Electricity: circuit makers and breakers – Multiple circuit control – Pivoted contact
Patent
1988-07-14
1990-11-20
Scott, J. R.
Electricity: circuit makers and breakers
Multiple circuit control
Pivoted contact
200 52R, H01H 1954, G01B 700
Patent
active
049720520
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a contact device for delivering electrical signals corresponding to the position of a movable body. The contact device is primarily intended for use in position indicators and angle indicators but can also be used in other types of indicators, where it is desirable to produce electrical signals corresponding to the position of a movable body.
TECHNOLOGY REVIEW
It is known to use contact devices to produce electrical signals corresponding to the movement of a body, for example, in revolution counters for motors or in angle position indicators for bodies rotating or turning around a shaft. The contact devices presently in use for this purpose comprises a large number of separate, movable contact means and therefore take up a comparatively large amount of space. They are also comparatively heavy and expensive to manufacture and assemble.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The main object of the invention is to provide a contact device which requires a very small space, which has a very low weight and which is inexpensive to manufacture and, may easily be adapted to different components and fields of application.
The contact device includes a base layer and a flexible layer. These layers are provided with electrical conductors and contact elements which gradually may be brought into electrical contact with each other by pushing the flexible layer against the base layer by means of a pressure element movable over the surface of the flexible layer. Due to the fact that the layers and the electrical conductors can be made very thin, the contact means requires only a very small space. Furthermore, the contact means has a very low weight and is easy to manufacture. Due to the fact that the shapes of the layers and the conductors can be varied, the contact device can easily be adapted to different components and fields of application.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Embodiments of the invention will now be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of one embodiment of a contact device according to the invention which is designed for producing pulses in a rotating motor for counting the number of revolutions and/or for indicating the angle position of the motor shaft.
FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view through the contact device of FIG. 1 along the line II--II.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The contact device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises a base layer 10 and a flexible layer 11. The flexible layer 11 is positioned in front of the base layer 10 and is spaced from the base layer by means of two spacing elements 12,13. The base layer 10 has a circular shape with a central hole 14 and is provided with two elongated electrical output conductors 15,16 on the side facing the flexible layer. The electrical conductors are positioned between the spacing elements 12 and 13 and form concentric circular rings around the central hole 14. The outer diameter of the inner ring is substantially smaller than the inner diameter of the outer ring, so that a space 17 is formed between the output conductors 15 and 16. The flexible layer 11 has a central hole corresponding to the central hole 14 of the base layer and is provided with an elongated electrical output conductor 18 on the side facing the base layer. The electrical input conductor 18 forms a circular ring which is concentric with the conductors 15,16. The inner diameter of the conductor 18 is larger than the outer diameter of the conductor 15, and the outer diameter of the conductor 18 is smaller than the inner diameter of the conductor 16. The conductor 18 is positioned straight over the space 17 between the conductors 15,16, so that the conductor 18 can be placed in the space 17 between the conductors 15,16 without touching the conductors 15,16, when the layer 11 is pushed down.
The conductor 18 is provided with a large number of tabs 19,20 projecting perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of the conductor, i.e. radially with regard to the ci
REFERENCES:
patent: 4037116 (1977-07-01), Hodama
patent: 4246452 (1981-01-01), Chandler
patent: 4297542 (1981-10-01), Shumway
patent: 4443670 (1984-04-01), Nakamura et al.
W. M. Davis, IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, "Water Switch", vol. 18, No. 10, Mar. 1976, pp. 3405, 3406.
J. W. Rudolph; IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, "Sliding Selector Switch", vol. 22, No. 6. Nov. 1979, pp. 2324, 2325.
Autoliv Development AB
Scott J. R.
LandOfFree
Contact device for delivering electrical signals corresponding t does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Contact device for delivering electrical signals corresponding t, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Contact device for delivering electrical signals corresponding t will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-455165