US 4,274,072 AGranted

Thermostat and assembly therefor

AssigneeGeneral Electric Company

InventorRalph W. Gustafson

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Abstract

A thermostat for regulating the temperature of a space includes: means movable in the thermostat for sensing the temperature of the space; a switch device having means for switching between a pair of switching positions; and a pair of permanent magnet means for magnetic coupling relation with the switching means. Means is provided for translating the temperature sensing movement of the sensing means to the magnet means pair so as to attract the switching means from one of its switching positions to the other thereof. The translating means has a pair of means connected with each other for mounting the magnet means pair adjacent the switch device in the magnetic coupling relation with the switching means and also means for securing engagement with the sensing means so that the magnet means pair are conjointly movable with the sensing means and with respect to the switching device upon the temperature sensing movement of the sensing means to effect the attraction of the switching means from its one switching position to its other switching position. An assembly for a thermostat is also disclosed.

Claims50

Dependent claims

A thermostat adapted for effecting regulation of the temperature of a space in which the thermostat may be located, the thermostat comprising:

a casing including a base;
a post rotatably mounted to said base;
bimetal means adapted for movement to adjusted positions and movable in respective ones of the adjusted positions for sensing the temperature of the space, said bimetal means having a generally spiral configuration with generally radially spaced inner and outer ends and said inner end being secured to said post so as to be conjointly rotatable therewith;
a temperature selector manually movable with respect to said casing within a predetermined range of temperature settings so as to set a preselected temperature for the space and operably connected with said post to conjointly rotate said post and said bimetal means to a respective one of the adjusted positions of said bimetal means correlative with the preselected temperature set by said temperature selector upon the manual movement thereof;
a switch device including a pair of spaced apart terminals, a first pair of contacts mounted in opposed relation on said terminal pair, a third terminal disposed between said terminal pair and including a movable armature, a second pair of contacts mounted to said armature for making engagement with and breaking disengagement from said first contact pair, and means for encapsulating said switch device with parts of said terminal pair and said third terminal disposed exteriorly of said encapsulating means so as to define circuit connection sections, respectively;
means secured to said base and embracing at least in part said encapsulating means for mounting said switch device in a predetermined position with respect to said post;
a bracket associated with said bimetal means so as to be conjointly movable therewith and including a pair of arms disposed generally adjacent said encapsulating means and on opposite sides of said terminal pair therein, respectively, means extending generally across said encapsulating means for integrally interconnecting said arm pair, and means on said bracket for securing engagement with said outer end of said bimetal means;
and
a pair of magnet means mounted on said arm pair and adapted for magnetic coupling relation with said armature, respectively, said magnet means pair being conjointly movable generally in one direction and another direction opposite thereto toward and away from said terminal pair so as to attract said armature in one of the one and another directions and effect the circuit completing engagement of one of said contacts of said second contact pair with one of said contacts of said first contact pair upon the conjoint movement of said bracket with said bimetal means in response to the temperature sensing movement of said bimetal means in the respective one of its adjusted positions.

6 more elements

A thermostat having a cooling mode operation and a heating mode operation so as to regulate the temperature of a space in which the thermostat may be located, the thermostat comprising:

means operable generally for selecting the cooling mode operation and the heating mode operation of the thermostat;
means movable in the thermostat to adjusted positions and operable in respective ones of the adjusted positions for sensing the temperature of the space in both the cooling and heating operating modes of the thermostat;
means for rotatably mounting said sensing means to the thermostat;
means drivingly associated with said rotatably mounting means and pivotally movable for setting a selected temperature of the space in both the cooling and heating mode operation of the thermostat, said setting means being pivotally movable in response to an applied force thereon toward a set point of the selected temperature so as to rotatably drive said rotatably mounting means and dispose said sensing means in the respective one adjusted position thereof correlative with the selected temperature;
a switch device including means operable generally for switching between a pair of opposite switching positions so as to control the cooling and heating mode operations of the thermostat with said switching means having an at-rest position spaced generally equidistantly between the switching positions;
a pair of permanent magnet means arranged generally symmetrically with respect to said switch device in magnetic coupling relation with said switching means and adapted for movement with respect to said switching means so as to magnetically effect the switching operation thereof to one of the switching positions and the other of the switching positions, respectively;
means for adjustably mounting said switching device to the thermostat so that said switching means in its atrest position extends generally along a radius of the rotatably mounting means;
and
means associated with said magnet means pair so as to mount them and secured to said sensing so as to be movable generally conjointly therewith for translating the temperature sensing movement of said sensing means into the movement of the magnet means pair with respect to said switch device in order to effect the magnetic switching operation of said switching means.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.