Fluid type inertia switch having resettable plunger and cone shaped retainer
AssigneeAlbert M. Eisner
InventorCourtney L. Burke
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A resettable switch is disclosed having a conductor maintained in contact with a reservoir of mercury to conduct current therethrough during normal operation. During impact or roll over, the mercury is spilled from the reservoir and prevented from returning thereto by cone-shaped retainers maintained in a telescoped relation by a spring, thereby opening the switch. The switch may be reset by depressing a plunger which aligns slots in the telescoped retainers, which permits mercury to return to the reservoir.
Claims15
A resettable switch comprising
- a casing having a well in the base thereof,
- a first slotted retainer maintained in a substantially press fit relation in said well and having a cone shaped lip extending above said well, a reservoir of high viscosity electrically conductive liquid contained within said first slotted retainer, a second slotted retainer having a lower tubular portion and an upper rim of a greater diameter than said tubular portion, an electrically insulating cap maintained in sealed relation with respect to said casing and having an electrically conductive plunger housing extending therethrough, an electrically conductive plunger supported within said plunger housing, an insulating washer affixed to said plunger such that a portion of said electrically conductive plunger extends through said washer, and
- a spring positioned between the base of said casing and said second retainer so as to maintain said second retainer in a telescoped relation with respect to said first retainer to prevent the escape of said electrically conductive liquid from said retainer, whereby an electrically conductive path is formed between said casing and said plunger housing only when said electrically conductive liquid is in said well.
A switch comprising
- a reservoir of mercury in a casing, a first cone shaped retainer for retaining said reservoir of mercury, a second cone shaped retainer wherein a predetermined portion thereof is maintained in slip fit relation within said first cone shaped retainer, an insulatng cap having an electrically conductive pin therethrough which pin is normally in contact with said reservoir of mercury, and
- a spring for maintaining said second cone shaped retainer in telescoped relation to said first cone shaped retainer for forming an electrically conductive path through said casing, said mercury, and said conductive pin only when said mercury is retained in said reservoir.
A resettable switch comprising a casing having a well in the base thereof, a first slotted retainer adapted to be maintained in a substantially press fit relation in said well and having a cone shaped lip extending above said well and adapted to maintain within said well a high viscosity electrically conductive liquid, a second cone shaped retainer having a lower tubular portion maintained in slip fit relation within said first cone shaped retainer, an insulating cap having an electrically conductive pin extending therethrough adapted to be normally in contact with such electrically conductive liquid within said well, and a spring to maintain said second cone shaped retainer in telescoped relation to said first cone shaped retainer and thereby form an electrically conductive path through said casing, electrically conductive liquid and said conductive pin when such liquid is retained within said well.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.