US 5,965,856 AGranted

Pressure sensitive switch

AssigneeAisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorsShoji Okada, Toshimitsu Oka, Naofumi Fujie, Kazuya Tanaka, Hitoshi Takayanagi

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Abstract

A sheet-like pressure sensitive switch is disclosed. A spacer 2 of an insulating material is interposed between a first film 1 of an insulating material which is provided with a first electrode 1a and a second film 3 of an insulating material which is provided with a second electrode 3a. The spacer 2 has a number of openings 2a, through which the first electrode 1a and the second electrode 3a oppose each other with an air gap therebetween. A first lead wire 4a and a second lead wire 4b are connected to the first electrode 1a and the second electrode 3a, respectively. In a pressure sensitive switch according to a first embodiment, the first and the second film 1, 3 are formed of polyethylene naphthalate films. In a pressure sensitive switch according to a second embodiment, the second film 3 is formed of polyethylene terephthalate film while the first film 1 is formed of polyethylene naphthalate film.

Claims2

Dependent claims

A pressure sensitive seating switch adapted to be internally housed in a vehicle seat comprising:

a first flat resilient film of an insulating material carrying a flat conductive layer on its flat reverse surface;
a spacer of an insulating material having an opening of an increased area as compared with the thickness thereof and extending through the spacer in the direction of thickness, the spacer having one of its front and reverse surfaces jointed to the reverse surface of the first film;
a second flat resilient film of an insulating material carrying a flat conductive layer on its reverse surface, which is joined to the other of the front and the reverse surface of the spacer;
and
a first and a second lead wire connected to the conductive layers on the first and the second films, respectively;
wherein at least one of the first and the second films is formed of polyethylene naphthalate and a ratio of the size of the opening to the spacer thickness is chosen for flexing the films to bring the conductive layers into contact with each other by a force which is greater than a given value while both films are maintained apart due to the resilience of the films to keep the conductive layers spaced from each other when a force is below the given value.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.