Electricity: circuit makers and breakers – Special application – Feeler moves into detecting contact with object
Patent
1995-10-10
1998-07-14
Scott, J. R.
Electricity: circuit makers and breakers
Special application
Feeler moves into detecting contact with object
200 6143, 200262, H01H 316, H01H 102
Patent
active
057807930
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a switch, and more particularly to a safety switch having a support encompassing an elongate cavity in which two elongate electrical conductors are arranged spaced and electrically insulated from one another in a rest condition. The support is reversibly deformable by the application of an external force in such a manner that the electrical conductors come into contact with each other to produce an electrical signal indicative of the operational condition.
In one known switch of this type (DE-Auslegeschrift 2 300 222) each conductor consists of a strip of brass-plated copper wires which have been woven as a tube and then compressed. The support is formed as a tubular sleeve of an adhesive rubber mixture, possibly from elastomers and thermoplasts having similar properties. The metallic conductor strips have one broad side connected to the tubular sleeve by co-extrusion and vulcanization.
From DE 92 13 726 U1 it is known per se to produce opposing flexible conductors within a tube from a mixture which contains a conductive powder, for example copper powder, graphite powder or carbon powder.
From DE 34 23 163 A1 it is known per se to reinforce elastomeric bodies with carbon fibers by a process in which a carbon-multifilament yarn is coated with a latex dispersion, is dried, is cut into sections having lengths of 1 to 20 mm and is formed into a mass of fiber sections by swirling in an air stream. The fibrous mass is mixed with an elastomer and the mixture is rolled out.
DE 35 32 963 A1 shows that it is known per se to embed carbon fibers in a carbon matrix for arc lamp electrodes in order to increase their mechanical strength.
From DE 34 06 366 C2 it is known per se to embed carbon fibers, carbon fiber bundles or carbon fiber rovings as electrical switch means flush with the surface in the profile of a support substrate of a linear potentiometer.
DE-GM 69 01 217 shows that it is known per se to provide a switch with a housing part which is substantially U-shaped in cross section. The free ends of the limbs of the housing part are provided internally with longitudinal grooves into which complementary elongate webs of a substantially flat, flexible wall part which carries a movable contact strip are introduced. A fixed contact strip is anchored in the base of the housing part.
From EP 178 488 A2 it is known per se to print parallel conductor tracks on a foil strip in the longitudinal direction. The foil strip is then bent over about a longitudinal axis. The longitudinal edges of the foil strip are fixed continuously to one another by adhesive so that a cavity is created in which the conductor tracks in the rest condition are spaced in opposition to one another.
From DE 92 15 176 U1 there is known a safety profile member made from an electrically insulating rubber or synthetic rubber material. A switch channel accepts electrically conductive contact strips. The ends of the switch channel are sealed off by closure caps of an electrically insulating thermoplastic elastomer.
One known safety switch (DE 33 04 400 C2) is integrated into an elastomeric hollow profile. From the periphery of its cavity there extends a wedge-shaped rib as far as beyond the longitudinal axis of the cavity. The surface of the rib is made electrically conductive, just as is a peripheral surface region of the cavity which lies opposite the apex of the rib. However, the manufacture of this electrical conductor is complex and is limited to profiles having comparatively wide cavities.
A similar safety switch is known from EP 353 332 A1. Here, the rib as a whole and the entire thickness of the opposing wall of the tubular base member are made electrically conductive by the mixing in of electrically conductive materials, such as carbon black, graphite or metal powder. In order to improve the electrical conductivity an electrical conductive wire or strand is embedded without insulation in the rib and also in the tube wall.
From U.S. Pat. No. 4,172,216 A there is known a safety switch mat. The ma
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Buchholz Hans-Volker
Opitz Wolfgang
Meteor Gummiwerke K. H. Badje GmbH & Co.
Scott J. R.
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