CN223363019U - Push button switch and vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a push button switch and a vehicle, the push button switch including a main body having an accommodation space, a key disposed in the accommodation space of the main body and reciprocally movable in an actuation direction and an opposite release direction, an elastic switch member disposed to actuate the push button switch when the key is operated to move in the actuation direction and push the key to move in the release direction when the key is released, and a top block fixedly connected to an end of the key and abutted against the elastic switch member, wherein the top block has a flexible portion and a rigid portion, the rigid portion forming a first surface of the top block, the flexible portion forming a second surface of the top block opposite to the first surface, and wherein the first surface abuts against the elastic switch member, the second surface being stopped by a stopper when the key moves in the release direction.

Description

Push button switch and vehicle

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a push button switch and a vehicle.

Background

The steering column combined switch is arranged at the top end of an automobile steering column, a steering wheel is arranged above the steering column combined switch, and the traditional steering column combined switch generally comprises a clock spring, a lamplight control handle, a windscreen wiper control handle and an angle sensor. In some known new energy vehicles, for the convenience of the driver's operation, a light switch and a wiper switch are integrated on one of the operating handles, while the other operating handle is provided as a shift handle capable of achieving P (park), R (reverse), N (neutral), D (reverse) gear shift, also referred to as a park handle.

The gear shifting handle is usually provided with a P-gear button, and a driver presses the P-gear button to carry out P-gear shifting. The steering column combined switch utilizes conductive particles on the conductive rubber to contact with a conducting area of a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) to realize safe and stable output of a P-gear signal. The comfortable hand feeling of pressing the P-gear button is realized by utilizing the flexible force value curve of the conductive rubber. The reset function of the conductive rubber and the setting of the stop component are utilized to realize the reset of the P-gear button when the driver releases the P-gear button, and noise can be generated due to component collision in the process.

At present, two modes are applied to resetting of the P-gear key. The first is a single button operating lever, which is arranged in the central area of the handle, when pressed, makes the conductive particles on the conductive rubber contact with the conductive area of the PCB board to realize signal transmission, when released, the button quickly rebounds under the reaction force of the conductive rubber, and at the moment, the button made of Polycarbonate (PC) material collides with the handle made of nylon and glass fiber material (PA 6 GF 30) to realize the stop position of the P-gear button. The single mode of hanging buckle has larger noise, and after long-term use, the buckle is extremely easy to generate stress concentration to cause hanging buckle fracture, thereby leading to the failure of the gear shifting function of the P-gear button, so the safety is low. The second is a stop mode of the multi-buckle and the handle groove, and the multi-buckle is arranged at two sides or multiple side areas of the handle. The driver presses the P-gear button to realize the P-gear function and then leaves the hand, and the multi-buckle and the handle groove stop are realized under the reaction force of the conductive rubber. The design can properly reduce the rebound acting force of the single hanging buckle or disperse the rebound acting force, and the other hanging buckles can be continuously used even when the single hanging buckle is subjected to stress cracking or hanging buckle fracture after long-term use. But the noise of striking with the handle is bigger when the multi-hanging buckle rebounds, and the abnormal sound causes discomfort to the driver. In addition, because the multi-buckle stop matching manufacturing process is difficult to ensure that a plurality of stop surfaces are kept in the same plane, the manufacturing process is difficult, key inclination and tilting easily occur, and the safety is low. Further, when at least one of the snaps is damaged, it will not be guaranteed that two conductive particles of the conductive rubber contact the conductive area of the PCB board at the same time, which may affect the functionality.

Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a shift handle that solves the above-described problems.

Disclosure of utility model

Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a push button switch and a vehicle, which can be used for a steering column combination switch of a vehicle, particularly for a shift handle, and which uses a top block manufactured by a two-color injection molding process to realize a flexible noise reduction and buffering effect, thereby not only making an operation P-gear key have comfortable feel, reducing noise when the P-gear key is reset, but also improving the safety of the key.

The above object is achieved by a push button switch and a vehicle described below.

The present disclosure provides a push button switch including a main body having an accommodation space, a key disposed in the accommodation space of the main body and reciprocally movable in an actuation direction and an opposite release direction, an elastic switch member disposed to actuate the push button switch when the key is operated to move in the actuation direction and to push the key to move in the release direction when the key is released, and a top block fixedly connected to an end of the key and abutted against the elastic switch member, wherein the top block has a flexible portion and a rigid portion, the rigid portion forming a first surface of the top block, the flexible portion forming a second surface of the top block opposite to the first surface, and wherein the first surface abuts against the elastic switch member, the second surface being stopped by a stopper when the key moves in the release direction.

A push button switch according to the present disclosure may also have one or more of the following features, alone or in combination.

In one embodiment, the top block is a two-shot molded part.

In one embodiment, the stiffness of the flexible portion is less than the stiffness of the rigid portion.

In one embodiment, the flexible portion is a thermoplastic elastomer member and the rigid portion is a polymeric plastic member.

In one embodiment, the stop is a stop surface on the body opposite the second surface.

In one embodiment, the top block further has a connecting portion fixedly connecting the top block to the key and being an integral piece with the rigid portion.

In an embodiment, the connecting portion is provided with a plurality of buckles, and the buckles are clamped to grooves on the keys.

In an embodiment, the key is provided with a mounting groove for the connecting portion, and the inner wall of the mounting groove is provided with a positioning rib in interference fit with the connecting portion.

In an embodiment, the push button switch further comprises a circuit board disposed in the accommodation space of the main body transverse to the actuation direction, the resilient switch member being preloaded between the top block and the circuit board.

In one embodiment, the main body is provided with a first guide recess and a second guide recess extending in the actuation direction and recessed transversely to the actuation direction, and the key is provided with a first protrusion and a second protrusion respectively cooperating with the first guide recess and the second guide recess.

In one embodiment, the recess direction of the first guide recess is perpendicular to the recess direction of the second guide recess.

In one embodiment, the main body is provided with a guide protrusion extending in the actuation direction and protruding transversely to the actuation direction, and the key is provided with a recess cooperating with the guide protrusion.

In an embodiment, the main body is provided with a limiting groove extending along the actuating direction, and the key is provided with a limiting protrusion matched with the limiting groove.

In one embodiment, the elastic switch member is a conductive rubber member.

The present disclosure also provides a vehicle comprising a push button switch as described above.

The button switch disclosed by the embodiment of the disclosure has the advantages that the comfort level of the button is realized by using the elastic switch component, the functionality of the button switch is realized by using the rigid part of the top block, the buffer effect is realized by using the flexible part of the top block, and the reset noise is reduced. In addition, the button switch disclosed by the invention has the advantages of fewer parts, fewer required materials, compact volume, simple assembly and reduced product cost.

Drawings

The advantages and objects of the present disclosure will be better understood from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the disclosure taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. To better illustrate the relationship of the various components in the figures, the figures are not drawn to scale. In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a push button switch according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of the interior of a push button switch according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates an internal schematic view of a portion of a push button switch according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of a portion of a push button switch according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates a schematic view of a detent of a push button switch according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 illustrates a schematic view of protrusions on a key of a push button switch according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 illustrates a schematic diagram of a resilient switch component and a circuit board of a push button switch according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 illustrates a schematic view of the bottom of an elastic switch component of a push button switch according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 shows a schematic diagram of a top block of a push button switch according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 illustrates a partial longitudinal cross-sectional view of a push button switch according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 illustrates a partial longitudinal cross-sectional view of a push button switch in which conductive particles of an elastic switch member contact conductive pads on a circuit board according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 12 shows a transverse cross-sectional view of a key and top block of a push button switch according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, an

Fig. 13 illustrates a lateral cross-sectional view of a body and key of a push button switch according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the technical solutions of the present disclosure more clear, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of specific embodiments of the present disclosure. Like reference numerals in the drawings denote like parts. It should be noted that the described embodiments are some, but not all embodiments of the present disclosure. All other embodiments, which can be made by one of ordinary skill in the art without the need for inventive faculty, are within the scope of the present disclosure, based on the described embodiments of the present disclosure.

Unless defined otherwise, technical or scientific terms used herein should be given the ordinary meaning as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. The terms "first," "second," and the like in the description and in the claims, do not denote any order, quantity, or importance, but rather are used to distinguish one element from another. Likewise, the terms "a" or "an" and the like do not necessarily denote a limitation of quantity. The word "comprising," "comprising," or "having" and the like means that elements or items preceding the word are meant to be encompassed by the element or item recited following the word and equivalents thereof, without excluding other elements or items. The terms "connected" or "connected" and the like are not limited to the physical or mechanical connection or communication shown in the drawings, but may include connection or communication equivalent thereto, whether direct or indirect. "upper", "lower", "left", "right", etc. are used merely to indicate relative positional relationships, which may also be changed when the absolute position of the object to be described is changed.

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail with reference to fig. 1 to 13.

A push button switch according to the present disclosure is shown in fig. 1, which may be used in a steering column combination switch assembly of a vehicle, in particular as a shift handle of a steering column combination switch assembly, disposed below a steering wheel. The vehicle can be a new energy vehicle, such as a pure electric vehicle, a hybrid electric vehicle, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle and an extended range electric vehicle, and can also be a hydrogen energy vehicle. For example, the steering column combination switch may include a body, the push button switch described above, another handle. The body may be mounted on a steering column of a vehicle, on which an airbag hairspring, an angle sensor, etc. are provided. The button switch and the other handle are both arranged on the body, wherein the button switch can be a gear shifting handle, and the other handle is provided with a light switch and a windscreen wiper switch.

As shown in fig. 1, the push button switch may include a main body 1, an upper cover 2, a lower cover 3, and an end cover 4. The main body 1 has an accommodation space in which various components are arranged, as shown with the rear cover 3 removed in fig. 2. The body 1 may have an axis of extension a along which a portion of the body 1 may extend, as indicated by the dashed line in fig. 2. The upper cover 2 faces the driver for closing the accommodation space of the main body 1 and has symbols thereon, such as R (reverse gear), N (neutral gear), D (reverse gear), and arrows (for indicating the rotational direction of the handle) for functional illustration and for aesthetic embellishment. The lower cover 3 serves to close the accommodation space of the main body 1. The end cap 4 is provided at an end of the main body 1 and can be engaged with the main body 1. A decorative piece may be provided between the end cap 4 and the body 1 to cover the connection therebetween. The main body 1 can rotate in one direction, so as to drive the internal driving block to rotate, so that different conducting areas of a circuit board described below are contacted, and different gear signals are sent out.

As shown in fig. 2, the push button switch may further include a key 5, a circuit board (PCB board) 6, an elastic switch member 8, a top block 7, and a harness connector assembly 7.

The circuit board 6 is arranged in the receiving space of the body 1 transversely to the actuation direction, for example by means of a slot in the body 1, to ensure a reliable on-off function, and has a conductive area in the form of a conductive disc 27. The conductive pad 27 uses an overlapping design such that the conduction point is divided into two or more. The harness connector assembly 7 includes a header card provided on the circuit board 6 to connect the circuit board 6 to receive various signals, a tail card for connecting an external main circuit board controller to perform signal transmission conversion of various functional operations, a wire, and a tape. For example, a head insert is provided on the opposite side of the circuit board 6 from the elastic switch member 8, and a safe and stable output of the PRND signal can be achieved.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the key 5 is provided in the accommodation space of the main body 1 and is capable of reciprocating in an actuation direction and an opposite release direction. The key 5 may have a piano lacquer PVD symbol P (park), and may therefore also be referred to as a P-range key. The direction indicated by the open arrow horizontally to the left in fig. 2 is the actuation direction, and the direction horizontally to the right is the release direction. Both the actuation direction and the release direction are parallel to the extension axis a.

As shown in fig. 2, the elastic switch member 8 is provided to actuate the push button switch when the key 5 is operated to move in the actuation direction, and to push the key to move in the release direction when the key 5 is released. The operation of the key 5 means that the key 5 is pressed by the driver, and the release of the key 5 means that the key 5 is not pressed.

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the top block 7 is fixedly connected to the end of the key 5 and abuts against the elastic switch member 8. As shown in fig. 4, the top block 7 has a flexible portion 11 and a rigid portion 12, the rigid portion 12 forming a first surface of the top block 7, the flexible portion 11 forming a second surface of the top block 7 opposite to the first surface, wherein the first surface abuts against the elastic switch member 8, the second surface being stopped by a stop when the key 5 is moved in the release direction.

For example, the top block 7 is a two-shot molded part, i.e., is manufactured by a two-shot molding process. That is, the top block 7 is an integrally molded piece formed by injection molding two different materials.

For example, the flexible portion 11 of the top block 7 has a certain elasticity, and generates less sound when the key 5 moves in the releasing direction and collides with the stopper. The flexible portion 11 also has a certain stiffness in order to avoid affecting the P-stop key functionality. For example, the flexible portion 11 of the top piece 7 may be a thermoplastic elastomer, i.e. made of a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE, thermoplastic rubber) which has the elasticity of rubber at normal temperature but still has a certain stiffness. Of course, the flexible portion 11 may be made of other materials having a certain elasticity and a certain rigidity, which is not limited by the present disclosure.

For example, the stiffness of the flexible portion 11 of the top piece 7 may be less than the stiffness of the rigid portion 12. For example, the rigid portion 12 may be a polymeric plastic piece. In some embodiments, the polymeric plastic part is, for example, a polyoxymethylene plastic part, i.e., made of Polyoxymethylene (POM) plastic, which has the properties of high hardness, high stiffness, and high wear resistance. The polymeric plastic member may also be made of other types of relatively rigid plastic. The rigid portion 12 ensures that the elastic switch member 8 can be caused to actuate the push button switch safely and stably when the P-stop key is pressed. Of course, the rigid portion 12 may be made of other rigid materials, as well, which is not limiting to the present disclosure.

The flexible part and the rigid part are integrally formed, so that comfortable hand feeling during pressing is realized, noise during resetting of the P-gear key is reduced, and safety of the key is improved.

As shown in fig. 5, the stop is a stop surface 14 on the body 1 opposite the second surface. The stop surface 14 may be disposed transverse (e.g., perpendicular) to the extension axis a. The first and second surfaces of the top block 7 are also arranged transversely (e.g. perpendicular) to the extension axis a. Considering the structure of the top block 7 in fig. 4, two stop surfaces 4 may be provided. Such a larger surface contact stop reduces the likelihood of component damage, improves safety, and reduces noise from collisions.

As shown in fig. 7, the top block 7 further has a connecting portion 13, and the connecting portion 13 fixedly connects the top block 7 to the key 5 and is formed as an integral piece with the rigid portion 12. In other words, the flexible portion 11, the rigid portion 12 and the connecting portion 13 are integrally formed by a two-shot molding process, which avoids the safety problem caused by separation of the portions.

For example, the connecting portion 13 may be provided with a plurality of buckles 15, and the buckles 15 are snapped into grooves 16 on the key 5, as shown in fig. 4. Referring again to fig. 7, the connection portion 13 may have a square cross section, i.e., a rectangular parallelepiped structure, and one buckle 15 is provided on one side of the rectangular parallelepiped structure.

For example, the key 5 is provided with a mounting groove 17 for the connecting portion 13, as shown in the cross section in fig. 12, which is taken perpendicular to the longitudinal axis a. The mounting groove 17 may have a rectangular parallelepiped structure, and the inner wall thereof is provided with the groove 16. The recess 16 may be a hole or opening through the wall of the tank, as shown in fig. 4. Referring to fig. 12, the inner wall of the mounting groove 17 is provided with a positioning rib 18 which is in interference fit with the connecting portion 13. For example, two locating ribs 18 are provided on each inner wall, and the locating ribs 18 may extend along the longitudinal axis a.

Through the clamping connection of the buckle and the groove and the positioning rib, the ejector block 7 can be firmly connected to the key 5, so that the influence on the functionality of the P-gear key is avoided.

For example, as shown in fig. 3, the elastic switch member 8 is preloaded between the top block 7 and the circuit board 6. In this way, the elastic switch member 8 can exert a force on the top piece 7 in the release direction, thereby achieving a stable positioning of the top piece 7 on the longitudinal axis a.

For example, as shown in fig. 13, the main body 1 is provided with a first guide recess 19 and a second guide recess 19' extending in the actuation direction and recessed transversely to the actuation direction, and the key 5 is provided with a first protrusion 20 and a second protrusion 20' respectively engaged with the first guide recess 19 and the second guide recess 19 '. Fig. 6 shows that the first protrusion 20 and the second protrusion 20' extend in the actuation direction. For example, the concave direction of the first guide concave portion 19 may be perpendicular to the concave direction of the second guide concave portion 19'.

For example, the main body 1 is provided with a guide projection 21 extending in the actuation direction and projecting transversely to the actuation direction, and the key 5 is provided with a recess 22 cooperating with the guide projection 21. The guide projection 21 may be used in place of the first guide recess 19 and the second guide recess 19 'or in combination with the first guide recess 19 and the second guide recess 19'.

As shown in fig. 13, two first guide recesses 19 are oppositely provided on the main body 1 in the vertical direction in the drawing, wherein the upper first guide recess 19 is recessed upward and the lower first guide recess 19 is recessed downward, and a second guide recess 19 'and a guide projection 21 are oppositely provided on the main body 1 in the horizontal direction in the drawing, wherein the second guide recess 19' on the left side is recessed leftward and the guide projection 21 on the right side is raised leftward. Obviously, the concave direction of the first guide concave portion 19 is perpendicular to the concave direction of the second guide concave portion 19'.

This arrangement makes it possible to position the keys 5 in two directions transverse to the actuation direction, avoiding shaking of the keys 5 and the resultant noise and impact on functionality.

Referring again to fig. 3, the main body 1 is provided with a limit groove 23 extending along the actuating direction, and the key 5 is provided with a limit protrusion 24 matched with the limit groove 23. For example, the limit projection 24 may be in the form of a catch. For example, the key 5 has an approximately cylindrical structure, on which four limit projections 24 are provided. Correspondingly, the body 1 is provided with an approximately cylindrical channel extending in the actuation direction, said channel being provided with four limit grooves 23, which may have the form of through holes or openings.

As shown in fig. 8 and 9, the elastic switch member 8 is a conductive rubber member, and the switch member 8 includes a rubber body 25 and conductive contacts 26, wherein the rubber body 25 is disposed on the circuit board 6 and has two inverted bowl-shaped bodies, and the two conductive contacts 26 are disposed on top inner walls of the two bowl-shaped bodies, respectively. The rubber body 25 furthermore has two connecting elements 28 which have an inverted mushroom head shape for fixing the elastic switching element 8 to the circuit board 6.

As shown in fig. 10, the circuit board 6 is provided with a conductive pad 27. When the key 5 is not pressed, no force is exerted on the resilient switch member 8, the conductive contact 26 is at a distance from the conductive pad 27, and the circuit board 6 is thus in an open state. When the key 5 is operated, i.e. pressed, the key 5 drives the top block 7 to move along the actuation direction, the rigid portion 12 drives the elastic switch component 8 to elastically deform, so that the conductive contact 26 moves along the actuation direction until contacting the conductive disc 27, thereby realizing the communication of the circuit board 6, for example, a P-gear signal can be transmitted to an external main circuit board controller via the wire harness connector assembly 7, and further realizing the P-gear shift. Fig. 11 shows a schematic view of the circuit board 6 in a connected state, in which the conductive contacts 26 are in contact with the conductive pads 27. When the key 5 is released, i.e. the pressing force is removed, the elastic switch member 8 resumes its shape and exerts a resilient force on the top block 7, the flexible portion 11 hits against the stop surface 14 and pushes the key 5 to move in the releasing direction to its initial position.

In the push button switch of the present disclosure, the elastic switch member 8 realizes the comfort of the key, the rigid portion 12 of the top block 7 realizes the functionality of the push button switch, the flexible portion 11 realizes the cushioning effect, and the reset noise is reduced. Therefore, the button switch of the present disclosure solves the problem of the existing shift handle, not only makes the operation of the P-gear button have comfortable hand feeling, but also reduces noise when the P-gear button is reset, and also improves the safety of the button. In addition, the button switch disclosed by the invention has the advantages of fewer parts, fewer required materials, compact volume, simple assembly and reduced product cost.

The vehicle of the present disclosure includes the push button switch as described above, and has the same technical effects and advantages as the steering column combination switch assembly. The push button switch is used as a shift handle in the vehicle of the present disclosure.

Of course, the push button switch of the present disclosure may also be used for other switches that perform a certain function by pressing a button.

Furthermore, each technical feature disclosed above is not limited to the combination with other features disclosed, and other combinations between each technical feature may be performed by those skilled in the art according to the purpose of the present disclosure, so as to achieve the purpose of the present disclosure.

Claims (15)

1. A push button switch, the push button switch comprising:

A main body (1) having an accommodation space;

A key (5) provided in the accommodation space of the main body (1) and capable of reciprocating in an actuation direction and an opposite release direction;

An elastic switch member (8) configured to actuate the push button switch when the key (5) is operated to move in the actuation direction and to push the key to move in the release direction when the key (5) is released, and

A top block (7) fixedly connected to the end of the key (5) and abutting against the elastic switch component (8);

Wherein the top block (7) has a flexible portion (11) and a rigid portion (12), the rigid portion (12) forming a first surface of the top block (7), the flexible portion (11) forming a second surface of the top block (7) opposite to the first surface, and

Wherein the first surface abuts against the elastic switch member (8), and the second surface is stopped by a stopper when the key is moved in the release direction.

2. Push button switch according to claim 1, characterized in that the top piece (7) is a bicolour injection-molded part.

3. Push button switch according to claim 1, characterized in that the stiffness of the flexible portion (11) is smaller than the stiffness of the rigid portion (12).

4. Push button switch according to claim 1, wherein the flexible portion (11) is a thermoplastic elastomer member and the rigid portion (12) is a polymer plastic member.

5. A push button switch according to claim 1, wherein the stop is a stop surface (14) on the body opposite the second surface.

6. Push button switch according to claim 1, characterized in that the top piece (7) also has a connecting portion (13) fixedly connecting the top piece to the key (5) and being an integral piece with the rigid portion (12).

7. Push button switch according to claim 6, characterized in that the connecting part (13) is provided with a plurality of catches (15) which snap into grooves (16) on the key (5).

8. Push button switch according to claim 6, characterized in that the push button (5) is provided with a mounting groove (17) for the connecting part (13), and the inner wall of the mounting groove is provided with a positioning rib (18) in interference fit with the connecting part (13).

9. Push button switch according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises a circuit board (6), which circuit board (6) is arranged in the accommodation space of the body (1) transversely to the actuation direction, the resilient switch part (8) being preloaded between the top piece (7) and the circuit board (6).

10. Push button switch according to claim 1, characterized in that the body (1) is provided with a first (19) and a second (19 ') guiding recess extending in the actuation direction and recessed transversely to the actuation direction, and the key (5) is provided with a first (20) and a second (20') protrusion cooperating with the first and second guiding recess, respectively.

11. The push button switch according to claim 10, wherein the recess direction of the first guide recess (19) is perpendicular to the recess direction of the second guide recess (19').

12. Push button switch according to claim 10, characterized in that the body (1) is provided with a guide projection (21) extending in the actuation direction and projecting transversely thereto, and that the key (5) is provided with a recess (22) cooperating with the guide projection.

13. Push button switch according to claim 1, characterized in that the body (1) is provided with a limit groove (23) extending in the actuation direction, and the key (5) is provided with a limit projection (24) cooperating with the limit groove.

14. Push button switch according to claim 1, characterized in that the elastic switch part (8) is an electrically conductive rubber part.

15. A vehicle comprising a push button switch according to any one of claims 1 to 14.