Emhart Industries, Inc.

Mark L Petre

Ellis Paul Lipp

Gregg V Speer

Donald L Ray

Michael W Lock

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 shaft is rotatable in a housing and connected to a rotatable actuator having a notch that pivots around the shaft. A slidable actuator is slidable along the shaft and has a notch that moves parallel to the shaft. The shaft is inserted into a slot in a lever, and a pin having a shoulder is passed through the lever perpendicular to the slot, passing through a bore in the shaft and the shoulder pressing the shaft against the side of the slot. The pin is driven in with a predetermined force high enough to hold the lever and shaft together with zero clearance and low enough to allow the lever to easily pivot on the shaft. The lever is deformable and thus grips the pin. A pair of identical carriages are pivotable on pins, each carriage having an arm that fits into one of the notches in the actuators, the arm and notches having surfaces shaped to provide a zero-clearance, non-jamming fit over their entire range of motion. Contacts are mounted on the carriages and are moved across traces on a circuit board by the pivoting motion of the carriages to activate the switch.

Electrical switch with improved mechanical assembly

A timer housing, gear train housing, and motor housing are axially aligned with the timer housing being connected to the gear train housing through electrically conductive fasteners extending through the timer housing. A metal strap carried by the timer housing provides for an electrical ground through the electrically conductive fasteners for the timer motor. The metal strap is swaged to receptacles which receive metal fasteners to fasten the whole assembly to a metal base.

Means electrically grounding a motor

A first rotor is fixedly carried by a shaft and a second rotor is loosely carried by the shaft. A coupling means couples the second rotor to the shaft through flanges extending from the rotor and pinching the shaft. The two rotors are then adjusted with respect to one another by rotating the shaft while holding the second rotor in place.

Adjustable variable resistance control system

A pair of electrical terminals are held in close spaced relation to each other to provide a gap therebetween. A third electrical terminal extends into the gap. A spring contact arm engages the third electrical terminal and pivots between it and the other two electrical terminals.

Growing community of inventors

Pittsboro, IN, United States of America

Mark L Petre