Sensata Technologies, Inc.

Thomas A Perkins

Dale R Sogge

Jeffrey Peter Silveria

A switch system () for use with vehicular transmissions for providing an indication of transmission operation in which an electrically insulating ramp plate () is fixedly mounted on a face surface of an electrically conductive detent plate (). Detent plate () has a shaft receiving bore () formed in a hub () that extends from a face surface and interfits with hub () of the actuator plate. The detent plate is fixedly mounted to a rotatable shaft received in the bore of hub () and is rotatably mounted relative to actuator plate (). Ramp plate () has a plurality of openings each defined by a lifting ramp at two opposite ends and conductive leads mounted on the actuator plate, as by insert molding, extend into cut-outs formed in the actuator plate. These cut-outs are alignable with the openings in the ramp plate and the conductive leads have free ends biased toward the detent plate so that rotation of the actuator plate will selectively close or open circuits between the conductive leads and the detent plate. In an additional embodiment, a locking feature is provided for locking the switch system in a selected orientation during shipment to an OEM by using a pin () that is only partially inserted through a bore aligned with a reference feature () of the actuator plate.

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North Attleboro, MA, United States of America

Thomas A Perkins