Tilt switch

Details Tilt switch Tilt switch

2000-06-09

2001-03-06

Friedhofer, Michael (Department: 2832)

Electricity: circuit makers and breakers

Special application

Change of inclination or of rate of motion responsive

Reexamination Certificate

active

06198059

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a tilt switch, more particularly to a tilt switch including an electrically conductive ball member received in an insulating housing to engage first insert end portions of two first electric contact members therein, and movable to engage or disengage a second insert end portion of at least one second electric contact member to establish or break electrical connection among first and second electric contact terminals of the first and second electric contact members.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to
FIGS. 1 and 2
, a conventional tilt switch
10
is shown to include an electrically conductive housing
11
with an opening
111
, two conductive ball members
12
which are received in the housing
11
via the opening
111
, an insulating cover
14
which covers the opening
111
and which has a through hole
141
such that a first electric contact member
13
is press fitted within the through hole
141
and an enlarged head portion
131
thereof abuts against the cover
14
, and a second electric contact member
15
which is clamped between the cover
14
and the housing
11
by deforming the housing
11
radially and inwardly. When the housing
11
is in an upright position, the ball members
12
engage the first electric contact member
13
by virtue of gravity and an inner peripheral wall of the housing
11
, thereby establishing electrical connection between the first and second electric contact members
13
,
15
. Once the housing
11
is vibrated, the ball members
12
are moved to disengage the head portion
131
of the first electric contact member
13
, thereby breaking the electrical connection. However, the second electric contact member
15
is liable to be stripped from the housing
11
due to the vibration of the latter. In addition, as shown in
FIG. 3
, when the ball members
12
are registered with each other vertically and disengage the inner peripheral wall of the housing
11
, undesired breaking of the electrical connection will occur.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to provide a tilt switch which can ensure electrical connection and in which electric contact members are secured firmly on a housing.
According to this invention, the tilt switch includes an insulating housing which has top, bottom, right, left, front and rear walls that cooperate to confine an accommodating space. The left wall has an inner wall surface and an outer wall surface which is disposed opposite to the inner wall surface, and further has two first insert holes disposed proximate to the bottom wall and at least one second insert hole disposed proximate to the top wall. The first insert holes are aligned with and are spaced apart from each other in a first transverse direction, and define a first distance therebetween in the first transverse direction. A pair of elongate first electric contact members includes first insert end portions of such a dimension so as to be press fitted within the first insert holes and extending in a second transverse direction into the accommodating space towards the right wall. The first insert end portions of the first electric contact members are parallel to each other and are spaced apart from each other in the first transverse direction with the first distance so as to define a rolling guideway therebetween. Each first electric contact member further includes a first electric contact terminal which extends outwardly of the left wall and which is bent downwardly to extend beyond the bottom wall. At least one elongate second electric contact member includes a second insert end portion of such a dimension so as to be press fitted within the second insert hole and extending in the second transverse direction into the accommodating space such that the second insert end portion is spaced apart from the first insert end portions with a second distance in a longitudinal direction and is shorter than the first insert end portions in the second transverse direction, and a second electric contact terminal which extends outwardly of the left wall, and which is bent downwardly to extend beyond the bottom wall. An electrically conductive ball member is disposed in the accommodating space, and has a diameter larger than both the first and second distances such that the ball member engages the first insert end portions and is movable on and is guided by the rolling guideway between a first position where the ball member engages the second insert end portion when the rolling guideway is in a horizontal position so as to establish electrical connection among the first and second electric contact terminals, and a second position where the ball member is proximate to the right wall to disengage the second insert end portion when the rolling guideway is tilted from the horizontal position so as to break the electrical connection among the first and second electric contact terminals.


REFERENCES:
patent: 3108252 (1963-10-01), Torres
patent: 4751353 (1988-06-01), Stephens
patent: 5136126 (1992-08-01), Blair
patent: 5155308 (1992-10-01), Blair
patent: 5602429 (1997-02-01), Scgiebelhuth

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