United Technologies Automotive Inc.

Eaton Corporation

Robert S Migrin

David V Tinder

Jerry A Olson

James D Dowd

Robert C Burdick

Stephen P McGarry

James Matthew Brown

Robert F Gutman

Automobile sun visor mirror unit

A view control prism display system in which the viewable angle of an informational display (15) is controlled and limited to certain desired areas (17) by utilizing the reflective and refractive properties of an optical prism element (10) used in association with the informational display. In the exemplary application of a button (6B) in an instrument cluster in an automotive environment (5), the informational display is included as an applique (15) on a flat surface provided adjacent to but spaced from the optical prism by an air gap (14). A further, 'decorated' surface (13) which can be painted black or be frosted, is provided on an adjacent, bottom surface of the optical prism. Within the desired viewing angle in front (11) of the button, the viewer will see the refracted image of the information contained on the applique, while those outside (18) of the desired viewing angle will 'see' the reflected image of the non-informational 'decorated' surface. Likewise, by properly designing the angles of the various surfaces of the optical prism and the locations of the two surfaces, the informational image will not be projected onto the interior side ('CVZ') of the windshield (9), which is located outside of the desired viewing range of angles, preventing any daytime or nighttime reflections from being generated on the windshield or, if so designed, any of the side windows.

Vehicular display view control system

A switch having a carriage with a pair of substantially opposite sides and a contact surface of conductive parts facing one of the sides and a reaction surface facing the other of the sides in spaced relation therewith, and wherein the carriage is movable relative to and substantially parallel with the contact surface and the reaction surface, and has an improved contact mechanism carried by the carriage. The carriage has plural openings extending therethrough perpendicular to the contact surface and the reaction surface. The contact mechanism comprises a respective plurality of plungers, springs, conductive contact members and a common conductive retainer. Each contact member is slidably disposed in a respective one of the carriage openings and is adapted for engagement with the contact surface. Each spring is interposed in compression between a respective contact member and a respective plunger. Each plunger is in contact with the reaction surface to urge the respective contact member into engagement with the contact surface. Each plunger includes a head portion and a pin depending from the head portion. Each contact member is hollow and open at its end facing the reaction surface and includes a shoulder in the hollow which faces the open end. The retainer is structured to allow limited resilient deflection of one end relative to the other in a direction axially of the carriage openings, but to be substantially rigid to forces applied in a transverse direction.

Contact mechanism for a switch

A switch for controlling wiper delay includes a housing, a circuit board having a contact pattern of several parts on a surface thereof positioned in the housing, some of the contact pattern parts being arranged in a closely-spaced, radially-extending array, a carriage rotatable in the housing, electrical contacts mounted on the carriage and disposed for engagement with selected parts of the contact pattern as a function of the position of the carriage, a discrete resistive element having at least three conductive leads extending therefrom and subdividing the resistive element into a resistor network having a plurality of resistive values, each conductive lead of the resistive element being conductively affixed to a respective one of the contact pattern parts in the array, and wherein the carriage is manually actuatable to place the electrical contact into contact with successive ones of the contact pattern parts in the array to vary the interval between sweeps of a wiper. An additional electrical contact resiliently supported by a conductive beam spring has one end mounted in fixed conductive engagement with one of the contact pattern parts of the circuit board. The beam spring is biased into engagement with a cam surface on the periphery of the carriage for selective electrical connection of that additional contact with another of the circuit contact pattern parts as a function of carriage position to control high speed operation of a wiper motor.

Delay wiper switch

A switch, as for a windshield wiper, has a housing, a carriage rotatable in the housing in opposite directions from a first position to respective second and third positions, one or more electrical contacts mounted on and moving with the carriage, a conductive contact surface fixed in the housing for engagement by the contacts moving with the carriage, a primary actuation member which is manually actuatable from a first to a second position and may control a windshield washer, a drive member carried by the primary actuation member along a path, a resilient reaction member affixed to the carriage and extending into the path of the drive member for engagement therewith and displacement thereby, and wherein the carriage is displaced from the first to the second position by the displacement of the reaction member. The reaction member is the cantilevered arm of a torsion spring. When the carriage is manually actuated through its first position toward its third position, the cantilevered arm of the torsion spring engages a stop member, such as the drive member of the primary actuating member, and yields to allow displacement to the third position but provides a return bias to the first position when the manual actuating force is released.

Switch actuating mechanism having resilient means for displacement

A device (10) for filling a pneumatic tire and sensing the air pressure therein has a check valve (20) disposed within a valve stem (126b) and a pressure sensing switch which is temperature compensated to adjust for air pressure changes within the tire due to changes in ambient temperature. Substantially perfect compensation can be achieved, within a limited range of operation, whereby the set point pressure versus temperature characteristic will track with the related tire pressure versus temperature characteristic. A sealed capsule (110) is assembled and pressurized prior to installation within the device. A manual set point calibration feature is provided. The switch can be employed independently of, as well as in conjunction with, the check valve.

Temperature compensated fill valve/pressure switch

A device for filling a pneumatic tire and sensing the air pressure therein has a check valve disposed within a valve stem and a pressure sensing switch which is temperature compensated to adjust for air pressure changes within the tire due to changes in ambient temperature. Substantially perfect compensation can be achieved, within a limited range of operation, whereby the set point pressure versus temperature characteristic will track with the related tire pressure versus temperature characteristic. A manual set point adjustment feature is provided whereby the switch can be calibrated after it is assembled within a wheel and pneumatic tire. The switch can also be employed independently of, as well as in conjunction with, the check valve.

A low pressure drop air flowmeter for an automobile engine is disclosed. The meter contains a main air flow passage, a relatively small venturi to receive a portion of the air flow, pressure ports for sensing stagnation and static pressure and a set of swirl vanes disposed adjacent the outlet of the venturi and operative to impart a swirl to the remainder of the air in the main passage, thereby creating a reduced pressure at the venturi outlet for amplifying the pressure difference between the stagnation and static pressure without appreciably increasing the pressure drop across the flowmeter. A tertiary passage provides a path of fluid communication between points upstream and downstream of the swirl vanes. This passage can be selectively opened or restricted by a valve which, in the preferred embodiment of the invention, opens the tertiary passage with increasing overall flow rate. This arrangement results in a fluid flowmeter having a characteristic pressure drop which is less than that of a conventional device, particularly at high flow rates. Also disclosed is a solenoid valve operative to selectively sample stagnation pressure in the tertiary passage and signal pressure in the throat of the venturi and generate an electrical output signal as a function of the difference between these two pressure signals.

Two stage flowmeter

A low pressure drop air flowmeter for an automotive engine is disclosed. The meter includes a main air flow passage, a relatively small venturi to receive a portion of the air flow, a pressure port for sensing stagnation pressure in the main passage, a pressure port for sensing static pressure in the throat of the venturi, and a set of swirl vanes disposed adjacent the outlet of the venturi and operative to impart a swirl to the remainder of the air in the main passage, thereby creating a reduced pressure at the venturi outlet for amplifying the pressure difference between the stagnation and static pressure without appreciably increasing the pressure drop across the flowmeter. A geometrically reconfigurable element is included in the main passage resulting in a swirl rate which increases with increasing air flow but at a decreasing rate. This characteristic results in an output pressure differential signal which varies substantially linearly with flow rate over a relatively large range of operation. The reconfigurable element can be of the iris type which varies the effective tip radius of the swirl vanes, or alternatively, can comprise flexible swirl vanes which present a variable pitch to the remainder of the air flowing in the main passage. Also disclosed is a solenoid valve having a multiple valving arrangement operative to communicate the stagnation pressure to an absolute pressure transducer in one position, to communicate the static pressure with the transducer in another position, and to communicate engine manifold vacuum pressure with the transducer in a third position. Finally, pressure relief means are disclosed which provide a path for fluid communication between the main passage and the atmosphere at a point downstream of the swirl vanes when the direction of the air flow through the meter is reversed, such as when the engine backfires.

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Dearborn, MI, United States of America

Robert S Migrin