the conductor plate 7 so that the inverting coil spring 9 is movably attached to the central terminal 3.
[0034] At the other end of the conductor 7, an engaging piece 7c in which one end of the driving member 12 to be described later is engaged is provided, and the engaging piece 7c is driven by the driving member 12, whereby the conductor 7 is displaced in substantially vertical direction with respect to a sliding direction.
[0035] The inverting coil spring 9, which is constructed in a form coiled with round wires having a conductive spring property, has a pair of spring pieces so that one spring piece is anchored to the spring anchoring protrusion 3b of the central terminal 3 and another spring piece is anchored to the other end of the conductor plate 7. The inverting coil spring 9 is bent to be disposed between the central terminal 3 and the conductor plate 7 so that the conductor plate 7 is energized in a direction opposite to the disposition position (the inner bottom side of the storing part 1a) of the fixed contact 2a by the urging force of the inverting coil spring 9.
[0036] Both ends of a coil of the inverting coil spring 9 are abutted against first and second actuating faces 10d and 10e of the slide member 10 to be described later, whereby the conductor plate 7 is driven in a vertically inverted form so that the moving contact 8 disconnects from the fixed contact 2a.
[0037] The slide member 10 to serve as an operation member, which is made of an insulating material such as synthetic resin, has a base 10a disposed in the storing part 1a of the housing 1 and an operation part 10b elongated at the tip of the base 10. The base 10a is provided with a conductor plate storing part 10c for storing the conductor plate 7, the support arm 6, and the like, and in the rear end of the conductor plate storing part 10c are formed a first actuating face 10d and a second actuating face 10e, which are planes opposite to each other and abut the coil of the inverting coil spring 9 to displace the conductor plate 7 in a substantially vertical direction with respect to a sliding direction.
[0038] In a front end part of the conductor plate storing part 10c is formed an inclined face 10f which, when the slide member 10 slides, slidably contacts one end of the conductor plate 7 to which the moving contact 8 is fastened, and pushes down the moving contact 8 of the conductor plate 7 toward the fixed contact 2a.
[0039] By thus providing the inclined face 10f, a contact-to-contact distance can be made shorter in the case of connecting the moving contact 8 and the fixed contact 2a by energizing the electromagnetic solenoid 11 to be described later from a locked state (the contact is off) of the slide member to activate the driving member 12 than a contact-to-contact distance in the case of connecting the moving contact 8 and the fixed contact 2a by pushing and sliding the slide member 10 from an initial state (the contact is off).
[0040] Since a movement amount of the conductor plate 7 is reduced at power on and drive power required to activate the driving member 12 at automatic on time is also reduced, the switch can be turned on with a small capacity of the electricity storage circuit without increasing its capacity.
[0041] In this case, of the two-pole contact part, in comparison with the size of the moving contact 8 and the fixed contact 2a at the pole side at which the driving member 12 is activated for disconnection by energizing the electromagnetic solenoid 11, the moving contact 8 and the fixed contact 2a at the other pole side are formed to be smaller in size (not shown). By thus designing a contact part at a less frequently pole side so that it is smaller in size than a contact part at a frequently used pole side automatically powered on, metal materials of the contact parts can be cut without changing their substantial life, so that costs can be brought down.
[0042] Although not shown, since the one-pole contact parts of the two-pole contact part are slightly displaced from each other in a vertical direction (a disconnection direction between the moving contact 8 and the fixed contact 2a) with respect to positions movably mounted in the central terminals 3, in comparison with off timing of the moving contact 8 and the fixed contact 2a at the pole side at which the driving member 12 is activated for disconnection by energizing the electromagnetic solenoid 11, off timing of the moving contact 8 and the fixed contact 2a at the other pole side occurs earlier.
[0043] In the case where a power switch of two-pole type is used, since an arc at contact disconnection jumps at a pole turned off earlier, by causing earlier off timing of a contact part at a less frequently used pole side than that at a frequently used pole side, contact depletion can be made uniform, so that the switch life can be substantially extended.
[0044] At the tip side of the base 10a, the lock pin 5 is slidably provided and a lock cam 11g for locking the slide member 10 at a push-in position is formed. The operation part 10b is provided with a return spring storing part 10h for storing a return spring (not shown) for urging the slide member 10 to a return position.
[0045] The electromagnetic solenoid 11 to serve as an actuating means is a solenoid for automatically turning on or off power that has the driving piece 11a capable of retractable operation within the coil 11d. It is disposed on an upper face of the storing part 1a of the housing 1. The tip of the driving piece 11a of the electromagnetic solenoid 11 is engaged with one end of the driving member 12, which is made of an insulating material such as synthetic resin and formed like a plate, and is elongated to the storing part and movably disposed. The other end of the driving member 12 is engaged with the engaging piece 7c formed in the rear end side of the conductor plate 7. As the electromagnetic solenoid 11 is energized so that the driving piece 11a is retractably actuated, and the driving member 12 moves vertically, the conductor plate 7 is actuated in a vertically inverted form so that the moving contact 8 is disengaged from the fixed contact 2a.
[0046] The electromagnetic solenoid 11 is configured with a latching type solenoid in which permanent magnets having a pair of an N pole 11b and an S pole 11c are disposed opposite to each other at the retractable side of the driving piece 11a. The driving piece 11a is excited by a magnetic field generated when the coil 11d is energized, and the excited polarity causes the driving piece 11a to repel the N pole 11b or S pole 11c, so that the driving piece 11a is attracted to the S pole 11c or N pole 11b disposed opposite to it.
[0047] By thus configuring the electromagnetic solenoid 11 with the latching type solenoid provided with the permanent magnets 11b and 11c, pulse signals discharged from the electricity storage circuit such as a capacitor suffice for control signals required to actuate the driving member 12. Therefore, power does not need to be applied at all times, contributing to reduction power consumption.
[0048] A cover 13, which is made of an insulating material such as synthetic resin and formed in square shape, is installed to as to cover the opened storing part 1a of the housing 1 by a mounting arm (not shown) anchored to the rear end side of the housing 1 and the frame 4 mounted at the tip side of the housing 1.
[0049] In the case of assembling a contact mechanism of the above described switch device, the conductor plate 7 is mounted to the central terminals 3 disposed on the inner bottom face of the housing 1. In this case, since the support arm 6 is elastically energized to be engaged in the conductor plate 7, the conductor plate 7 and the support arm 6 serve as an integrated component. With this construction, the conductor plate 7 can be easily incorporated in the central terminal 3 simply by loosely engaging the support arm anchoring protrusion 3a of the central terminal 3 in the window hole of the conductor plate 7 and incorporating the support arm 6 in the support arm anchoring protrusion 3a. In this case, the conductor plate 7 is positioned by being guided for insertion by the support arm anchoring protrusion 3a.
[0050] In this state, with the inverting coil spring 9 loosely engaged in the window hole of the conductor plate 7, the inverting coil spring 9 is bent to be anchored between the other end and of the conductor plate 7 and the spring anchoring protrusion 3b of the central terminal 3. Thus, the assembling of the contact mechanism part terminates.
[0051] In this case, the conductor plate 7 is energized in a direction opposite to the direction in which the fixed terminals 2 of the storing part 1a are disposed, by the urging force of the inverting coil spring 9, and its upper face is held by the slide member 10. With this construction, the conductor plate 7 is disposed in parallel within the storing part 1a, with a predetermined gap kept between the moving contact 8 and the fixed contact 2a.
[0053] As shown in FIG. 2, in an initial state, in the conductor plate 7, the moving part 8 is disconnected from the fixed contact 2a with a predetermined gap, and the contact is off. In this state, the conductor plate 7 is energized in a direction (upper) opposite to the fixed terminal 2 and the fixed contact 2a by the urging force of the inverting coil spring 9.
[0054] In the case of manual operation by fingers, in this state, when the operation part 10b of the slide member 10 is pushed against the urging force of the return spring (not shown), the inclined face 10f provided in the slide member 10 pushes the tip side of the conductor plate 7, which is pushed down to the inner bottom side of the storing part 1a against the urging force of the inverting coil spring 9. In this sate, the gap (gap dimension) between the moving contact 8 and the fixed contact 2a is slightly narrower than that at the initial state shown in FIG. 2.
[0055] At this time, the first actuating face 10d provided in the slide member 10 pushes the coil of the inverting coil spring 9 and pushes down the moving part 8 of the conductor plate 7 toward the fixed contact 2a side against the urging force of the inverting coil spring 9.
[0056] When the operation part 10b of the slide member 10 is further pushed, as shown in FIG. 4, an anchor between the inverting coil spring 9 and the conductor plate 7, and an anchor (hole) 7b between the support arm 6 and the conductor plate 7 overlap an anchor (the anchor of the support arm anchoring protrusion 3a) between the support arm 6 and the central terminal 3, that is, the three points are horizontally aligned. At this time, the direction of the urging force of the inverting coil spring 9 is inverted downward, the conductor plate 7 moves by itself to the inner bottom side of the storing part 1a, and the moving contact 8 abuts the fixed contact 2a, so that the contacts go into an on-state. At this time, the slide member 10 is locked in a push-in position by cooperation of the lock pin 5 and the lock cam 10f. (FIG. 4)
[0057] To release the lock state, if the operation part 10b of the slide member 10 is further pushed, the lock pin 5 is disengaged from the lock cam 10f and the slide member 10 is returned to its initial position by the urging force of the return spring.
[0058] At this time, the second actuating face 10e provided in the slide member 10 pushes the coil of the inverting coil spring 9 from the opposite side, with the result that the anchor between the conductor plate 7 and the inverting coil spring 9 goes beyond the anchor (the anchor of the support arm anchoring protrusion 3a) between the support arm 6 and the central terminal 3, at which time the direction of the urging force of the inverting coil spring 9 is inverted upward and the conductor plate 7 moves by itself in a direction opposite to the inner bottom face of the storing part 1a, so that the moving part 8 disconnects from the fixed contact 2a and the contacts go into an off-state, and the switch device returns to the initial state as shown in FIG. 2.
[0059] In this state, the rear side of the coil of the inverting coil spring 9 is blocked from moving in an inversion direction by the second actuating face 10e, which is a rotatable movement blocking part provided in the slide member 10. Even if the electromagnetic solenoid 11 is actuated by an external control signal, the second actuating face 10e blocks the conductor plate 7 from rotatably moving, whereby the contact part is kept off.
[0060] The second actuating face 10e for blocking the conductor plate 7 from moving is formed in the slide member 10 to prevent the contact part from being automatically turned off when the contact part is manually turned off by operating the slide member 10. With this construction, when power is turned off, the contact parts of the two-pole contact part are mechanically turned off by the slide member 10 at the same time, ensuring disconnection from the power line.
[0061] A description is made of the case where the switch device is automatically actuated by electrical signals.
[0062] When the slide member 10 is locked in the push-in position as shown in FIG. 4, the moving contact 8 abuts the fixed contact 2a, turning on the contacts. At this time, the driving piece 11a of the electromagnetic solenoid 11 and the driving member 12 are pushed downward (the inner bottom face side of the storing part 1a) by the conductor plate 7.
[0063] When the control system circuit 28 of the electronic equipment is driven by an electrical control signal from a remote control device or the like and the coil 11d of the electromagnetic solenoid 11 is energized, the driving piece 11a is excited by a generated magnetic field as shown in FIG. 5, a magnetic pole is generated at the tip thereof, the magnetic pole (e.g., S pole) repels the polarity of the lower permanent magnet (S pole) 11c disposed in opposed relation at the tip side of the driving piece 11a and the driving piece 11a is attracted to the upper permanent magnet (N pole) 11b.
[0064] If the driving piece 11a is attracted upward, the driving member 12 is also moved upward and the conductor plate 7 engaged in one end side of the driving member 12 is driven upward, whereby the anchor between the conductor plate 7 and the inverting coil spring 9 goes beyond the anchor (the anchor of the support arm anchoring protrusion 3a) between the support arm 6 and the central terminal 3, with the result that the direction of the urging force of the inverting coil spring 9 is inverted upward, the conductor plate 7 moves by itself in a direction opposite to the inner bottom side of the storing part 1a, and the moving contact 8 disconnects from the fixed contact 2a, so that the contacts go into an off-state. (FIG. 5)
[0065] In this state, the tip side of the conductor plate 7 at which the moving contact 8 is fastened abuts the inclined face 10f provided on the slide member 10, preventing the moving contact 8 from moving further upward. At the same time, the contact-to-contact distance between the moving contact 8 and the fixed contact 2a at this time is shorter than that when the slide member 10 is unlocked by manual operations and is returned to the initial position. As a result, since a movement amount of the conductor plate 7 becomes smaller and driving power required to actuate the driving member 12 at automatic on time also becomes smaller, the switch can be turned on with a small capacity without increasing the capacity of the electricity storage circuit including the capacitor 29 and the like.
[0066] Also, even if the electromagnetic solenoid 11 is deenergized after the contact is switched off, the driving piece 11a is kept attracted by the upper permanent magnet (N pole) 11b, contributing to power saving.
[0067] When the switch is turned on by an electrical signal, the control system circuit 28 of the electronic equipment is driven from the state shown in FIG. 5 by an external electrical control signal of a remote control device or the like, with the result that the electricity storage circuit including the capacitor 29 and the like is turned on and the electromagnetic solenoid 11 is energized by a discharge current from the capacitor 29.
[0068] A current applied to the electromagnetic solenoid 11 is inverted in its polarity by the applied polarity inverting circuit 30 before being supplied to the coil 11d of the electromagnetic solenoid 11. Inversion of a magnetic field generated in the coil 11d causes the driving piece 11a to be excited and its polarity generated at the tip to be also inverted (e.g., N pole). As a result, the driving piece 11a repels the upper permanent magnet (N pole) 11b having attracted it, and is attracted to the lower permanent magnet (S pole) 11c disposed opposite to the upper magnet 11b.
[0069] When the driving piece 11a is attracted downward, the driving member 12 is also moved downward and the conductor plate 7 engaged in one end of the driving member 12 is driven downward, whereby the anchor between the conductor plate 7 and the inverting coil spring 9 goes beyond the anchor (the anchor of the support arm anchoring protrusion 3a) between the support arm 6 and the central terminal 3, with the result that the direction of the urging force of the inverting coil spring 9 is inverted downward, the conductor plate 7 moves by itself in a direction opposite to the inner bottom side of the storing part 1a, and the moving contact 8 contacts the fixed contact 2a, so that the contacts go into an on-state. (FIG. 4)
[0070] In this case, the slide member 10 is locked in the push-in position, and in this state, the first actuating face 10d and the second actuating face 10e of the slide member 10, disposed opposite to each other, are separate from the inverting coil spring 9 for inversely actuating the conductor plate 7. As a result, the conductor plate 7 can easily perform inverse operation.
[0071] When the slide member 10 is held in an unlocked position at manual power off, the rear side of the coil of the inverting coil spring 9 is blocked from moving in an inversion direction by the second actuating face 10e, which is a rotatable movement blocking part provided in the slide member 10. Even if the electromagnetic solenoid 11 is actuated by an external control signal, the second actuating face 10e blocks the conductor plate 7 from rotatably moving, whereby the contact part is kept off.
[0072] Thus, when power to the electronic equipment is turned off at manual power off, the contacts of the two-pole contact part of the switch device are turned off at the same time to enable perfect disconnection from the power line. Therefore, various safety specifications demanded in Europe and other regions can be satisfied.
[0073] According to the embodiments of the present invention described above, the switch device 31 is provided with the slide member 10 to be described later, which is an operation member by which a two-pole contact part formed of pairs fixed terminals 2 and central terminals 3 can be manually turned on or off, and the electromagnetic solenoid 11 to be described later, which is an actuating means by which a one-pole contact part of the two-pole contact part can be automatically turned on or off. When the two-pole contact part is manually turned on by operating the slide member 10, a one-pole contact part of the two-pole contact part can be turned off by actuating the electromagnetic solenoid 11, based on a driving signal outputted from the control system circuit 28 in response to an external control signal. When the one-pole contact part is off, it can be turned on by actuating the electromagnetic solenoid 11, based on a discharge current outputted from the capacitor 29 serving as the electricity storage circuit according to an external control signal. With this construction, in the case where the two-pole contact part is to be automatically turned on or off by an external control signal, since required driving power is only the half of that when the two poles are turned on or off at the same time, at automatic on time, the switch can be turned on with a small capacity without increasing the capacity of the electricity storage circuit having the capacitor 29 and the like of the electronic equipment, and the electricity storage circuit and elements used for it can be miniaturized, making it possible to simplify and miniaturize the electrical circuit parts of the electronic equipment.
[0074] As has been described above, the electronic equipment of the present invention includes: a primary power supply circuit; a secondary power supply circuit to which power is supplied from the primary power supply circuit; a control system circuit connected to the secondary power supply circuit; a switch device having a two-pole contact part, connected to the primary power supply circuit; and an electricity storage circuit connected between the control system circuit and the switch device. The switch device includes an operation member by which the two-pole contact part can be manually turned on or off, and an actuating means by which a one-pole contact part of the two-pole contact part can be automatically turned on or off, wherein, when the two-pole contact part is manually turned on by operating the operation member, a one-pole contact part of the two-pole contact part can be turned off by actuating the actuating means, based on a driving signal outputted from the control system circuit in response to an external control signal, and when the one-pole contact part is off, it can be turned on by actuating the actuating means, based on a discharge current outputted from the electricity storage circuit according to an external control signal. With this construction, at automatic on/off time, since required driving power is only the half of that when the two poles are turned on or off at the same time, at automatic on time, the switch can be turned on with a small capacity without increasing the capacity of the electricity storage circuit having the capacitor and the like of the electronic equipment, and the electricity storage circuit and elements used for it can be miniaturized, making it possible to simplify and miniaturize the electrical circuit parts of the electronic equipment.
[0075] When the two-pole contact part of the switch device is manually turned off by operating the operation member, even if the actuating means is actuated based on a discharge current outputted from the electricity storage circuit according to an external control signal, the switch device is constructed so that the two-pole contact part is kept off by the operation member blocking the two-pole contact part from moving. With this construction, when power is turned off, the contact parts of the two-pole contact part of the switch device are turned off at the same time to enable perfect disconnection from the power line, so that various safety specifications can be satisfied.
[0076] The operation member includes a slide member slidably provided in the housing of the switch device, and as the slide member moves, the contact parts of the two-pole contact part connect with or disconnect from each other. Moreover, the slide member is provided with a rotatable movement blocking part for blocking the two-pole contact part from moving so that a one-pole contact part of the two-pole contact part cannot be automatically turned on, when the two-pole contact part is manually turned off by operating the operation member. With this construction, when power is turned off, the contact parts of the two-pole contact part are mechanically turned off by the slide member at the same time, ensuring disconnection from the power line.
[0077] The actuating means includes a latching type electromagnetic solenoid having a driving piece driven by external control signals wherein the driving piece interlocks with a one-pole contact part of the two-pole contact part. With this construction, pulse signals discharged from an electricity storage circuit such as a capacitor suffice for control signals required to actuate the actuating means, so that power does not need to be applied at all times, contributing to reduction in power consumption.
1. Electronic equipment comprising:
a primary power supply circuit;
a secondary power supply circuit to which power is supplied from the primary power supply circuit;
a control system circuit connected to the secondary power supply circuit;
a switch device having a two-pole contact part, connected to the primary power supply circuit; and
an electricity storage circuit connected between the control system circuit and the switch device,
wherein the switch device comprises an operation member by which the two-pole contact part can be manually turned on or off, and actuating means by which a one-pole contact part of the two-pole contact part can be automatically turned on or off, wherein, when the two-pole contact part is manually turned on by operating the operation member, a one-pole contact part of the two-pole contact part can be turned off by actuating the actuating means, based on a driving signal outputted from the control system circuit in response to an external control signal, and when the one-pole contact part is off, it can be turned on by actuating the actuating means, based on a discharge current outputted from the electricity storage circuit according to an external control signal.2. The electronic equipment according to claim 1, wherein, when the two-pole contact
part of the switch device is manually turned off by operating the operation member,
even if the actuating means are actuated based on a discharge current outputted from
the electricity storage circuit according to an external control signal, the switch
device is constructed so that the two-pole contact part is kept off by the operation
member blocking the two-pole contact part from moving.
3. The electronic equipment according to claim 2, wherein the operation member comprises
a slide member slidably provided in a housing of the switch device, wherein, as the
slide member moves, the contact parts of the two-pole contact part connect with or
disconnect from each other, and wherein the slide member is provided with a rotatable
movement blocking part for blocking the two-pole contact part from moving so that
a one-pole contact part of the two-pole contact part cannot be automatically turned
on when the two-pole contact part is manually turned off by operating the operation
member.
4. The electronic equipment according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the actuating
means comprise a latching type electromagnetic solenoid having a driving piece driven
by external control signals wherein the driving piece interlocks with a one-pole contact
part of the two-pole contact part.
5. The electronic equipment according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein external electrical
control signals are control signals sent from a remote control device.