PURPOSE: To provide a three-position switch having a small outer dimension, and functions; 'off' with hold with no palm, 'on' with hold with a palm and gently kept contact with a finger, and again 'off' with strongly pushed in surprise with the finger.
CONSTITUTION: A three-position switch is provided with a push button 11 elastically supported by means of two-stage springs 21, 22 (e.g. 21 is the weak spring, 22 is the strong spring), a switch operating rod 3 extended in the direction generally crossing with the push button 11 at right angle and provided with a projected part 31 laterally advancing to its tip; in addition, a normally closed type microswitch 41 having the wipe direction in the direction crossing with the switch operating rod 3 moving direction at right angle and under 'on' by being pushed by means of the projected part 31 only when slightly wiped by gently being pushed push button 11 and under 'off' when the push button 11 is under a free state and when greatly wiped by the strongly pushed push button 11.
TERADA AKIHIRO
YASUMURA MITSUHIRO
NAKAYAMA KAZUTAKA
