Emhart Industries, Inc.

Donald L Ray

Ellis Paul Lipp

Garry A Stout

Gregg V Speer

Elmo W Voland

Mark L Petre

Robert L Eder

An electromechanical switch having a manually operable lever with a long lever arm, a low power circuit on a circuit board, low pressure contacts and a force decoupling assembly for connecting the lever and contacts while decoupling the forces associated with the operation of the lever from the forces associated with contacting the circuit. The force decoupling assembly includes a contact carriage pivotable in a first direction to move the contacts across traces on the circuit board to activate the switch and springs for biasing the contacts against the traces in a direction perpendicular to the pivot plane.

Electromechanical switch

A housing has a flat side and an open end opposite the flat side, which open end is closed by a circuit board, sandwiching a slidable contact carrier between it and the flat side. Normal power terminals are carried by the flat side and low power traces by the circuit board. Contacts carried on both sides of the carrier open and close circuits on the flat side and the circuit board as the carrier is slid in the housing. The carrier slides on a stabilizing bar with a highly finished surface, thereby smoothing out force irregularities that could be caused by the small size and differing characteristics of the two sides of the switch.

Multi-circuit slide switch assembly with distinct plunger operated switch

A contact is attached to a carrier and the carrier-contact assembly encapsulated in a chamber in a light guide, the chamber having an open end closed by a circuit board having traces on it. A lever fitting into a lever housing in the carrier passes through a slot in the light guide permitting the carrier to be manually slid within the chamber parallel to the circuit board, thereby moving the contact over the traces. The carrier contacts the light guide wholly along narrow ribs which are greased with a viscous grease. An opaque cover, having a slot through which the lever extends, encloses the light guide. An opaque tape located between the cover and the light guide and having an opening through which the lever extends, slides with the lever to prevent light from escaping through the slot in the cover as the lever is moved. A rim on the lever housing prevents light from escaping around the opening in the tape.

Slide switch with light guide

An electromechanical switch includes a lever movable between neutral and activate positions, a first cam comprising a cylinder having oppositely disposed flat sides, a pair of elongated leaf springs, and a housing supporting the first cam sandwiched between the leaf springs, with the leaf springs bent a first non-zero amount when the lever is in neutral position and a second amount larger than the first amount when the lever is in the activate position, the leaf spring thereby acting to return the lever to neutral position whenever it is moved to activate position. There is also a detent which includes a second cam and a stop integrally formed with the second cam which is located between the lever and the first cam.

Manually operated electromechanical switch

An intermittent drive includes a pair of reciprocating drive pawls which individually and alternately drive a camstack in a step by step maneuver. Electrical switches open and close in response to the camstack. One of the drive pawls includes a lost motion connection between it and a rotating member. There is a sub-interval switch having a cam disposed within the intermittent drive and a cam follower which operates a switch.

Means providing intermittent motion to a cam means of a timing mechanism

Switches are fixed relative to a camstack for cam actuation and include two individual blades the free ends of which are biased toward the camstack. One of the blades engages the cams to actuate it relative to the other. The free end of the other blade rides on a pivotally mounted carriage which is biased by the hub of the camstack to reference the blade to the hub. The carriage includes individual cam followers which are flexible and which engage the hub to be flexed by the hub. Walls extend from the individual followers between adjacent sets of blades to prevent arcing between adjacent sets of electrical contacts. A third blade also rides on the carriage to be biased by the hub. The third blade provides another switching function.

Timer with improved switch blade arrangement

A cam is axially displaced so that a pair of cam followers sequentially drop from the cam's outer periphery to sequentially close a pair of electrical switches which are responsive to the cam followers. Upon completion of a program, the cam is permitted to displace to its original position. A clip ring clutch is used to provide a two-way manual rotation of a ring which carries a ramp that axially indexes the cam.

Timing mechanism having a short pulse prior to its overall program

A digital clock is coupled to a cam means of a timing mechanism so that the clock can indicate the time remaining of a cycle provided by the cam means. One of the display wheels of the clock is intermittently rotated through the stored energy of a torsion spring, the energy being stored when the wheel is prevented from rotating by a slider which engages the wheel. A second display wheel is intermittently rotated as the first wheel is rotated through a geneva gear system which couples the two wheels together.

Timing mechanism with a digital clock

A cam is axially displaced so that a pair of cam followers sequentially drop from the cam's outer periphery to sequentially close a pair of electrical switches which are responsive to the cam followers. Upon completion of a program, the cam is permitted to displace to its original position. A coil spring clutch permits an actuator to be located in a predetermined position for axial displacement of the cam.

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Oaklandon, IN, United States of America

Donald L Ray