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US 5,089,671 AGranted
Underwater zoom switch
OwnerVal Ranetkinsinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Conductive pads are disposed in a housing which consists of a degassed, non-compressible, electrically insulating fluid. One of the pads is mounted on the underside of a push-button, and the push-button is surrounded by a flexible membrane which closes one end of the housing. When the push-button is pressed, the fluid between the conductive pads is displaced, and the membrane stretches sufficiently to accommodate the displaced fluid.
Claims7
A switch arrangement, comprising:
- a housing having an open end and a closed end to define an interior chamber;
- a degassed, non-compressible, electrically insulating fluid completely filling said interior chamber;
- a flexible, stretchable membrane covering said open end of said housing, said flexible membrane having an inner surface, facing said closed end of said housing, and an opposed outer surface;
- a push-button molding formed on said outer surface of said flexible membrane;
- wherein, when said push-button molding is not depressed, said switch arrangement is in an open state, and, when said push-button molding is depressed in the direction towards said closed end of said housing, said switch arrangement is in a closed state;
- and
- wherein, when said push-button molding is depressed in the direction toward said closed end of said housing, the fluid under said membrane in the area of said push-button molding is displaced in a direction away from the space between said push-button molding and said closed end, said flexible membrane being expanded in the area surrounding said push-button molding to provide additional volume to accommodate said displaced fluid, said additional volume being equal to the volume of said displaced fluid.
4 more elements
A control unit comprising a plurality of switch arrangements, each said switch arrangement comprising:
- a housing having an open end and a closed end to define an interior chamber;
- a degassed, non-compressible, electrically insulating fluid completely filling said interior chamber;
- a flexible, stretchable membrane covering said open end of said housing, said flexible membrane having an inner surface, facing said closed end of said housing, and an opposed outer surface;
- a push-button molding formed on said outer surface of said flexible membrane;
- wherein, when said push-button molding is not depressed, said switch arrangement is in an open state, and, when said push-button molding is depressed in the direction towards said closed end of said housing, said switch arrangement is in a closed state;
- and
- wherein, when said push-button molding is depressed in the direction toward said closed end of said housing, the fluid under said membrane in the area of said push-button molding is displaced in a direction away from the space between said push-button molding and said closed end, said flexible membrane being expanded in the area surrounding said push-button molding to provide additional volume to accommodate said displaced fluid, said additional volume being equal to the volume of said displaced fluid.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.