General Electric Company

Other

Ronald W Poling

James P Frank

Manuel L Gonzalez

Kenneth R Renkes

George E Morris

Ted P Struttmann

A temperature responsive switch includes a housing, electrical contacts, an actuator arm, a rotatable shaft, and a cam assembly to open and close an electrical power circuit in response to environmental conditions. The cam assembly includes a cam and a cam follower attached to the actuator arm with a bias spring and contacting a cam surface. The cam surface has a first portion for adjusting the temperature calibration of the switch, and a second portion for positioning the cam follower in an OFF position that reduces the load on the bias spring. Thus, spring losses are avoided when the cam follower is in the OFF position, and the switch may be more accurately calibrated and adjusted when the switch is returned from the OFF position.

Spring load reduction thermostat

A condition-responsive electric switch mechanism for use in controlling a compressor of a refrigeration appliance. The switch mechanism includes first, second and third terminals, an actuator movable as a function of a detected condition and a bistable spring switch element electrically connected to the first terminal. The spring switch element includes a movable contact and is adapted for snap-acting movement between an open and a closed position. In the open position, the movable contact of the spring switch element is spaced apart from a fixed contact mounted on the second terminal. In the closed position, the movable contact engages the fixed contact to electrically connect the first and second terminals. The spring switch element also includes a toggle blade operable by engagement with the actuator for motion through a first switch point. At the first switch point, the spring switch element snaps between the open and closed positions. The toggle blade is operable by further engagement with the actuator for motion past the first switch point to a second switch point. At the second switch point, the toggle blade electrical connects the first and third terminals to enable an alarm.

Condition-responsive electric switch mechanism

A refrigeration apparatus containing a thermostat, adapted for use in a food storage compartment potentially containing a flammable gas, includes a thermostat and an enclosure forming a chamber configured to house the thermostat. The enclosure has two umbrella-type check valves configured to permit gas to pass into the chamber or out of the chamber when a predetermined pressure differential exists between the chamber and the food storage compartment. The enclosure forms a seal with the thermostat so that gas only passes through the check valves.

Refrigeration thermostat with controlled pressure equalization

A central device has a housing and snap action means for discrete snap action movement between a stable configuration and an unstable configuration thereof. Means is provided in the housing for seating the snap action means, and means is also provided for urging the snap action means from the seating means. Force transmitting means is operable generally for initially moving the snap action means into seating engagement with the seating means and for thereafter effecting the discrete snap action movement of the snap action means from the stable configuration toward the unstable configuration thereof.

Control device

A method of operating an electric circuit controlling device with the device having a housing, a seat in the housing, and a snap action member having discrete snap action movement between a stable configuration and an unstable configuration. The snap action member in its stable configuration is moved from a preselected position displaced from the housing seat into engagement therewith, and the discrete snap action movement of the snap action member from the stable configuration toward the unstable configuration thereof is effected when the snap action means is engaged with the housing seat.

Method of operating an electric circuit controlling device

An electrical switch device has a casing with a viewing aperture therein, and switch actuating means is pivotally movable in the casing between an at-rest position and a switch actuating position. A toggle spring is movable with the switch actuating means for resiliently opposing its pivotal movement from both the at-rest and switch actuating positions. The toggle spring includes visual indicating means conjointly movable therewith for disposition in a viewable position at the viewing aperture in response to the pivotal movement of the switch actuating means from its at-rest position to its switch actuating position.

Electrical switch device

An electric circuit controlling device has a housing and snap action means for discrete snap action movement between a stable configuration and an unstable configuration thereof. Means is provided in the housing for seating the snap action means, and means is also provided for urging the snap action means from the seating means. Force transmitting means is operable generally for initially moving the snap action means into seating engagement with the seating means and for thereafter effecting the discrete snap action movement of the snap action means from the stable configuration toward the unstable configuration thereof.

Electric circuit controlling device

A method of making a control device having an opening therein, at least a pair of abutments on the control device within the opening and having a pair of laterally spaced apart points thereon defining a chord of the opening, and a snap-action member in the opening and operable between a stable configuration and an unstable configuration thereof with the snap action member being engaged only in the unstable configuration thereof the at least abutment means pair. In this method, the snap-action member is formed into the stable configuration thereof from a metallic material having a directed grain structure. The snap-action member is seated on the control device in a preselected assembly position so as to extend at least in part about the opening, and the direction of the grain orientation of the snap-action member is aligned so as to extend generally perpendicularly with respect to the chord of the opening.

Method of making a control device

A control device has a snap-action member so as to effect the operation of a switch device from one conductive mode of a conductive mode pair to the other thereof, an actuator between the snap-action member and the switch device, and spring means engaged with the actuator for biasing it into engagement with the snap-action member. Methods of assembly are also disclosed.

A snap-action member of a metallic material having a predetermined grain orientation and having at least one projection for locating the snap-action member in a preselected assembly position on seating means therefor in a control device thereby to align the predetermined grain orientation with respect to the seating means.

Snap-action member

A control device has a housing with an opening therein, and at least a pair of opposite spaced apart stopping abutments in the housing are arranged within the opening so as to intersect with a chord thereof. A snap-action member formed from a metallic material having directed grain orientation extending generally across the snap-action member is seated on the housing in a predetermined assembly position at least in part about the opening and in spaced relation with the at least stopping abutment pair so that the direction of the grain orientation in the metallic material of the snap-action member extends generally across the chord of the opening which intersects with said at least stopping abutment pair.

Control device with grain oriented snap disk

An assembly for use in a condition responsive mechanism. The assembly includes a housing part having aperture means therethrough and a control device rotatably assembled at least in part in the aperture means for selecting a set temperature of the condition responsive mechanism. The housing part has a pair of sections extending generally about at least a part of the aperture means and predeterminately spaced in off-set relation with respect to each other. The control device has a body portion formed of a generally resilient resin material and includes groove means extending thereabout for receiving in rotatable abutment the off-set sections. The groove means defines with the body portion at least one flange thereon with the flange being displaced in response to the rotatable abutment of the groove means and off-set sections so as to resile and exert a force acting to maintain the rotatable abutment between the groove means and the off-set sections. A method of assembly is also disclosed.

Assembly and method of assembling

A control device adapted to select a set-point temperature for a condition responsive device. The control device has temperature selecting means rotatable through a preselected temperature range generally between a pair of opposite rotated positions, and resilient means is disposed for engagement with a part of the temperature selecting means upon rotation thereof in response to a rotative applied force from one of the opposite rotated positions toward the other thereof so as to arrest the rotation of the temperature selecting means in a predetermined rotated position between the opposite rotated positions. Means is movable in response to another applied force thereon for driving the resilient means toward a displaced position disengaged from the part of the temperature selecting means, and the temperature selecting means is thereafter further rotatable upon further exertion of the rotative applied force thereon from the predetermined rotated position toward the other opposite rotated position. Means is provided on the temperature selecting means for camming engagement with the resilient means so as to maintain the resilient means urged toward its displaced position upon the release of the another applied force on the driving means.

An electrical control device has an electromagnet, and means is adapted for attraction from a generally at-rest position through an air gap into magnetic holding engagement with the electromagnet upon its energization. In combination with the device, there is provided means for adjusting the attraction means toward a selected at-rest position thereof and also means for mounting the adjusting means so that it is rotatable to drive the attraction means toward the selected at-rest position and conjointly linearly movable in a direction generally away from its driving engagement with the attraction means. The adjusting means is conjointly rotatably and linearly movable in response to an applied adjusting force thereon to drive the attraction means toward the selected at-rest position with respect to the electromagnet to adjustably alter the air gap therebetween. Another electrical control device, a method of adjusting an air gap in an electrical control device, and a method of operating adjusting means for an electrical control device are also disclosed.

Growing community of inventors

Morrison, IL, United States of America

Ronald W Poling