Pressure operated electrical switching device with plural lever actuated microswitches

• US 5,089,673 A
• Filed: 03/30/1990
• Issued: 02/18/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: IMO Industries GmbH Dorn-Assenheimer STR
• Original Assignee: IMO Industries GmbH
• Inventors: Strzodka, Hubert
• Primary Examiner(s): SCOTT, JAMES R
• Application Number:
  US07/501,285
• Time in Patent Office: 690 Days
• Field of Search: 200/81 R, 200/81.4, 200/81.8, 200/82 R, 200/82 A, 200/82 C
• US Class Current: 200/82.00C
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 35/2657 with different switches operated at substantially different pressures

Abstract

An electrical switching device includes a switch plunger which is axially displaceable within a housing and two opposing radially directed rocking levers each disposed on a sharp edge formed on the housing. When pressure is applied to the switch plunger, the rocking levers are caused to rotate about the sharp edges and thus each actuate an associated microswitch. The transformation ratio between the stroke of the switch plunger and the stroke of the switch pen of each microswitch can be adjusted by movement of the microswitch with respect to the associated rocking lever.

Claims

1. A pressure operated electrical switching device, comprising:

a housing having two sharp edges formed on a top portion thereof on opposite sides of a longitudinal axis of the housing;

an axially movable switch plunger disposed in said housing along the longitudinal axis;

two opposing rocking levers each rockably arranged on one of said two sharp edges so that an inner end portion of each rocking lever communicates with the axially movable switch plunger; and

two microswitches each mounted on the housing so as to be switchable by an outer end portion of one of said rocking levers.

2. A pressure operated electrical switching device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the top portion of the housing comprises a base plate on which the sharp edges are formed and a support bridge having side faces to which the two microswitches are mounted.

3. A pressure operated electrical switching device as claimed in claim 2, wherein each microswitch comprises a switch lever running in a direction parallel to a corresponding one of said two sharp edges, and wherein the microswitches are mounted on the side faces of the support bridge so as to be movable in the direction of the switch lever.

4. A pressure operated electrical switching device as claimed in claim 3, further comprising two slide pieces disposed in two holes in the support bridge, wherein each of said slide pieces holds a corresponding one of said microswitches.

5. A pressure operated electrical switching device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the rocking levers is biased toward the switch plunger with a spring, and the bias of the lever is adjustable by adjustment of a guide.

6. A pressure operated electrical switching device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the top portion of the housing is separable from a bottom portion of the housing and is connected thereto by at least one flange formed in the top portion of the housing.

7. A pressure operated electrical switching device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each rocking lever is formed as a semicircular disk so that a straight edge of the semicircular disk communicates with the switch plunger, wherein two cutouts are formed in each semicircular disk through which two guide screws are disposed, and wherein a bias spring is disposed about each guide screw for biasing the rocking lever toward the switch plunger.

8. A pressure operated electrical switching device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a piston and a stop plate fixed to the housing, wherein an end of the switch plunger opposite the rocking levers comprises a switch extension which extends through a hole in the stop plate and communicates with the piston, and wherein movement of the piston into the hole in the stop plate is limited by a shoulder formed in the hole.