Pressure actuated switch
AssigneeThe Echlin Manufacturing Company
InventorHarold A. Dvorachek
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A pressure actuated switch is provided in which one face of a diaphragm engages a metal contact plate which has a pair of integral contact areas thereon or a pair of contacts fused thereto for engagement with contacts on the ends of a pair of terminal posts molded in a plastic housing part. The contact plate also has a central deformation disposed between the contacts thereon and engaged with a spring metal strip of arcuate cross-sectional configuration, one or more additional strips being optionally provided.
Claims16
In a fluid actuated switch, the combination comprising:
- a housing including a cavity, a port in communication with said cavity, and a first contact member within said cavity;
- first means disposed for reciprocal movement within said cavity, said first means including an electrically conductive contact plate having first and second contiguous portions, said first portion including projection means and said second portion including first contact means;
- spring means mounted in said housing engaging said projection means and predisposing said contact plate to a first position in said cavity;
- said first means including means, responsive to pressure of a predetermined magnitude applied at said port, for cooperatively operating with said spring means to move said contact plate to a second position in said cavity;
- said first contact member and said first contact means being mutually positioned to engage each other in electrical contact when said contact plate is in a predetermined one of said first and second positions and to be electrically insulated from each other when said contact plate is in the other of said first and second positions, said first contact means and said projection means being disposed on the same side of said contact plate, and said first contact member and said first contact means being in electrical contact when said contact plate is in said second position, said spring means being of generally elongated rectangular form with opposite side edges along parallel lines and with a uniform arcuate transverse cross section.
In a pressure actuated switch, a flexible diaphragm, housing means including means in sealing engagement with a peripheral edge portion of said diaphragm and including an end wall in spaced facing relation to one face of said diaphragm, spring means supported from said end wall and having an operative portion in facing relation to a central portion of said diaphragm, said operative portion being resiliently movable toward said end wall against the action of said spring means, a metal contact plate having a central portion engaged with said operative portion of said spring means and having one surface engaged with said one face of said diaphragm, a first pair of contacts on an opposite surface of said metal contact plate substantially displaced from said central portion, and a second pair of contacts supported from said end wall of said housing means for engagement by said first pair of contacts when the force exerted by said spring means combined with the force exerted from fluid pressure against said contact plate and said one face of said diaphragm is less than the force exerted from fluid pressure against the opposite face of said diaphragm.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.