Sensor assembly

• US 4,262,177 A
• Filed: 06/25/1979
• Issued: 04/14/1981
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: General Motors Corporation (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Tuchscherer, Lawrence D., Paxton, Wayne E., Suzuki, Henry Y.
• Primary Examiner(s): Scott, James R.
• Application Number:
  US06/051,449
• Time in Patent Office: 659 Days
• Field of Search: 200/61.45 R, 200/61.45 M, 200/61.48, 200/61.49, 200/61.51, 200/61.52
• US Class Current: 200/61.45R
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 35/14 Switches operated by change of acceleration, e.g. by shock or vibration, inertia switch wherein the liquid constitutes a contact of the switch H01H29/002

Abstract

A pendulum type sensor includes a housing having a plurality of recesses, each receiving a sensor module. The sensor module includes a mass assembly, a spacer assembly and a contact assembly sandwiched together and secured to each other. Each assembly includes a support defining an enclosure, with the mass assembly enclosure receiving a sector shaped recess of the spacer assembly to locate the mass and deflectable wire of the mass assembly in an unactuated preload position. The contact assembly includes a plurality of contact fingers engaged by the mass upon movement to actuated position and an ultimate stop which prevents turning moments on the mass upon engagement of the contact fingers with the ultimate stop under the force of the mass.

Claims

1. A sensor module comprising, in combination, a generally planar mass assembly, a generally planar contact assembly, and a generally planar spacer assembly sandwiched between the mass assembly and the contact assembly, the mass assembly including a first hanger defining an enclosure, a pendulum supported mass on the first hanger movable laterally relative to the enclosure thereof, the spacer assembly defining an enclosure opening to the enclosure of the first hanger and further including a sector shaped recess defined by a pair of angularly related side walls extending generally laterally of the enclosures of the first hanger and spacer assembly, the mass being received within the recess in engagement with the side walls adjacent the proximal end of the recess to deflect the mass from normal position and provide a preload force, the contact assembly including a second hanger defining an enclosure opening to the spacer assembly enclosure and to the distal end of the recess, a contact mounted on the second hanger and including a plurality of deflectable contact fingers, means on the spacer assembly engageable by the contact fingers to deflect the contact fingers from normal position and provide a preload force on the fingers, means securing the first and second hangers to the spacer assembly to provide the sensor module, the mass moving within the sector shaped recess and into engagement with one or more contact fingers upon receipt by the mass of an acceleration pulse of predetermined amplitude and time to deflect the engaged contact fingers against the preload force on the fingers.

2. A sensor module comprising, in combination, a generally planar mass assembly, a generally planar contact assembly, and a generally planar spacer assembly sandwiched between the mass assembly and the contact assembly, the mass assembly including a first hanger defining an enclosure and including a bendable portion, a wire supported mass mounted on the bendable portion of the first hanger for movement laterally relative to the enclosure thereof, the spacer assembly defining an enclosure opening to the enclosure of the first hanger and further including a sector shaped recess defined by a pair of angularly related side walls extending generally laterally of the enclosures of the first hanger and spacer assembly, the mass being received within the recess in engagement with the side walls adjacent the proximal end of the recess to deflect the wire from normal position and provide a preload force on the mass, the deflection of the wire being set by bending of the bendable portion of the first hanger, the contact assembly including a second hanger defining an enclosure opening to the spacer assembly enclosure and to the distal end of the recess, a contact mounted on the second hanger and including a plurality of deflectable contact fingers, means on the spacer assembly located in an arc generated about a bisector of the recess and engageable by the contact fingers to deflect the contact fingers from normal position and provide a preload force on the fingers, means securing the first and second hangers to the spacer assembly to provide the sensor module, the mass moving within the sector shaped recess and into engagement with one or more contact fingers upon receipt by the mass of an acceleration pulse of predetermined amplitude and time to deflect the engaged contact fingers against the preload force on the fingers.

3. A sensor module comprising, in combination, a generally planar mass assembly, a generally planar contact assembly, and a generally planar spacer assembly sandwiched between the mass assembly and the contact assembly, the mass assembly including a first hanger defining an enclosure, a pendulum supported mass on the hanger movable laterally relative to the enclosure thereof, the spacer assembly defining an enclosure opening to the enclosure of the first hanger and further including a sector shaped recess defined by a pair of angularly related side walls and a base wall which extend generally laterally of the enclosures of the first hanger and spacer assembly, the mass being received within the recess in engagement with the side walls adjacent the proximal end of the recess to deflect the mass from normal position and provide a preload force, means providing access to the mass through the enclosure of the first hanger and between the side walls to check the preload force, the contact assembly including a second hanger defining an enclosure opening to the spacer assembly enclosure and to the distal end of the recess, a contact mounted on the second hanger and including a plurality of deflectable contact fingers, the base wall of the recess having an arcuate edge portion generated about a bisector of the recess and engageable by the contact fingers to deflect the contact finges from normal position and provide a preload force on the fingers, means securing the first and second hangers to the spacer assembly to provide the sensor module, the mass moving within the sector shaped recess and into engagement with one or more contact fingers upon receipt by the mass of an acceleration pulse of predetermined amplitude and time to deflect the engaged contact fingers against the preload force on the fingers.

4. A sensor module comprising, in combination, a wire supported mass mounted on the module for movement relative to the distal end of a sector shaped recess upon receipt thereby of an acceleration pulse of predetermined amplitude and time, a plurality of deflectable contact fingers mounted on the module, means locating the fingers in a partially deflected position adjacent the distal end of the recess for further deflection thereof upon engagement by the mass when the mass moves relative to the distal end of the recess, and ultimate stop means mounted on the module and located generally normal to the path of movement of the mass an in laterally spaced relationship to the fingers, the ultimate stop means being engageable by the contact fingers normal to the path of movement of the mass and opposite the engagement of the mass with the fingers to obviate any rotational turning moments on the mass tending to rotate the mass relative to the wire.