An actuating device (e.g., a foot switch) that is a floor switch with a floor part, at least one pedal part that is tiltably connected to the floor part, and at least one switch element that can be actuated by the pedal part is described, for example, in DE 100 57 589 C1.
Foot switches for an electromedical apparatus must satisfy high demands regarding hygiene. In particular, it must be possible to effectively disinfect such foot switches, in order to reduce the risk of infection in operation rooms. Conventional foot switches, such as are known, for example, in DE 4 005 059 C2 and DE 198 01 152 A1 have the problem that the pedal bearing provided for the tilting movement of the pedal is made of several components. Because of the multipart construction of the bearing, it is difficult to clean and/or disinfect these conventional foot switches thoroughly.
An improvement with respect to effective disinfection is provided by the foot switch disclosed in DE 100 57 589 C1, which represents the foundation of this generic category. The foot switch disclosed therein consists of a pedal part that is tiltably connected to a floor part, such that a switch element fixed to the floor part can be activated by the pedal part. The switch element then sends a corresponding actuation signal to an electromedical apparatus connected to the foot switch, for example a high frequency electrode. The pedal bearing of this foot switch comprises a repositioning means, which moves the pedal back to the initial position following actuation, as well as a joint that enables the tilting movement of the pedal. In this foot switch the repositioning means and the joint are combined to form an elastic joint unit, which is, for example, constructed as a flexible conical element, one side of which is connected to the floor part and the other side of which is connected to the pedal part. The presence of the flexible conical element considerably simplifies cleaning of the foot switch.
The whole foot switch must be designed as a completely washable product so that it can be thoroughly disinfected. Its construction thus requires great effort and expense, based in particular on the choice of material and the elaborate sealing needed for screwed cable connections, activation elements and pedal bearings. Even though the above-mentioned foot switch known from DE 100 57 589 C1 does bring an improvement regarding cleaning of the pedal bearing, the effort of construction is still considerable with regard to the washability of the complete foot switch.
It is thus the objective of the present invention to improve an actuating device in such a way that the washability of the entire actuating device is achieved by comparatively simple means. Furthermore, a method of manufacturing such an actuating device is to be disclosed.