Driving element with a thin part, deformable in the direction of

Details Driving element with a thin part, deformable in the direction of Driving element with a thin part, deformable in the direction of

1988-10-26

1990-04-03

Broome, H.

Electricity: electrothermally or thermally actuated switches

Thermally actuated switches

With bimetallic element

200 83P, 337354, 337365, H01H 3752, H01H 3540

Patent

active

049144154

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention concerns a driving element comprising a thin part featuring an area deformable in the direction of its thickness so as to occupy at least two positions in at least one of which said area is arcuate.
Driving elements consisting only of a thin part deformable in this manner are already known. However, the travel obtained from such deformation, which permits the actuation of a member to be commanded, is small. This small travel results in disadvantages, particularly where the member to be activated is a switch.
In order to remedy these disadvantages in particular and to obtain an increased travel, the present invention proposes a driving element further comprising at least one tab extending along one surface of said deformable area towards the central part of the latter and the outer end of which is fixed to said surface, so that, the opposite edges of said deformable area and the free end of said tab respectively bearing against a support and a member to be actuated, the free end of said tab moves away from or towards said deformable area on deformation of the latter, the resulting amplitude of the movement of the free end of said tab being greater than the amplitude of deformation of said deformable area.
According to the present invention the driving element may advantageously comprise at least two opposed tabs which are fixed at one end to one surface of said deformable area and which extend towards the central part thereof.
According to another object of the present invention said thin part may be differently constituted. In one embodiment said thin part may be elastically deformable. In another embodiment said part may be constituted by a bimetallic member. In a further embodiment said thin part may have an area deformable in the direction of its thickness so as to occupy two extreme arcuate positions situated to either side of a median plane.
According to another object of the present invention the driving element may comprise at least one stack comprising two opposed thin parts respectively provided with at least two opposed tabs disposed so that the free ends of the tabs carried by one of said thin parts bear on the free ends of the tabs carried by the other thin part.
In one embodiment according to another object of the present invention said thin part is constituted by a disk, said tab or tabs extending radially of the latter.
According to another object of the present invention the driving element comprises a ring fixed to one surface of said disk-shaped thin part and provided with a multiplicity of tabs extending radially towards the central part of said disk-shaped thin part.
According to another object of the present invention said thin part has a passage in the central part of its deformable area, said tab or tabs extending substantially to the rim of said passage.
According to another object of the present invention said tab or tabs may advantageously be constituted by a bimetallic member deforming in the direction of the thickness of said thin part and in the same direction.
The present invention will be better understood from a consideration of the driving elements described by way of non-limiting example and illustrated by the drawing in which:
FIG. 1 represents a top view of a first driving element according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 represents a cross-section through the driving element from FIG. 1 in a first position;
FIG. 3 represents a cross-section through the driving element from FIG. 1 in a second position;
FIG. 4 represents in cross-section another driving element in accordance with the present invention, in a first position, mounted in a switch casing;
FIG. 5 represents in cross-section the driving element from FIG. 4 in a second position;
FIG. 6 represents a top view of another driving element in accordance with the present invention;
and FIG. 7 represents in cross-section a stack of several driving elements similar to that from FIG. 6.
Referring to FIGS. 1 through 3, it is seen that there has been represented a driving element generally designated b

REFERENCES:
patent: 2077362 (1937-04-01), Holm
patent: 3139500 (1964-06-01), Fallon et al.

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