CA1124289A - Snap disc operated pressure switch - Google Patents

Snap disc operated pressure switch

Info

Publication number
CA1124289A
CA1124289A CA327,225A CA327225A CA1124289A CA 1124289 A CA1124289 A CA 1124289A CA 327225 A CA327225 A CA 327225A CA 1124289 A CA1124289 A CA 1124289A
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
disc
switch
pressure
operator
movable contact
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired
Application number
CA327,225A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Donald E. Place
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Emerson Electric Co
Original Assignee
Emerson Electric Co
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from US06/004,743 external-priority patent/US4243858A/en
Application filed by Emerson Electric Co filed Critical Emerson Electric Co
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA1124289A publication Critical patent/CA1124289A/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01HELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H35/00Switches operated by change of a physical condition
    • H01H35/24Switches operated by change of fluid pressure, by fluid pressure waves, or by change of fluid flow
    • H01H35/34Switches operated by change of fluid pressure, by fluid pressure waves, or by change of fluid flow actuated by diaphragm
    • H01H35/343Switches operated by change of fluid pressure, by fluid pressure waves, or by change of fluid flow actuated by diaphragm by snap acting diaphragm

Landscapes

  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Fluid Mechanics (AREA)
  • Switches Operated By Changes In Physical Conditions (AREA)

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

A snap disc operator pressure switch is disclosed in which a thin flexible diaphragm is positioned adjacent to the disc to isolate the pressure chamber from the disc chamber and to transmit the pressure forces directly to the surface of the disc. The disc is positioned in a disc seat and is held therein by the diaphragm. The calibration of the disc is not adversely affected because it is not necessary to provide a seal directly with the disc. The disc seat member is shaped to support the disc against overpressure and to provide a guide for the switch bumper. When higher operating pressures are required, two discs are positioned in the disc seat at face-to-face adjacency and the device operates at a pressure substantially equal to the sum of the calibration pressures of the discs. In another embodiment, the movable arm of the switch is biased closed and is moved to an open position by a spring-biased operator. In such embodiment, the maximum stress applied to the movable arm is determined by the spring force on the operator, so overstressing and fatigue failures of the arm are sub-stantially eliminated.

Description

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_ACKGROUND 0~ INY~NTION
This invention relates generally to pressure switches, and more particularly to a novel, improved pressure switch of simplified structure in which a switch is operated by a shallow, dished shaped disc movable with snap action between two positions of stability in response to predetermined pressures.
PRIOR ART
Snap disc-operated pressure-responsive switching devices are known. An example of such device is illustrated and described in United States Letters Patent Nos. 3,302,269, 3,365,557, 3,584,168, and 4,091,249. In such devices, the snap disc itself usually defines a portion of a pressure chamber so that fluid under pressure acts directly on the disc to cause it to snap back and forth on reaching predetermined pressure conditions. In such devices, it is necessary to establish a fluid seal between the housing and the disc to prevent leakage. If the seal is produced by gripping the disc at its periphery, the structure of the seal produces forces on the disc which tend to alter the operating pressure or the disc. On the other hand, if the seal between the disc and the housing is provided by a weld or the like, as illustrated in some of the patents cited above, stresses tend to occur which, again, alter the operating temperature of the disc. Consequently, in devices of the prior art such as the device illustrated in such patents, it is generally necessary to provide calibration means to pull in the disc or otherwise be certain that the disc will operate at the desired operating pressures. Further, the cost of accurately producing a weld to establish a seal between the housing and disc is relatively high.
In other instances, a diaphragm is used in conjunction with a snap disc wherein an actuator is positioned between the diaphragm and the disc to transmit the pressure forces to the disc. In such devices, the calibration pressures of the disc are altered by the actuator.

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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance w-lth the present invention, a novel and improved snap disc~operated pressure swltch i9 provided having a simplified structure wich provides operating accuracy and low manufacturing cost.
In accordance with one important aspect of this invention, a nonmetallic, flexible diaphragm is positloned within a housing immedia~ely against a shallow dish-shaped snap disc to seal the pressurP chamber of the device while providing a force-transmitting medium which efficiently transmits the pressure force directly to the disc without exposing the disc directly to the pressure fluid. ~ith such structure, it is not necessary to produce a seal between the dlsc per se and the housing even though the fluid under pressure within the pressure chamber effectively acts directly upon the disc.
The elimination of the requirement for a direct fluid seal between the disc and the housing improves operating accuracy by eliminating the application of stress or forces to the disc other than the forces resulting from the fluid under pressure. Consequently, the calibration of the disc established during its manufacture is not altered by lts installation within the device.
In accordance with another important aspect of this invention, the disc seat member is provided with a disc-supporting wall extending inwardly from the seat which supports the disc against overstressing when high pressures are encountered, Such element also provides a guide for the bumper which extends between the disc and the switch.
In accordance with another important asepct of this invention, a novel and improved switch system is provided to limit the stresses applied to the movable contact support arm and to eliminate ~atigue failu~es when the switch is operated through a large number of cycles.
In the illustrated embodiments, the diaphragm is formed of a thin thermoplastic material, such as polyimide, marketed under the trade mark ~ 2~

"Kapton." A peripheral seal is established between the diaphragm and the housing assembly by a simple resilient gasket which may be formed, for example, of neoprene or nitrile. Prefe~ably, a unitary element which provides the disc seat also protects the disc from damage due to overpressure, provides the switch bumper guide, and is formed with an amlular rib engaging the diaphragm to ensure that localized high pressure is established between the diaphragm and the neoprene seal member to prevent the possibility of leakage.
The housing assembly, including the switch housing and the pressure chamber housing, is permanently connected by the simple expediency of crimping the pressure chamber housing to the switch housing. Preferably, the structure is arranged so that devices requiring relatively high operating accuracy can be assembled and held together without crimping to allow testing of the assembly to ensure that it meets specification requirements before the assembly is completed by the crimping operation. In the event that a given disc does not operate within the specification requirements for the device, it is then an easy matter to disassemble the device and replace the disc with another disc to provide the required operating accuracy.
In the embodiment arranged to limit stress on the movable contact support arm, the arm is biased to a normally closed position. A spring-biased operator is slidably mounted in the body and provides a central pro-jection which extends through an opening in the contact arm. Such projection engages the end of the bumper and a shoulder on the operator around such pro-~ection is engaged by the arm on the side thereof remcte from the bumper. With this structure, the maximum stress applied to the movable contact support arm occurs when the contacts are open while the arm is functioning in a cantilever manner and the arm is not overstressed under high pressure on the disc. In fact, once the contacts close, overtravel of the disc merely causes separation of the contact arm and the operator shoulder. Consequently, contact arm fatigue failures are virtually eliminated.

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In accordance with another aspect of thls invention, two discs can be mounted in ahutting relation.ship within the device to allow operation at higher pressures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a side elevation in longitudinal section, illustrat-ing the general structural arrangement of one preferred embodiment of this invention;
Figure 2 is a cross section taken along 2-2 of Figure 1, illustrating the mounting of the arm of the switch, Figure 3 is a ragmentary section of the switch end of the device, illustrating a simple structure for mounting the terminals of the switch in the switch housing;
Figure 4 is a fragmentary end view of a valve operator which is arranged to open a Schraeder valve or the like when the device is installed in an operating system such as an automotive air condltioning system;
Figure 5 is a fragmentary, longitudinal section of a second embodiment in which two discs are provided to allow efficient operation at higher pressures;
Figure 6 is a longitudinal section of another embodiment providing a modified switch arrangement; and Figure 7 is an exploded, perspective view of portions of the switch of the embodiment of Figure 6.
DETAILED DESC~IPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The one illustrated pressure switch, in accordance with the present invention (illustrated in Figures 1 to 5), is partlcularly suited for use in automotive air conditioning systems wherein it is threaded onto a Schraeder-type valve. The housing assembly includes a threaded fitting portion 10 providing internal threads 11 which thread onto the Schraeder valve when the device is installed. During installation, a valve operator 12 engages the valve stem of the Schraeder valve and opens the ~alve so that fluid communication is provided with the associated system. When the device is removed for replace-ment or the like, the Schraeder valve automatically closes to seal the system.
Welded to the fltt~ng portion 10 is a sheet metal housing 13 having an axially extending wall 14 which fits around a flange 16 and a switch housing member 17 and is crimped at 18 to permanently connect the housing members together. As an alternative, the fitting portion 10 and housing 13 can be formed as a unitary element, for example, as a screw machine part.
The housing 13 and switch housing 17 cooperate to define a cavity divided into a pressure chamber 19 and a switch chamber 21 by a flexible diaphragm 22 formed of a nor~etallic material such as a polyimide marketed under the trade nark "Kapton" by E. I. DuPont de Nemours & Company. A peripheral seal is provided between the diaphragm 22 and the housing 13 by a gasket 23, preferably formed of neoprene or nitrile or the like, which is compressed between a radial flange 24 on the housing and one surface of the diaphragm by a flange 26 of a disc seat member 27. The flange 26 of the dlsc member 27 is held against the side of the diaphragm 22 opposite the gasket 23 by the flange 16, which is held by the crimping of the housing 13. Preferably, the flange 26 is formed with an annular rib 28, which produces an annular zone of high compression to ensure that leakage does not occur between the diaphragm and the gasket.
The disc seat member is provided with a radially inward extend-irlg wall 29 having a forward face 31 spaced bsck from the forward face of the flange 26 to provide a disc seat 32 in which a shallow dished shape snap disc 33 is positioned. The snap disc 33 is shaped to provide two positions of stability between which it moves with snap action in response to predetermined pressures in the pressure chamber 19.

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In the position illustrated in ~igure 1, the dlsc ls arched toward the chamber 19 and i5 seated at its periphery in the disc seat 32.
The diaphragm engages the disc and transmits fluld forces from the chamber 19 to the disc so that when sufficient pressure is developed in the chamber 19, the disc is caused to snap thsough to its opposite position of stability, in which it extends substantially along the forward face 31 of the disc seat member 27. In order to ensure that the forward face 31 does not interfere with such snap movement to the opposite position of stability, it is inclined back from the plane of the disc seat to allow the snap disc 33 to snap through to its opposite position of stability. However, such face 31 is positioned against or adjacent to the disc after it snaps through to support the disc and prevent it from being damaged if overpressure occurs in the pressure chamber 19.
Because the forward face 31 is inclined back from the plane of the edge of the disc 33 the disc is supported only at its edge in both positions of stability. This insures that the effective area of the disc does not change when it snaps back and forth. If fos example the disc seat were flat the disc would be supported on its edge in one position and would be supported on the inner edge of the seat in its other position. In such structure, the effective area of the disc against which the pressure would react would not be the same in both positions. However, an inclined seat, having an angle of inclination greater than the disc curvature at its edge, eliminates such effective area change because the disc is supported at its edge in both positions.
The disc seat member 27 is also provided with a central tubular portion 34 to guide a cylindrical bumper 36, which extends between the disc 33 and a movable contact arm 37 for the operation of the switch.
The switch includes a first terminal 38 which extends through an opening 39 in the switch housing 17 and provides a lateral portion 41 on which one end of the movable contact arm 37 is mounted. A stationary contact is
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provided by a second terminal member 42, which extends through an opening 43 in the housing 17 and is also provided with a lateral portion 44 providing a layer of contact material 46 which functions as the stationary contact. A movable contact 47 is mounted on the ree end of the arm 37 and is moved into and out of engagement with the fixed contact 46 by the bumper 36 when the snap disc 33 snaps between its two positions of stability.
Figure 3 illustrates the manner in which the two terminals 38 and 42 are permanently mounted in the switch housing. After the terminals are - positioned in their respective openings, they are staked, as illustrated at 48 and 49, so that they are permanently mounted in position. Preferably, the switch housing 17, the disc seat member 27 and the bumper 36 are molded from a nonconductive plastlc material so that separate insulating structure is not required, The ~alve operator 12 may also be molded of plastic material and, as best illustrated in Figures 1 and 4, is formed with axial grooves 51 and 52 which provide communication between the threaded passage in the fitting portion 10 and the pressure chamber 19. The grooves 51 provide saw tooth shaped ridges to allow it to be press-fitted into position.
As best illustrated in Flgure 2, the movable contact arm is mounted on the lateral portion 41 of the terminal 38 by a spot weld at 50, and is formed with a semicircular cutout 53 so as to provide a bend line sub-stantially at 54. With such structure, the welding operation does not signi-ficantly affect the spring force of the movable contact arm, and the arm bends along a bend line substantially adjacent to the side of the switch chamber so that the effective length of the arm in its movement is maximi~ed.
The snap disc 33 is shaped during its manufacture so that it operates at substantially the desired pressures of the de~ice. Since the disc is not subjected to any clamping or welding stresses when installed, it acts substantially as a free disc and operates at the calibratlon pressures determined during its manufacture. The engagement of the face of the disc by the diaphragm 22 does not apply any significant forces to the disc, other than the pressure-induced forces. Consequently, the calibration pressures of the free disc are substantially unaltered by the diaphragm during the assembly of the disc in the device. Further, the diaphragm engages the periphery of the disc and maintains the disc in its seat.
In the illustrated device, the disc may, for example, be cali-brated during its manufacture to snap from the illustrated position of stability through to its opposite position of stability whenever the pressure within the pressure chamber 19 reaches 45 psi. During its snap movement from the illu-strated position to its opposite position of stability, the bumper 36 moves to the left, as viewed in Figure 1, and causes the movable contact arm 37 to carry the movable contact into engagement with the fixed contact 46 closing the switch.
The disc then remains in such position until the pressure in the chamber 19 drops below the lower calibration pressure, which for example may be 24 psi.
Upon reaching the lower operating pressure, the disc snaps back through to the illustrated position, allowing the switch to open.
In accordance with the present invention, the disc calibration pressures are not materially altered by the mounting of the disc, and it is only necessary to manufacture the disc so that when the spring force of the movable arm is applied to the disc in the assembled device, the actual operat ing pressures of the disc are within the specification requirements of the device.
In the illustrated device, the spring force applied to the disc by the bumper 36 tends to bias the disc toward the illustrated position. Con-sequently, the disc is manufactured in the above example where it operates at 45 psi and 24 psi, so that in its free, unbiased state, the disc would snap through at a pressure slightly g~eater than 45 psi in one dlrection and at a pressure slightly greater than 24 psi in the opposite direction. The amount of change of the calibration pressure caused by the spring bias of the movable contact arm is substantially known and does not vary significantly from one device to the next, 50 compensation for such force can be uniformly accomplished during the manufacture of the device. On the other hand, in prior art systems where the clamping forces on the disc or stresses produced during welding affect the operating temperature of the disc, it is difficult to provide a uniform variation of the calibration pressures.

With the illustrated structure, the diaphragm fits against the entire disc and is sufficiently elastic and flexible to move with the disc with-out inducing forces other than pressure forces. Although a Kapton diaphragm is illustrated, other suitable materials such as rubber may be used. If a rubber diaphragm is used, the separate gasket may not be required. The diaphragm, in addition, functions to keep the disc from bounclng when it operates so the tendency for calibration drift to occur during the use of the device is sub-stantially eliminated.
Further, in the present structure in which the disc is freely positioned and is not permanently mounted by welds or the like, it is possible to assemble the entire unit and clamp the housing together without crimping while the unit is tested for operating accuracy. If the unit does not operate under such conditions within the proper pressure ranges, the unit can be dis-assembled and the disc removed for replacement by another disc for retesting.
Once the testing is satisfactorily accomplished, the housing 13 can then be crimped to complete the device. This testing before final assembly can be accomplished with the present invention, since the degree of clamping of the diaphragm does not in any way affect the operating pressure of the disc. Any difference in clamping is taken up solely in the gasket 23. In units in which _ g _ 2~3~

a higher degree of clamping is provlded the gasket is compre~sed to a greater degree but the relative positions of the switch, disc and diaphragm are not altered. Therefore, the degree of clamping has no effect on the operation of the device.
Figure 5 illustrates the second embodiment of this invention, which is preferably used when the device must operate at higher pressures.
The pressure at which a snap disc operates depends upon the properties and thickness of the material, and depends also on the amount of curvature formed in the disc during its manufacture. Because the disc in the ~resent invention is acted upon along its entire surface, dificulty can be encountered in producing discs calibrated for relatively high pressures, for examples pressures on the order of 90 psi. If the disc is manufactured of material which is too thick, or if too much curvature is required, difficulty is encountered in obtaining calibration accuracy and the disc tends to be incapable of repeated cycling through a large number of cyclic operations. In order to overcome such difficulty, a structure as illustrated in Figure 5 is used in which two discs are positioned immediately ad~acent to each other, instead of a single disc as illustrated in the embodiment of Figure 1.
Preferably, such discs are substantially identical, and are formed of the sc~me material and provided with the same curvature. If, for example, the device is intended to operate in one direction at 90 psi, and in the other direction at 48 psi, two discs preferably each having calibration pressures of substantially 45 psi and 24 psi are used. In this embodiment, the disc 33a is positioned against the disc seat 32 and the second disc 33b is positioned between the disc 33a and the dlaphragm 22. Here again, the discs operate the switch through a bumper 36 in the same manner as described above in connection with the first embodiment. The structure of the overall device is essentially the same as in the first embodiment, except that the depth of the ~ z'~

disc seat 32 in this embodi~ent i6 appropriately increased so that there is sufficient room to accommodate the additional thickness of the two discs.
If necessary, a thin film of material such as Teflon*(not illustrated) can be positioned between the two discs to reduce any frictional contac~ therebetween to provide greater operating accuracy. Also in this embodiment the two discs can be selectively assembled for greater operating accuracy. For example, in the manufacture of discs, some discs have a cali-bration pressure on the lower side of acceptable tolerance and other discs operate on the high side of the tolerance, even though the discs are sub-stantially identical within the range of possible manufacturing accuracy. Insuch instance, a disc on the low die of the tolerance is assembled with the disc on the high side of the tolerance to produce an assembly which operates essentially in ~he middle of the tolerance range. In practice, the assembled discs operate at a pressure which is substantially equal to the sum of the calibration pressures of the individual discs.
With this embodiment, the disc can be manufactured of thinner material or with lower curvatures so that the discs are capable of extended operation without failure, while providing a relatively high operating pressure.
Figures 6 and 7 illustrate an embodiment in which overpressure conditions cannot produce overstressing of the movable contact support arm.
In this embodiment, the housing assembly includes a switch housing 61, a seat member 62, and a fitting postion 63, all of which are molded from plastic material, such as a phenolic resin. The fittlng portion 63 is formed with a radial shoulder 64, which is opposed to a radial shoulder 66 ~ormed on the switch housing 61, and a crimp ring 67 secures the parts together by embracing the opposed shoulders 64 and 66.
Here again, the fitting portion 63 is formed with a threaded opening 68, allowing the device to be threaded onto a Schraeder valve. In this * Trademark embodiment, however, an integral p~o~ection 69 is molded into ~he fitting portion to open the Schraeder valve when the device is threaded into place. A plurality of axial passages 71 provide fluid communication through to the disc chamber 72 formed between the end face of the fittlng portion 63 and the seat member 62.
Such fitting portion may be machined from metal or be molded as illustrated.
Here again in this em~odiment a snap disc 73 ls held in an inclined seat formed in the seat member 62. The inclination of the seat insures that the disc is supported by its edge in both positions. In this particular embodiment, the seat member 62 is not formed with a forward face intended to fit the contour of the disc after the disc is snapped through, but instead is shaped to support the disc only substantially adjacent to its center after the disc is operated. A diaphragm 74 is again positioned against the disc in the same manner as the first embodiment, and a seal is provided by the gasket 76.
Positioned within a switch chamber 77 defined by the switch housing 61 and the seat member 62 is a switch consisting of a pair of terminals 78 and 79. A movable contact arm 81 shaped as best illustrated in Figure 7 is riveted at 80 to the inner end of the terminal 78. Mounted on the free end of the movable contact arm is a movable contact 82 which moves into and out of engagement with a fixed contact 83 provided on the inner end of the terminal 79.
In this instance, however, the movable contact arm 81 is biased toward the closed position and is moved to its open posltion by an operator 84 in response to disc movement. The operator 84 is slidably mounted in the switch housing and is provided with a shoulder 86 guided within a first axial passage 87 and a reduced diameter guide projection 88 which is guided in a reduced diameter axial passage 89. A coil-type compression spring 91 engages the shoulder on the switch housing 61 at one end and the shoulder 86 at its other end and resiliently urges the operator 84 to the right, ~s viewed in Figure 6.

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The operator is provided wlth a reduced diameter pro~ection 92, best illustrated in Figure 7, which extends through an opening 93 in the movable contact arm 81 with clearance and engages the end of a cylindrical bumper 94.
The bumper extends from the projection 92 to the disc 73 and transmits disc movement to the operator and, in turn, the movable contact arm 81. Such movable contact arm 81 is formed with a pair of projections 95 on opposite sides of the opening 93 which engage the face 96 of the shoulder 86 on the operator 84.
The force of the spring 91 is selected so that it is sufficient to overcome the spring action of the movable contact arm and to move the movable contact arm to the switch-open position illustrated in Figure 6 when the disc 73 snaps through to its low pressure position.
The structure of thls embodiment ensures that the movable contact support arm 81 is not overstressed under overpressure conditions, since the movement of the disc beyond the switch-closed position does not produce additional stress in the contact arm, but merely moves the operator away from the contact arm. Thereore, high stresses do not occur in the arm by bending it after the contacts are closed. In effect, the maximum stress that can be applied to the movable contact arm 81 is determined by the available force in the spring 91 and the position to which the disc 73 moves when the pressure drops. Actual tests have established that this structure virtually eliminates fatigue failures in the movable contact arm, even when the switch is operated through extremely large numbers of cycles. Switches of the type illustrated in the first embodiment often fail under life testing to 100,000 operating cycles. However, switch structures in accordance with the embodiment of Figures 6 and 7 regularly pass life testlng of 200,000 or more cycles.

Although prefer~ed embodimentfi o~ thie inventlon are illustrated, it should be understood that various modifications and rearrangements of parts ~ay be resorted to without departlng from the scope of the invention disclosed and clai~ed herein.

Claims (8)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A condition sensing switching device comprising a housing, a snap disc means in said housing movable with snap action between two positions of stability in response to pre-determined operating conditions, a switch in said housing including a cantilever spring movable contact arm biased toward its switch-closed position, spring-biased operator means in said housing engaging said movable contact arm and operable to apply a spring force thereto in a direction toward a switch-open position moving it to its switch-open position in response to disc means movement to one of said positions of stability, said movable contact arm providing an opening, and said operator means project-ing with clearance through said opening to said disc means, said operator means including a shoulder engageable with said movable contact arm on the side thereof remote from said disc means, such that said disc means is incapable of applying stress to said movable contact arm in a switch-closed direction while it is in its switch-closed position.
2. A condition sensing switching device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said operating means includes a spring-biased operator providing a projection extending through said opening and a bumper extending between said disc means and said projection.
3. A pressure switch comprising a housing assembly providing a cavity with a disc seat therein and a pressure port, shallow dished shaped snap disc means in said seat providing two positions of stability between which it moves in response to first and second predetermined pressures, said disc means dividing said cavity into a pressure chamber communicating with said pressure port and a second chamber isolated therefrom, pressure in said pressure chamber acting on said disc means and causing said disc means to snap between said positions of stability when the pressure in said pressure chamber reaches said predetermined pressures, a switch in said housing including a cantilever spring movable con-tact arm biased towards its switch-closed position, a spring-biased operator in said housing engaging said movable contact arm and operable to apply a spring force thereto to move it to its switch-open position in response to movement of said disc means to one of said positions of stability, said movable contact arm providing an opening, and said operator means projecting through said opening to said disc means, said operator means including a shoulder engageable with said movable contact arm on the side thereof remote from said disc, such that said disc means is incapable of applying stress to said movable contact arm in a switch-closed direction while it is in its switch-closed position.
4. A pressure switch as set forth in claim 3, wherein said operator means includes a spring-biased operator providing a projection extending through said opening and a bumper extending between said disc and said projection.
5. A pressure switch as set forth in claim 4 wherein said disc means includes a plurality of substantially similar snap discs positioned in said seat, each disc individually being operable to snap at a calibration pressure, said switch operating at pressures substantially equal to the sum of the calibration pressures of said discs.
6. A pressure switch as set forth in claim 5, wherein there are two similar discs both having substantially the same calibra-tion pressure.
7. A pressure switch as set forth in claim 6, wherein said disc means includes a flexible, nonmetallic diaphragm sealed within said housing assembly and engaging the side of said disc means remote from said seat, said diaphragm dividing said cavity into said pressure chamber and said second chamber.
8. A pressure switch as set forth in claim 3, wherein said disc means includes a flexible, nonmetallic diaphragm sealed within said housing assembly and engaging the side of said disc means remote from said disc, said diaphragm dividing said cavity into said pressure chamber and said second chamber.
CA327,225A 1978-05-15 1979-05-09 Snap disc operated pressure switch Expired CA1124289A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US90588778A 1978-05-15 1978-05-15
US905,887 1978-05-15
US4,743 1979-01-19
US06/004,743 US4243858A (en) 1979-01-19 1979-01-19 Snap disc operated pressure switch

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA1124289A true CA1124289A (en) 1982-05-25

Family

ID=26673400

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA327,225A Expired CA1124289A (en) 1978-05-15 1979-05-09 Snap disc operated pressure switch

Country Status (4)

Country Link
CA (1) CA1124289A (en)
DE (1) DE2919778A1 (en)
FR (1) FR2426324B1 (en)
GB (1) GB2020908B (en)

Families Citing this family (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4410776A (en) * 1981-03-16 1983-10-18 General Electric Company Control device
EP0100221A3 (en) * 1982-07-26 1984-05-23 Robertshaw Controls Company Fluid pressure sensitive construction and method of making the same
GB2141585A (en) * 1982-12-03 1984-12-19 John Roger Bernard Pressure switch
GB2176595A (en) * 1985-06-05 1986-12-31 Warner Lambert Co Pressure sensing device
US4667069A (en) * 1985-08-16 1987-05-19 Ranco Incorporated Multiple disc pressure responsive control device
FR2620562A1 (en) * 1987-09-15 1989-03-17 Seim Sa Rapid-action electric contactor
ES2428507T3 (en) 2006-01-12 2013-11-08 Georg Emken Electric micro switch

Family Cites Families (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE1473632B1 (en) * 1964-07-03 1970-10-22 Texas Instruments Inc Monostable snap membrane switch and method for its manufacture
US3378656A (en) * 1966-01-03 1968-04-16 Texas Instruments Inc Adjustment means for electrical switch
US3553402A (en) * 1968-07-23 1971-01-05 Fasco Industries Pressure switch with improved diaphragm and snap action disc structure
US3773991A (en) * 1971-07-09 1973-11-20 Furnas Elec Co Snap action pressure responsive control device with single stroke make and break
US4121074A (en) * 1977-09-29 1978-10-17 Texas Instruments Incorporated Condition responsive apparatus with motion transfer member to movable contact arm

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
FR2426324B1 (en) 1985-11-15
DE2919778A1 (en) 1979-11-22
GB2020908A (en) 1979-11-21
GB2020908B (en) 1982-08-04
FR2426324A1 (en) 1979-12-14

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